emergency times, Sivron admitted, and they had
to make sacrifices in the name of the Empire.
"Thank you, Captain, for pointing out that
loophole in our procedures," he said, flashing
a pointy — toothed smile.
The stormtrooper had shown them in an appendix
to the emergency procedures, under the subheading
"Dissemination of Information," a clause pertaining
to the total secrecy of Maw Installation
inventions — "Rebel access to Maw Installation
research and development data must be denied at
all costs." This clause, he argued, could be
interpreted as mandating the destruction of the
facility, now that it had been overrun.
"At all costs," the captain repeated,
"clearly means we should forfeit the Installation itself
rather than let the Rebels have access to our work."
"Well," Doxin said, "it would give us
another opportunity to fire the superlaser for the
good of the Empire." He raised his wire — thin
eyebrows so that his scalp furrowed like treadmarks
across a sand dune.
Yemm, the Devaronian, continued
to flip through paragraph after paragraph of the
procedures on his datapad, studying the
terminology. "I see nothing to contradict the
captain's assessment, Director Sivron,"
he said.
"All right, the resolution has passed,"
Sivron said. "We shall direct the prototype
back into the Maw, using our previous flight
path. Captain, take care of the details."
"Yes, sir," the stormtrooper captain said.
"So that's all settled, then," Tol
Sivron said, clacking his long claws on the
tabletop. "If we have no new business, the
meeting is adjourned."
Everyone stood to leave, brushing their uniforms and
stepping away from the table.
Tol Sivron looked at the small
chronometer; barely two hours had passed.
He blinked his beady eyes in surprise. This
had been one of his shortest meetings ever.
Threepio's dizzying preoccupation with battle
configurations and tactics and ships swarming around the
five gamma assault shuttles absorbed all
his concentration. He forgot entirely about his dread.
The Gorgon cruised ominously overhead,
firing down on the Installation or shooting across at
the New Republic ships.
Chewbacca growled, squinting his fur — rimmed
eyes to study the Star Destroyer's firing
pattern. He chuffed and grunted an idea
to Threepio and, without waiting for a response,
opened the tight — beam ship — to — ship communications
systems.
Chewbacca spoke rapidly in the Wookiee
language, which Threepio decided was a
tactically wise thing to do. Although he himself was a
protocol droid and understood more than six
million forms of communication, he doubted that
anyone on the Gorgon would know what Chewbacca
was saying.
Even as acknowledgment came from the Wookiee
pilots in the other assault shuttles,
Threepio broke away from his full concentration
to speak to the Wookiee. "I simply
don't see how we can possibly take out all
of the starboard turbolaser banks on the Star
Destroyer. It's suicide. Why don't we
wait for more fighters from the New Republic
ships? I think that would be by far the safest
strategy."
Chewbacca snarled, and Threepio decided it
was unwise to press the point any further.
A combat wing of TIE fighters soared past
them, firing bursts from their laser cannons. One
of the assault shuttles passed into the
crossfire, and as Threepio reconstructed the
images an instant later, he determined that it
received eight direct hits within two seconds.
Its shields failed. Hull plates buckled,
and the shuttle exploded as the TIE fighters
roared past to face the X — wings and ally — wings
pouring from the New Republic battleships.
Chewbacca let out a grief — stricken roar at
seeing some of his newly rescued friends die. The
cry was echoed across the comm system by the other
Wookiees.
With the explosion Threepio experienced a sudden
destroyed ship. It felt as if a part of him had
been disconnected.
"Oh, dear!" he said, then shifted his
concentration to managing the other shuttles.
"Chewbacca, you have my complete support. We
simply cannot allow them to do this sort of thing."
Chewbacca roared agreement and gave
Threepio a comradely slap on the back that
practically sent the droid through the control
panels.
A tiny streak of light shot past them, and
Threepio was able to freeze the image in his
optical sensors: it was the angular crystalline
shape of a tiny two — man ship. He recognized
it instantly.
"Oh, my, isn't that the Sun Crusher?"
Threepio asked.
Preoccupied, Chewbacca roared a challenge
as the four remaining assault shuttles cruised
low over the Gorgon's starboard side. They
soared above the complex topography of the hull, a
blur of indecipherable outcroppings, piping,
fuel shafts, portholes, and life — support
equipment. Daala's heavy turbolasers shot
alternately at the Maw Installation and at the
New Republic starfighters.
Seven TIE fighters broke away from the
main attack and circled back to head off
Chewbacca's squadron. But the Wookiees
unleashed a smoking volley from the assault
shuttle's heavy blaster cannons. Stunted
old Nawruun and several other Wookiees sat
in the gunner seats and fired relentlessly.
A web of blaster bolts spewed from the
shuttles, clipping four of the attacking TIE
fighters. Two others veered wildly away from the
sudden firepower and careened into the side of the
Gorgon. The lone survivor of the attack
group peeled off and fled to get reinforcements.
Chewbacca grunted in satisfaction.
The assault shuttles hammered the Star
Destroyer's turbolaser batteries as they
streaked back and forth, launching their store of
concussion missiles. With the smoldering eruptions of
hull plates and exploding weapons systems, the
Gorgon was defenseless on one side.
"Oh, well done, Chewbacca!" Threepio
cried. "You did it."
Chewbacca purred in satisfaction. Loud,
triumphant roars came from the back of the
assault shuttle and the gunner bay. But as
TIE reinforcements arrowed toward them, Threepio
decided it was time to cease the frivolity.
"Excuse me, sir," he said, "but hadn't
we better retreat now?"
Like a master pilot Kyp Durron brought the
Sun Crusher into a berth on one of the
pla
netoids. He maneuvered the thorn — shaped
ship through the blast doors and into the bay.
Luke let the young man pilot as he himself
worked the communications systems, transmitting to the
escort frigate and then to the Installation operations
center.
"Wedge, are you there? Are you all right? Tell
me what's going on. This is Luke."
A response came over the comm, accompanied
by a cacophony of alarms and shouted orders,
status reports, and the background rumble of
direct hits from the Star Destroyer.
"Luke, you're alive! What are you doing
here?"
He realized that Wedge had been inside the
Maw cluster since before the defeat of Exar
Kun. "We brought the Sun Crusher here
to destroy it. But it looks like you're
having problems of your own."
"I'd need a few hours to tell you everything
that's happened since this operation started," Wedge
said. His voice was harried. "Are you safe?"
"We're fine for now, Wedge. We're landing
in one of your maintenance bays."
"Good. I can sure use whatever help you can
offer."
After Kyp secured the Sun Crusher, he
popped open the hatch, and the two of them clambered
down the metal ladder. They set off at a
brisk jog through the curving corridors that
tunneled through the dead rock. The rhythmic pounding
of Daala's repeated blasts echoed through the
tunnels.
The two of them spilled into the operations center,
trying to make sense of the frenzy of preparations
Wedge had underway.
Wedge Antilles ran forward to embrace his
friend. Both men clapped each other on the back.
"I'm so glad you're back with us," Wedge said
in a voice filled with unasked questions. Then he
flashed a distrustful glance at Kyp Durron,
who stood contritely on the threshold. "What's
he doing here?"
Beside him Qwi Xux also saw him and gasped,
taking a step backward.
"I'm sorry," Kyp said quietly.
Luke looked sternly at Wedge. "Kyp is
here to help us, Wedge. He has returned from the
dark side, and I've made my peace with him.
If you still hold a grudge, then take it up with
him once this is all over."
Wedge looked to Qwi, and her gentle narrow
face tightened before she nodded briefly.
"Kyp came here to destroy the Sun Crusher
as a form of penance, but now — was Luke gripped his
apprentice's shoulder. "Now we are two Jedi
offering our services in this fight."
Wedge called to one of the other commandos. "Give
me a status update now," he said.
The tactical crew rattled off a list of
starfighters deployed, shots fired, a tally of
enemy and ally losses. "Chewbacca's team
appears to have knocked out the Gorgon's starboard
turbolaser batteries."
Wedge looked relieved. "If only we can
keep damaging Daala faster than she can
damage us." He shook his head.
"Where's Han?" Luke asked.
Kyp perked up, eagerly awaiting the answer.
Wedge frowned. "What do you mean?" Luke
explained about the prototype and how Han,
Lando, and Mara Jade had last been seen
inside its superstructure.
Wedge shook his head. "The Sun Crusher and the
Gorgon are already here — notow you're telling me the
Death Star is coming back?" He blinked in
disbelief before starting to snap out orders to the
tactical team. "You heard what Luke said!
Looks like we've got another surprise coming
our way."
It didn't seem possible, but everyone
managed to bustle a little faster. Luke stared through
the broad skylights of the operations center. He
sensed it before he saw it.
Through the flaring lights of battle overhead and the
muffled din of repeated explosions, the armillary
sphere of the Death Star prototype emerged through the
pastel glow of the Maw and entered the fray.
The Millennium Falcon's landing claw
clung to the Death Star's superstructure as the
skeletal sphere lurched into motion again and careened
through the black hole cluster.
Han, Mara, and Lando sat strapped into theirthe
swiveling seats, gritting their teeth from
gravity's onslaught. The Falcon held
on, but the prototype bucked from the enormous
tidal pulls.
Once the rough passage was over, Han
scanned the diagnostics. "Got to do something about
these hyperdrives," he said. "If we fly fast
enough, we could just blow the reactor core and run.
But the way the Falcon's limping along, we'd
never get away in time."
Han turned his seat to look at Lando and
Mara. He wiped dark hair away from his eyes.
"And even if we did get away in time, we'd
never make it back through the Maw cluster without
top — notch maneuverability."
"Not to mention we don't know the way out,"
Mara said. "My Jedi instincts aren't strong enough
for a job like that."
"Uh, now, that's another good point
...," Han admitted.
"But Han," Lando said, "we've got to do
something. If the Death Star's come back to Maw
Installation, it's bound to be up to no good."
"Yeah," Han said, nodding grimly.
"Chewie is in here with the rest of the occupation force.
I won't just leave him if he's in trouble."
Mara pulled herself to her feet. "So it's
obvious," she said. "We've got
to deactivate that superlaser." She shrugged.
"As long as we're here."
"But the hyperdrive engines — was Han began.
"You've got environment suits, don't you?"
she said. "A light freighter like the Falcon
ought to have at least a couple for emergency
repairs."
"Yesss," Han said, drawing out the word, still
unable to guess what Mara had in mind. "I've
got two suits: one for me and one for Chewie."
"Good," Mara said, cracking her knuckles.
"Calrissian and I will go out and plant timed
detonators on the reactor core. You work on
the hyperdrive engines. The timers will let us get
out of the superstructure before they blow."
Lando's mouth dropped open. "You want
me — his"
Her eyes challenged him. "Got any better
ideas?"
He shrugged and grinned. "Why, no. I'd be
honored to escort you, Mara."
Lando sneezed as he tugged on the huge padded
suit. "This whole thing smells like Wookiee
hair," he said. "Did Chewbacca exercise in
this thing and put it away wet?"
The sleeves were enormous, and his feet swam
in the Wookiee — sized boots. He tugged the
bulky fabric around his waist, fold upon fold,
and then used the adjustment straps to cinch it tighter
around him. He felt as if he were walking inside
a giant inflated mattress.
"We've got a job to do, Calrissian,"
Mara said. "Quit complaining or I'll do it
myself."
"No," Lando said. "I want to help you.
Really."
"Here." Mara held out a case of the timed
detonators. "Carry these."
Lando looked down at them and swallowed.
"Thanks."
Han gave a hollow grunt of pain as he
bumped his head on something down in the repair
crawl space. Lando heard his friend mutter something
about wishing for a decent droid to do the dirty work.
"A couple of the components are fried," Han
called up to them. His voice sounded tinny through the
compartment. "But I've got spares — or at least
close enough that I can get the ship running again.
We've got three fused circuits. One we
can get by without; two I can bypass."
"We'll give you half an hour," Mara
said, pulling the helmet on and sealing it over her
neck.
Han repositioned himself in the coffin — sized
maintenance bay to stick his head above the deck
plates. Grease and leaked coolant stained his
cheeks. "I'll be ready."
"You better be, if we trigger those timers,"
Lando said, and secured his own helmet. It
seemed as large as a shuttlecraft on his head.
"Come on, Calrissian," Mara said.
"We've got some wrecking to do."
From his comfortable chair Tol Sivron squinted
out at the panorama of the Maw's center,
assessing the situation but making no decisions — like
a good manager.
"It's the Star Destroyer Gorgon, sir,"
the stormtrooper captain said. "Shall I hail
it?"
Sivron scowled. "About time Admiral
Daala came back to do her duty," he said.
It still rankled him that she had abandoned her
primary mission of protecting the Maw
scientists. Now that the Rebels had already taken
over the Installation, it was too late for her
to make amends.
"Why did she come back with only one Star
Destroyer?" Sivron said. "She had four.
No, wait — one was destroyed, wasn't it?
Well, three, anyway. Does she simply
want to flaunt her weaponry?" He sniffed.
"Well, this time we've got our own Death Star,
and we're not afraid to use it."
"Excuse me, Director," the captain
said, "but the Gorgon appears to be severely
damaged. The Rebel forces are attacking her.
I believe it's our duty to come to her aid."
Tol Sivron looked at the captain