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| Stand-In Smuggler |
Stand-In Smuggler
Luke hurried into the Command Center in response to an urgent summons from the man directing the rebel forces on Hoth.
"Ah, there you are, Commander." General Rieekan stated, as the younger man came to stand beside him.
"You wanted to see me, General?" Luke asked, stepping aside to allow several Techs to pass.
"Yes, Luke. While waiting for the snow speeders to be operational, you haven't been placed on any special assignments I'm not aware of, have you?" Rieekan asked, while directing machinery placements.
"No, sir." Luke replied,confused. General Rieekan seemed hesitant; be wondered what was going on. Odds were, it wouldn't be something held enjoy.
"This sort of thing is more up Han Solo's line, than your's," The older man said. "But he's off on another mission, and this situation can't wait." Rieekan looked expectantly at Skywalker,obviously waiting for some response.
"Yes, sir." Luke replied, trying to think of what else he could say. "Of course, Han's taught me a lot of his tricks over the years we've been together."
"I hoped you'd see it that way." Rieekan stated, a relieved look on his face. "We need someone who can be a convincing decoy for the Imperials."
Luke swallowed hard. What had he gotten into now?
"We thought that smuggling would offer the best cover for all the activity in this area." The General continued. "We'll fit you up with a cover story, and one of the older civilian ships. All you have to do is look innocent, and be damn convincing when, and if, the Imperials board you." Rieekan finished dryly.
"Right," Luke replied weakly. Innocent, and convincing--for an Imperial boarding party! Great. Next time, he'd let his tauntaun kick him in the head. It couldn't be any worse.
"Go with Major Derlin," The General instructed him, as he motioned toward the man standing near-by. "He'll fill in all the details, and get you set up with what you'll need." Rieekan patted Lukes shoulder. "Good luck, Skywalker."
"Luke." A soft voice called, as he headed down the corridor. Turning towards Princess Leia, his heart rate went into hyperdrive. Even in the standard cold issue clothing, she was beautiful.
"Hi, Leia! What's up?" He tried to keep his tone casual. Instinctively, he knew their friendship depended on him controlling any romantic urges he might feel.
"I just wanted to say goodbye, and wish you luck on this mission," The Princess replied. "I feel kind of responsible. It was I who suggested you would be best for the job since Han is unavailable."
So; Leia thought he could pull it off. Her confidence produced a feeling of euphoria far out of proportion to the situation. Luke felt he must succeed or die trying; to prove to her that he was as good as Han, and to justify her belief in himself.
For her part, Leia felt once more the anxiety of a leader sending a comrade into danger. Her feelings for Luke were friendly, and affectionate. She knew he entertained romantic thoughts about her, but so far he had not tried to press his interests. Not like a certain Corellian, she thought angrily. Impulsively, she reached up, and kissed his check.
"Good luck," Leia repeated. "I'll see you when you return."
Luke turned and continued toward the hangars; his thoughts and emotions in a most unsettled condition for someone about to embark on a dangerous mission.
Not long after, Luke blasted off from the base in an old civilian craft. He was going to loiter around the Hoth system, until contacted by an Imperial ship. General Rieekan had received a warning from rebel spies that the Empire had noticed unusual activity in this vicinity. It was vital to the security of the new base that they be convinced this was caused by smugglers.
Pure, and simple, Luke was a decoy. His instructions were to survive and return, if he could do so without compromising Hoth base. A big if, Luke thought, but he tried to remain optimistic. If Han could pull it off, well so could he.
As he lingered in the area, Luke had just decided this mission was going to be very boring, when something showed up on his scope, a very large something.
The appearance of the intruder caused some excitement in the Rebel control room as well.
"Sir," One of the operators called to General Rieekan. "Something's found our decoy. There's an Imperial cruiser on an intercept course with Commander Skywalker."
General Rieekan looked at the Princess. "Seems the bait's been taken. Now we'll see how good our story is."
"It better be very good," the Princess responded.
"We can't afford to give up this base so soon. We need time to reorganize, not to mention all the equipment in need of repair."
"Luke will do the best he can. His neck's more on the line than any of us right now." the General stated grimly. "Even if they buy his yarn, the Imperials may decide to put this particular smuggler out of business."
Leia nodded, and looked back toward the scope, not showing any of the worry, and concern she felt for Luke. He would be all right, she thought fiercely; he had to be all right.
The object of all this worry was nervously watching the Imperials approach. 'Here goes nothing.' Luke thought, and keyed transmission of one of the Rebellion's best counterfeit identity codes. His ship was suppose to be a small freighter called 'The Lost Phoenix'. At least it was easy to remember, as well as sounding very silly, and very harmless, Luke hoped.
There was a sharp lurch, and Luke knew the cruiser had him in its tractor beam. All he could do was sit tight, and hope this was standard procedure. With any luck, they'd just inspect his cargo, listen to his story, and send him on his way. Deep down, he doubted it'd be that easy.
He was right, damn it. The officer who listened to Luke's tale of a delayed rendezvous with the owner's fleet, nodded without comment, and he gave no indication whether or not they'd come across the other ships Luke was supposedly meeting. The young rebel was escorted to a room that looked suspiciously like a detention cell; where he was left alone to pace, and try to look the part of a bewildered, and innocent freighter pilot for any surveillance cameras.
Luke had no idea of how long he'd been waiting when the door opened, and another officer came in. She was around his age, maybe slightly older. Her attractive blonde hair was neatly arranged, and the uniform she wore did not disguise her slim, athletic figure. Her insignia was unfamiliar to Luke; and the young man didn't like the way he was being scrutinized, as if he smelled bad. Luke tried to imagine what Han would do, and decided a protest was in order.
"Look," he began, "you've got no right to hold me like this. It's making me even later. My boss is going to kill me!
"Shut up." the Imperial said in a low, pleasant voice. "Now, I want the truth out of you. What do you know about rebel ships in this system?"
Luke stared dumbfounded. This was worse than rebel intelligence had thought! He hoped his shock would be interpreted as ignorance. As Luke opened his mouth to reply, the Imperial cut him off with a sharp gesture.
"Don't bother. You're planning on telling me you know nothing." the woman stated with a smile. "I won't believe you, so we may as well save time. I am with Intelligence, temporarily attached to this vessel to investigate reports of rebel maneuvers in this system." She folded her arms across her chest staring hard at the young man before her. "You may address me as Major Corlan. I don't know why the Rebellion would be interested in this forsaken sector of space, but you are the first substantial thing we've found."
She paused a moment, letting her words sink in, then continued. "Now, what are you doing here in a ship with a highly dubious cargo, and a skillfully forged registration?" Luke blinked at that. His surprise must have been obvious, because the woman laughed.
"0h, it was an excellent forgery, but we've seen that particular technique before." She moved to stand over Skywalker. "I think you are here to convince me that the rebels do not exist. Your story of waiting for a shipping fleet is pathetic, almost laughable." Her face was now just inches from Luke's. "You will also notice that I am not laughing."
With an abrupt movement, Corlan backed up, and began pacing the room. Her whole attitude was one of barely controlled impatience. Luke felt as if he was caged with a wild animal, one that hadn't been fed recently.
"So, what do we do now?" Corlan asked facing Luke again. "Until your arrival, we were faced with searching all the moons, and planets in this sector. Now, we have you instead."
"Wait a minute," Luke said, finally breaking the paralysis the intelligence officer had induced. "I can't tell you anything about the rebels. I'm a freight hauler, nothing more."
"Of course, you have to say that." Corlan stated nodding. "If you're innocent, you have no choice but to try to convince me of your ignorance. Unfortunately for you, a rebel agent would try the very same thing."
Before anything else could happen, the comlink buzzed. "Major Corlan, this is Security. We've found something."
The Imperial acknowledged the information, and stood up.
"Excuse me," she said politely. "It seems there is a matter needing my attention. I'll leave you to consider your alternatives.
"After Corlan left, Luke tried to compose himself; consider the situation he was in. It was a good example of all hell breaking loose, he decided. Instead of telling his story to some bored Imperial naval officer who could be fairly; easily convinced, Luke had found himself facing a predator who would methodically tear him to bits to get at the truth. He racked his brains trying to think of a way out of this mess. What were the alternatives? The first was obvious, and extremely unattractive. No matter how he was questioned, he would tell them nothing, and therefore he would probably end up dead; and Corlan would take the sector apart until she found Hoth base.
The second possibility was to use his back-up story, and hope to buy time to escape. Most likely that was what had taken Corlan away just now--the evidence supporting his deep background had been found. Luke was not convinced the intelligence officer would buy this story anymore than she had believed Luke's first one.
Was there another alternative? Luke thought about Han. His friend's favorite saying came to mind. 'If you're going to lie, lie big' That was what was wrong with the cover the Rebellion had given him. It wasn't outrageous enough. He needed a story that not only would send the Imperials away from this sector, but would give them something else to chase. But what? Sinking his head in his hands, the young commanders mind raced to come up with some idea, any idea! He knew he didn't have much time; Corlan would return very soon. And then he thought of something that with allot of luck just might work.
Luke was still sitting with his head in his hands when Corlan returned. She was pleased to see the prisoner looking so dejected. The extra time it had taken to inspect his 'hidden cargo' had given him lots of opportunity to think. She didn't expect him to tell her where the rebels were. The Empires experience with rebel agents had shown them to be foolishly stubborn; most had died before revealing anything useful.
Sitting down across from Luke, the Major asked quietly, "Care to explain those secret holds full of machine parts, and computer circuits?"
"Why should I?" Luke asked, raising his head slowly. "You've already tagged me as a rebel spy. I'd be wasting my time telling you about them."
Major Corlan sat up straight. This was a different young man than the flustered innocent she'd left a while ago. There was something here that needed an explanation.
"Do you still claim you're just an ignorant freight hauler?" She asked mildly. "Perhaps you didn't know about the secret compartments, hmmm?"
"The hell I didn't!" Luke retorted, grinning impudently, "I had them built myself. Never know when you might want to hide cargo from prying eyes; only pirates or spies, of course."
"Of course," Corlan laughed. "And you would have told us all about them like a good citizen it we hadn't started throwing wild accusations at you."
"Naturally," Luke replied. "I told you I have nothing to hide."
"We'll see about that." Major Corlan assured, as she slowly stood. "Much as I'd like to, I can't take your word unsupported by evidence. So, we must take the next step to gather that evidence."
She gestured toward the door which opened to allow two technicians to enter with a black floating object. Luke froze as he watched the interrogation droid approach. This wasn't going to be fun, he thought, and braced himself as it came near him.
"Is the cruiser still in orbit?" Leia Organa asked, as she entered the command center.
"Yes ,Princess," Replied the rebel manning the scopes. "It's showing no signs of leaving. Nor has it released Commander Skywalker's ship."
"What do you think they're waiting for?" She asked general Rieekan, who had come to stand beside her.
"Wish I knew," He responded. "Could be a good sign that they're still considering Luke's story. After all, we haven't seen any activity to indicate they're going to set up a search."
The Princess considered this for a moment. "Or they could be questioning him because they don't believe his story." She shuddered, thoughts of Imperial vivid in her mind.
"I don't think we should look for trouble," Rieekan's voice was calm, and practical. "After all, they have that hidden cargo to chew over. It may be taking Luke time to set up his story."
Leia fervently hoped this was true. She was still shivering, and it wasn't due to the cold of the rebel base. This was her worst nightmare--sending someone out to be picked apart physically, and mentally by Imperial torture devices. And Luke was very special to her, more than just a friend. The Princess stared at the scope again, as if it could show her what Luke was doing at that moment.
Luke was trying to decide if he'd endured long enough to make a confession believable. He'd given up trying not to scream a while ago, telling himself that he wasn't a hero, stoic in the face of pain. With a start, his thoughts back, aware that he was growing confused. Perhaps it was time to give up, and tell everything. He raised a shaking hand.
"Do you have something to tell me?" the Major asked in that quiet, pleasant voice.
"Please, yes," Luke managed to say. "I'll tell what I know."
The Major signaled, and the interrogation droid slid silently back against the wall. The two technicians stood Luke up, supporting him one on either side. The young rebel swayed in their grasp, barely able to stand. His thoughts were swimming; it was hard to focus. Grimly, he called on all his reserves.
"Go ahead," Corlan said. "I'm waiting."
"It's not what you thought," Luke panted. "We, we're smugglers. Got a big client. Wanted machine parts, factory components, computers." He struggled to get the words out, trying to see what effect they were having on the Imperial. Major Corlan's face gave him no clue. "Security had to be very tight," Luke continued, gaining strength. "We were each given a different series of rendezvous points, told we might be met at any one of them."
"I don't know," Luke replied. "I'm not that high up in the organization." He paused as the Major looked at him warningly, her hand coming up to signal the droid.
"No, please," Luke gasped. "It's the truth. I don't know why they did it this way. Maybe they were afraid of being outgunned. Or they didn't want anyone to know where the stuff was going. I really don't know."
"What's your next stop?" She asked, her hand lowering.
"Hobard." Luke replied. This was a world Han had told him about, far off the normal space lanes, and often used as an open port by smugglers. There was enough normal traffic that the operation Luke was describing could go unnoticed. "It's the last stop."
The Major studied him closely. "Why should I believe you this time?" She asked, the tone of her voice revealing nothing. "You've lied so often."
Luke shrugged."There's nothing in my contract that says I have to die rather than talk." He put a little Swagger into his voice. "You're hunting rebels, not smugglers. Why would you want to bust up this operation? You can let me go and continue with your search."
"Or we could kill you." The Major smiled pleasantly. "Or send you to the spice mines. Smuggling is against the law, you know." Noting Luke's horrified look, she continued, "But I need to consider your information further. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back shortly."
Major Corlan went to the command room with the ship's captain. She reported the results of the interrogation and what had been discovered during the search of Lukes ship.
Pursing his lips, the Imperial officer considered all the data for a moment.
"Well, Corlan, what do you recommend?" He finally asked
.
"I think we should follow up on this information." The Majors tone was polite. "Go to the next rendezvous point and see who or what shows up.
"Why?" the Captain asked. "There's no proof this fellow is telling the truth this time. If he is a common Smuggler, why not execute him now, and be done with it? We are suppose to be hunting rebels, you do remember?"
The young woman held her temper. She knew naval officers resented the intelligence personnel they were forced to work with. This Captain was also bothered by having to take orders from a woman. She could go along with his prejudice just a little longer before she'd have to slap him down. Besides she enjoyed the challenge of getting him to cooperate despite himself.
Captain, Corlan began. "This Smuggler is very low level, and possibly none too bright. Surely you've seen what his information must mean."
The Captain hesitated, not wanting to be considered "none to bright" himself.
Not giving him time to respond, Corlan went on. "He has a hold full of machinery, and computer components. Not the usual quick credit smuggler wares. There's a mysterious client who seems to be assembling a factory or a repair facility. The final destination is unknown to the ships' pilots. And they cannot take the risk of being outgunned by their putative rivals." Corlan smiled dazzlingly at the Captain. "As you know, Imperial Intelligence monitors all the major smugglers, pirate groups, and mercenaries. There aren't any big enough to set up an operation like this. As a matter of fact, there is only one group operating outside Imperial law that could assemble this kind of operation and hope to pull it off."
"The rebels." The Captain jumped in eagerly. "Of course, Corlan, it's obvious. We've discovered the resupply convoy for their new base. We can have it all, the supplies, the base, and the Rebel fleet!"
It Was apparent that the captain was already dreaming of the rewards and promotion that would follow a successful mission. Corlan had no intention of sharing her glory with this space jockey; but there would be time for maneuvering later.
"Yes, Captain." She agreed, ready with her final argument. "But we will need to proceed carefully to make sure we get it all. You still need more information before we can move in and wipe them out."
"Information?" The Imperial Captain might be prejudiced, but he wasn't stupid. "Yes, we must locate their base. This smuggler is our best lead, wouldn't you say Major?"
"I agree." The young woman smiled to herself. This was going very well indeed. "This operation calls for some delicate coordination, Captain. I'm willing to place my "skills completely at your service."
Something was shaking Luke. Grimacing as he rediscovered all the painful parts left by his questioning, he opened his eyes. Major Corlan was standing next to the cot smiling that pleasant smile of hers.
"Well, sleeping the sleep of the just and innocent I see." She stated wryly. "Sorry to disturb you, but you're going to be leaving us."
For one wild moment, Luke thought they might be going to release him. It must have shown on his face, because the Intelligence officer's smile became even more amused.
"You can go about your business." Corlan informed him. "We want you to fulfill your contract, and make your next rendezvous."
Luke looked at her sourly. "Only I'll have company, of course." He stated, sarcasm creeping into his voice. "This space-going sideshow. Don't you think it might scare off the people I'm supposed to meet?"
This time the Major laughed delightedly. "You have such a way with words." She assured him. "No, this 'sideshow' won't be there. Naturally, it would discourage your contacts. But I'm sure you and I will have no trouble making the meeting. Will we?"
"Sir, the Imperial ship's getting ready to leave." The duty officer called to General Rieekan. The command center cheered at the good news.
"Any sign of them releasing Skywalker and his ship?" the General asked, exchanging a look with the Princess who hadn't left the command center since the beginning of this operation.
"No, sir." There was a pause. "They've just made the jump to lightspeed. It looks like they've taken the Commander with them."
'If he's even still alive,' Leia thought. 'Oh, Luke. What's happened to you?'
General Rieekan came nearer to stand beside the Princess. "He's saved the base, your Highness." Rieekan stated grimly. "That was his mission, and he's done it. Whatever may come of it, Luke's bought us the time we need."
Leia nodded slowly, too caught up in grief for the friend she might never see again to respond to the small success they had won. Later on she'd get back to planning for the future of the Rebellion. Right now, Luke deserved a few moments of remembrance, whatever his fate might be.
Guards brought Luke to the launching bay where his ship stood, ready to depart with its cargo intact. Major Corlan was waiting for them. She'd exchanged her uniform for pants, and a simple blue and white tunic that set off he pale beauty.
'I'd rather have a Wookiee for a copilot,' Luke thought wryly. 'I could understand a Wookiee better.'
He felt very unsure of what his next move would be, but he was thankfully aware that he and the Imperials had left the Hoth system. His thoughts flashed to Leia and his other friends back at the rebel base. Was it too much to hope he'd be able to return to them somehow?
"Ready to go?" Major Corlan asked, stepping up to him. "Just in case you're thinking of trying any tricks, I have a little present for you." She took his arm, and pushed the sleeve back. Luke looked at his wrist; a thin metal band was now locked around it.
"It's a new model Intelligence designed," She told him. "Very light, and compact. It won't get in your way."
"I've never seen anything like this," Luke replied, turning his wrist back, and forth. "What does it do?"
The next moment he cried out involuntarily, bending over as waves of pain coursed through his body, then stopped as quickly as they had begun. He straightened up, gasping for breath.
"That was the lightest setting," the Major told him calmly. "I don't think you want to find out what the higher levels are like. Just do as you're told and I won't have to use it."
Once they were aboard, she explained to Luke what she had planned. "The coordinates for Hobard are already locked in. We'll fly there on our own, while the cruiser wait's for my signal." She told him as she began pre flight check. "They'll be only .25 of a lightyear away. When I've assessed the situation on Hobard, they can move in quickly. I'm afraid you won't get any profit from this transaction, but you may escape with your life."
"Why are you doing this?" Luke asked her. "I thought you were looking for a rebel base, not a smuggling operation.
"Just shut up, and fly," the Major responded. "You don't need to know anything more. If you've told the truth, it will be over quickly."
"Can't be soon enough for me." Luke turned to his control board. "I've had my fill of Imperial hospitality. All set? Then let's go."
The smuggling ship maneuvered away from the cruiser; when they were clear, Luke punched for lightspeed. For whatever it was worth, he was committed to playing out this game.
So far, it had worked, after a fashion. Luke was sure the Imperials suspected his imaginary smuggling operation was a cover for a rebel convoy.
His original idea had called for the Imperials to follow him to Hobard, giving him a chance to lose them there. They wouldn't know whether held made contact or not and would waste time searching the system for the nonexistent supply convoy. With Corlan along as his Copilot, she'd know he'd lied when they weren't contacted at Hobard. That would focus attention back on Hoth. He had to avoid that at any cost, even if it meant both their lives.
'What now?" the Major enquired of Luke after they reached the Hobard system and were moving into orbit.
"I don't know." Luke admitted. "I guess we just wait to be contacted." He was trying to look calm while thinking frantically. There was no way he could simulate a meeting with a nonexistent fleet. Could he pretend to receive a coded message sending them somewhere else? Already, Major Corlan was looking impatient.
"You're friends don't appear to be especially eager to receive their cargo." She announced, a suspicious note in her voice.
"I told you." Luke was beginning to sweat. "I don't know when the contact will come. It's a big operation. A lot could go wrong."
"Let's hope for your sake, nothing does." The Major's smile was thin. Once again Luke had the feeling of being caged with a hungry predator. "Or maybe the whole thing was a lie to pull us away from Hoth?" She asked staring at him hard.
Luke was searching for a reply when a blip showed up on the screen. It was probably just part of the normal traffic around Hobard, but at least it would serve as a diversion. Luke moved closer to the scope.
"What is it?" the Major snapped.
They hadn't ,until now, seen any other ships. In fact, space traffic had been less than Luke had expected from Han's stories.
Suddenly all hell broke loose. The visitor came up fast and began firing. They took a hit on the starboard side that threatened to disable them.
"Let's get out of here!" Luke yelled, throwing the ship into a steep climb. The smuggling vessel moved with greater speed than her lines suggested, thanks to special modifications in the sublight drive.
"There's four of them." Major Corlan was watching the scope. Suddenly she stiffened. "They're T.I.E. fighter's!" she exclaimed, in total disbelief.
"Get on the guns." Skywalker ordered. "Unless you'd rather die than shoot down fellow Imperials?"
For an answer, the Major activated the gun batteries, tracking and firing at their smaller adversaries. 'The Lost Phoenix' didn't have quad guns like the Millenium Falcon, but her lasers were much more powerful than would have been expected. Luke blessed the unknown smuggler who had originally owned the ship.
Corlan was good, very good Skywalker thought as one of the T.I.E.'s suddenly blew up. He was working hard flying the ship in evasive patterns, trying to minimize their exposure to the Imperial lasers.
"Can you signal them?" Luke asked as they took another serious hit. "Let them know we're on their side?" That sounded bizarre he thought.'On their side.'
"Not with the equipment available." Was the terse reply. "And they're not answering on normal channels. If they take us prisoner, I'm sure I can clear up the situation."
"That's great." Luke complained. "Except they don't seem to be in the mood to take prisoners. What do you think is going on?"
"I'm not sure." Corlan replied chewing on her lip. She broke off to concentrate on two of the fighters that were moving into closer range. Her guns blasted one of them to bits. "Obviously, it's some kind of operation. But I didn't know..."
Whatever she was about to say was lost in the noise of exploding electronics. The great bulk of a star destroyer cleared the planet's shadow, its lasers firing. The hit they'd just taken had buckled the port shield. Before Luke could bring her fully around, another hit crashed through the weakened shield and into the ship. It listed crazily as Luke fought to keep control. Desperately, he dove the ship down into Hobard's atmosphere, away from the destroyers guns. The two T.I.E. fighters followed in his wake; the loss of maneuverability making it difficult to avoid their lasers, although Corlan was doing her best to keep them off their backs.
"I'm going to head for that volcano." Luke yelled over his shoulder. "See if I can't lose them in the dust cloud." He banked, the ship responding much slower than he liked.
He heard the Major laugh. "You aren't a smuggler." she maintained. "You're a dangerous lunatic! How are we going to see anything in that dust ourselves?"
Skywalker wasn't sure of that himself, but he wasn't going to admit it to her. "You have a better idea?" he asked.
The Major shrugged and said nothing. Hobard was an unstable planet with a lot of volcanic activity generating obscuring conditions. This made surface operations difficult to track and helped hide the various illegal operations that took place here from time to time. No one wanted to set up a permanent base, it was too unstable. But Hobard served a number of temporary functions.
They'd almost made it to the dust cloud when the ship lurched violently. There were several explosions and smoke filled the cabin. One of the T.I.E.'s had scored on their vulnerable port side.
Choking on the fumes, Luke skidded his ship into the cover of the dust cloud and then found that all he could do was try to land in one piece. He was sure there was no way 'The Lost Phoenix' would fly anymore, not without extensive repairs.
The roughness of the landing left him bruised and aching. At some time during the fight, debris had gashed his arm and blood was still dripping from the cuts. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned to Major Corlan. She was unconscious, blood flowed from a cut on her forehead. Far more serious was the wound on her leg from which a piece of metal protruded.
Easing out of his seat, Luke went over and felt her pulse. He reached for the medkit and then hesitated. No telling when the Imperials would come to see what had happened; he had to get out fast and taking the Major would slow him down. If he left her, her own people could take care of her when they arrived, plus this would solve his dilemma of how to slip away from her without suspicion being directed back to Hoth.
Luke had already taken several steps toward the exit, when he realized he couldn't leave her here in this condition. The Imperials might not get to her in time; or if they did, they might not let her recover to establish her identity. It all boiled down to the fact that he simply could not leave the Major to die, no matter how much it helped his own situation.
Shaking his head at his own idealism, Luke picked up a couple of survival kits, then hoisted Corlan over his shoulders. 'Would Han be so foolish?' he wondered.
Luke breathed a sigh of relief when he found that the lava-was solid, and cooled. Awkwardly, he set off over the uneven field, the sharp rock cutting at his boots as he stumbled along toward the edge of the lava flow. Right now he needed to find shelter, and water if possible. Night was coming and he didn't want to be stumbling around in the dark, overloaded as he was.
Luke wanted to be as far away from the ship as he could get. He had no doubts that a search party would be quickly launched once 'The Lost Phoenix' was found. Despite the Major's confidence that she could set things straight, Luke wasn't sure he wanted to be found just yet. He figured any delay could only serve the cause of the Rebellion.
The attack had also postponed his having to explain why the convoy did not appear. The Imperial presence gave him the perfect excuse, one even the Major had to accept.
As he proceeded further, he found a canopy of trees at the edge of the flow. As Luke moved under them he began to hear the sound of water dripping.
Following the noise, Skywalker found a trickle from the rocks feeding what had once been a good sized stream. Obviously, there was a rainy season on Hobard, although he thought they had arrived at the end of it. Finding water cheered him immensely, and he began to look around for shelter.
Luke wanted to start a fire without announcing their presence for miles; luckily there was an overhang in the rocks nearby that looked like it would provide some protection. With a sigh of relief, he let Major Corlan slide down and stretched his shoulders. He quickly examined her in the fading light and decided to start a fire before he collected some water to tend to her injuries.
There was plenty of kindling and dry wood; and Luke had a relatively smokeless fire going very quickly. Digging a collapsible container out of the survival kit, he headed over to the rocks to collect some water.
When he returned, the Major had propped herself up on the rocks forming the back of the overhang.
"What's going on?" she asked glancing around suspiciously. "Why didn't we stay with the ship? Surely they would have come to check on us."
"Frankly, I wasn't sure they wouldn't just blast us first and ask questions later." Luke stated, kneeling down next to her. "Hold on. This is going to hurt."
Despite the pain medication he gave her and the care he took Luke hurt her a great deal as he tried to remove the metal fragment from Corlan's leg. As he finished closing and dressing the wound, he thought she'd done very well.
"What now?" she whispered, her voice hoarse with pain.
"Now we wait for you to recover." Skywalker replied, working on the gash on her forehead. "Could you eat something, do you think?" He asked..
"Sure." she replied. "What delicacy from the survival rations do you have planned?".
"They are pretty awful." Luke grinned. "Maybe tomorrow I can find something around here that's a bit tastier." He helped her sit up and handed her a cup of concentrate dissolved in hot water. She made a face as she tasted it. He grinned in sympathy and turned to tend the fire.
When he turned back a minute later to take the cup he found himself facing a small hold out blaster. 'Not so good, Skywalker,' He thought. 'You didn't check her for weapons'"What's that for?" He asked carefully. "I'm not going anywhere. And you can't sit there and hold it an me all night. You're practically asleep now."
"Just come over here." Corlan smiled.
When he complied, she attached a small knoblike thing to his wrist.
"That'll keep you close by." the Major explained. "It's a remote sensor. If you go anywhere, I'll know it." She paused meaningfully. "And so will you. Oh, and don't get any ideas about removing the main control while I'm asleep. It's set to go off at the highest level if it's tampered with. You wouldn't like that, I assure you."
Luke looked at her silently for a moment, then handed her a blanket from the survival kit. Damning himself for being an idealistic fool, he rolled himself in the other blanket and lay down. Both of them were quickly asleep.
After several hours, Luke awoke. He looked over at the Major; she was sleeping quietly. Unable to settle down again, Luke thought over his options. If she were better in the morning, he had to keep her from contacting the Imperials. But with her little wrist gadget she could make him helpless, and do pretty much as she pleased. 'No.' he thought, 'The key to working with her was to remember that she was ambitious as well as ruthless. You didn't gain her rank in the Intelligence service, especially when you were young and a woman, without that strong drive. She wouldn't want to surrender credit for this mission to some starship jockey' If he could persuade her that she could pull it off by herself, he had a chance. But, how? It was almost dawn when held worked out a strategy. The Major was still asleep, so he decided to get at least a few hours of rest. He'd need to be sharp.
It was obviously late in the morning when Luke again awoke. Frowning, he looked over at Major Corlan. Propped up on her elbows, she was studying the campsite.
"About time you woke up." she complained. "I thought you were going to sleep all day."
Something in Luke snapped; he'd had enough.
"Look, lady, you've got a voice. And you haven't been afraid to use it up to now." He stated angrily. "You could have called me anytime you wanted. Now get this damn thing off me so I can go get some water and maybe find us something decent to eat." He held out his arm for her to remove the remote sensor. She complied without saying anything, just grinning at him in a way that indicated she'd enjoyed his outburst. Feeling foolish as well as irritated, Skywalker grabbed the container and headed for the water.
Later, while they ate, she studied her companion. He was really an odd one. If he was always as softhearted as he'd been with her, he must be a total failure as a smuggler. Try as she might, she didn't sense the ruthless, mercenary streak she'd found common in the smugglers and crooks she'd known. But he was a good pilot judging from his performance yesterday and fairly clever. Maybe his skill and wits got him by. Or maybe he wasn't what he claimed to be. He could still be a rebel with a very good cover.
But, if he was a rebel, would he have risked himself and his mission to save her? He could easily have left her in the crashed ship and gone before anyone came to investigate. Why had he stayed? He certainly had no reason to after the way she'd treated him. She'd had him tortured, yet he'd tended her wounds. And his touch had been very gentle. No, this was a puzzle she meant to get to the bottom of.
Feeling her gaze, Luke looked up at her. "What do you think we should do know?" He asked.
"The way I see it we have two choices." Corlan was looking at him, her manner challenging him to disagree. "The Empire's presence here has most certainly disrupted the rendezvous of your convoy, if it ever existed, that is." As he seemed about to interrupt, she held up her hand. "Let me finish. So we can either abort this whole affair and signal the cruiser for pickup, or we can lie low for a while and see if your people come back to pick up the pieces." She took a sip of the concentrate brew that Skywalker handed to her, and went on."
The first alternative is obviously the most practical, but it means I have to go back and answer some unpleasant questions." She paused briefly, thinking for a moment. "And I'd rather avoid that, if possible." Corlan spoke intently. "The second is based on a lot of risky assumptions. How likely do you think it is for your friends to return to check on any missing convoy members?"
Skywalker, pretended to consider his answer for a few moments.
"I really don't know." He confessed. "It depends on how many made it through and how expendable the rest of us are. That was why the cargo was scattered among so many ships, all going to different rendezvous points." Luke glanced up at the Major, hoping she was buying some of this. "It would cut down on the total losses. If the Empire got here early enough to disrupt my whole section, there's a chance the higher-ups will try again once the Imperials leave."
"Pretty slim odds, you must admit." Major Corlan frown for a moment. "Still, I've always enjoyed a good gamble. I can call for help later on, if nothing happens. And it'll give us a chance to get to know each other better." She grinned happily at Luke's sour look.
"Which reminds me," She said. "What is your name? I don't think we were ever properly introduced. And it didn't seem important at the time."
"And you don't see anything wrong with that, I suppose Luke stated sarcastically. She really had a way of making him want to strangle her, slowly and painfully. "Just call me Luke. Do I get to call you anything other than Major?" he asked.
She actually flushed at that, remembering their first interview on the Imperial cruiser. "My name is Sharna, if it's so important to you." she replied.
He was about to answer when a distant explosion interrupted him. He swung around to the direction they had come from the day before, and stared in disbelief.
"That's the ship!" He shouted. "They've blown up my ship! !"
Some of his reaction was based on how he thought he should act, the rest came from the feelings held developed for 'The Lost Phoenix'. It was still a stupid name, he thought, but she was a good ship. She didn't deserve this. Luke had started off toward the explosion when Sharna's voice stopped him.
"Wait a minute." she called. "You can't do anything about it now. You'll only get yourself caught." Seeing she had his attention, the Major continued, "They did it just to drive us out of cover. The patrol missed seeing us earlier."
"When did a Patrol ago by?" Luke asked staring at her in shock. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"It was while you were asleep," she replied tightly. "And I don't have to report to you."
Skywalker shook his head in disbelief. He would never understand her, and he hoped he would never underestimate her.
Han Solo was also shaking his head in disbelief at what he was hearing.
"You sent Luke off with that story?" He asked. He had been gone a few days, just a few ... and look what had happened. "To face the Imperials? Why didn't you just shoot him? It amounts to the same thing!" he finished with a smirk.
"And I suppose you could do better." Leia snapped, annoyance and guilt driving her to respond angrily.
"Sure I could," Han snapped back at her. "A kid could dream up something better." He swung around in disgust and slammed his fist against the console. Han was feeling helpless, and that always made him mad. "Well, I guess it's up to me to get him back for you your royalness."
"Do you think you can?" Leia asked staring at him in disbelief. "It's been a couple of days since the cruiser left orbit."
"Leave it to me, I know how Luke thinks." Han replied frowning. "If the Imperials didn't laugh in his face and shoot him immediately, he must have spun them a yarn they could at least go check out." Han's' mind was working furiously. "He'd want to get them away from Hoth. Now, the question is, where would he think to send them?"
"It's a big galaxy." Leia stated, trying not to get her hopes up.
"Yeah," Han agreed. "but there are only so many places that are good for smugglers. I've told the kid a lot of my stories over the years." He smiled briefly. "I think he'd pick a place I told him about. Unfortunately, that still covers a lot of parsecs."
Han paced restlessly, trying to remember worlds he had mentioned to Luke. Chewie, who was leaning against the Command center wall growled a suggestion.
"Nah, that's to close to the Core." Han replied to his friend. "I think the kid would pull them out of the well charted areas. Take them longer to travel there. Maybe give him a chance to get away." Han was speaking more to himself than the others. "We don't want a place that's not used regularly either--he'll need camouflage. He's not as devious as I am, so he'll need all the cover he can get."
"You sure have a good opinion of yourself." Leia snorted delicately. "I hope you're right, because you may be Luke's only chance."
That stopped Han cold in his tracks. "Sweetheart, don't you think I know that?" He asked, his tone deadly serious.
Corlan, and Skywalker awoke early the next morning. After the Major removed the remote sensor that kept Luke bound to her side, he got water and checked the snares held set the day before, finding that some edible lizards had been caught. When he returned, Corlan accepted his assistance to hobble over behind the rocks, and tend to her own needs. She must be mellowing, Luke thought. She even ate a lizard and concentrate breakfast without complaint. You're pretty good at this," she remarked while they ate. "You grow up on a frontier world?"
Luke was surprised. It was the first time she'd ever shown any curiosity about him. "I grew up on a farm," He told her. "It wasn't an easy life and we go a lot of survival training."
"How'd you go from being a farmer to being a smuggler?"
It was an innocent question, but it brought back memories that were still painful. He took a deep breath "The farm was burned, my family murdered. I found a smuggler and hooked up with him and I've never gone back."
She let it alone for a moment and then asked,"You ever think you're wasting your life?"
It was strange, but to Luke she seemed angry about something. Skywalker looked at her hard. "What do you suggest I do? Go into Imperial Intelligence?"
"It's not a bad life." Corlan replied. "You could do worse."
He made an abrupt gesture.
"No, I mean it." Corlan stated sitting up straighter. "You're resourceful and a good pilot. I know you can be clever as well as charming. There are a lot of places in the Empire where someone like you could do very well for himself. Sure, you've had a rough time; but burying yourself in illegal activities is only going to get you killed sooner or later." She finished tightly.
Luke had been right. Corlan was barely holding her fury in check. Luke wanted to find out what this was all about. He thought maybe he could get her to talk about herself .
"I like what I do." he said quietly. "Can you say the same?"
At first, he thought she wasn't going to answer. She stood, and the silence stretched out over several minutes. Then, as if talking to herself she replied. "No, I don't much like what I do. But I'm very good at it, and they have to accept that."She moved impatiently. "I was the youngest in a minor Aristocratic family. Spoiled, pampered. Anything I wanted was mine" Luke listened in fascination as the Major described her upbringing. "I won't say I didn't enjoy it. But soon there was no challenge. To the rest of my Family, I was a pet to be indulged, and not taken seriously."
Corlan stopped, and turned to look at Luke. "I felt like I was dying. I actually thought about killing myself; but it would have let them off too easily.." her voice became very low, and deadly. "Instead I became very, very good at everything. And it got me attention. For one thing it disturbed my family terribly. I was upsetting their happy little world. My mother told me I was becoming boring." The Major's eyes were very hard. "So I left them all, went out to seek my fortune. Only to discover that no one wanted me. Finally, I found a patron, a minor advisor to the Emperor himself." She paused, as if looking into the past. "He got involved in a little scheme that didn't come off, and lost his life. I'd managed to make other friends, including a contact in Intelligence. They weren't too sure, but I proved to them several times over that they needed my services." An evil little smile lingered on her lips. "And by that time, I knew too much about lots of other little schemes. One day I had the chance to ruin my father, I thought my revenge would be complete, but he killed himself before anything was proven. Today my family depends on me to exist. It amuses me to keep them as my pets."
Sharna turned away from Luke. "That's the whole ugly story. Aren't you glad you asked?"
"Why don't you quit," Luke asked, "do something else, if you hate this so much?"
"Weren't you listening?" Sharna asked turning to stare at him. "There is nothing else I can do! I might hate this, but it gives me reason to exist and I do get great satisfaction from some parts of the job. And if I continue to succeed ... " She stopped, looking into a distant future only she could see, and then said in a whisper, "I will have power and I will be free."
The Major moved to tower over Luke. "And you could have anything you wanted, without anything to tie you down. Instead you throw it all away." she snarled at him. Contempt strong in her voice. "It makes me sick to see you waste opportunities I will never have." She was so angry, she was shaking.
In the face of her anger, and bitterness, Luke felt helpless. Her life had taught her only rejection and betrayal. He thought of Han, Leia and Chewie who were like his family; they gave him love and support. Luke could not imagine the loneliness of someone like Sharna, who had no one, and would allow no one close to her
Not quite knowing why, he reached out to her. "Come with me." he said softly.
She looked at him, unbelievingly; stared into clear blue eyes that seemed to see her and accept whatever she was without question, or hesitation. Slowly her arms came up, hands reaching for him. Then her eyes went blank and dead, and she turned and limped away.
Sighing, Luke let his arms fall back to his side. He was puzzled by the reaction he'd had to her story. For some reason he felt very strongly that he could not let her continue to feed her hatred and rejection without making an effort to help her. It didn't make any sense. He had an important mission to complete, and he owed her nothing. The only good he could see was that she had finally accepted him as a smuggler. There was no hint that she still thought he was a rebel.
She came back later while he was cleaning some more of the lizards he'd snared. She seemed worn out, and her limp was worse. Quickly, he moved to support her and guide her to a spot where she could rest her leg. As he checked her wound, he felt her eyes on him.
"Sharna..." he began.
She put her fingers on his lips. "No Luke, don't say say a thing." she begged. "Not right now please."
He started to protest and then stopped, knowing it was not the time. Instead he said, "Why don't you try and rest for a while? There's some swelling around the wound and you should stay off it."
"Thanks, I think I will." she replied. "What are you going to do?"
"We should see if there are any signs of other groups around here." Luke said studying their surroundings. "Maybe someone who knows what happened. I'd like to go explore."
"No!" Corlan stated vehemently, surprising Luke. "I want you to stay near the camp in case I need you." Her gaze was challenging. "Can I trust you or do I have to use this?" The Major asked, holding up the remote sensor for his wristcuffs.
"I'll stay, because you want me to." Luke replied puzzled by the sudden change in her mood. "You only had to ask."
"Good. Then be quiet and I'll sleep now."
Her rejection pushed at him, driving him away from her side. There was no way to break down the walls she'd built. The only thing Luke could do was watch, and wait while the long day wore on.
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