There was only a brief, brilliant flare of light, then nothing. The shattered remains of the two TIE fighters drifted away into the darkness and the tremendous asteroid—undeflected in its course—continued on its way.
- h9 ~ t/ J* U1 t R" t Han felt an inner glow as bright as the spectacle that had just lighted up the view.
" J9 i3 l# i$ p# h5 V He smiled to himself in quiet triumph.9 Q. ^% G2 Y& V( c( s) Y: @6 O7 s
Then he noticed an image on the main scope of his control console and nudged his hairy copilot. "There." Han pointed to the image. "Chewie, get a reading on that. Looks pretty good." "What is it?" Leia asked.1 d7 P$ j: j$ f
The Falcon's pilot ignored her question. "That should do nicely," he said.
6 m( \& x2 p/ @- N/ E- o, ^ As they flew near the asteroid's surface, Han looked down at the craggy terrain, his eye caught by a shadowy area that looked like a crater of mammoth proportions.
: ?, `+ m; X/ J, N a He lowered the Falcon to surface level and flew it directly into the crater, its bowllike walls suddenly rising up around his ship.
) i! D! p" Y8 C. a! G And still two TIE fighters chased after him, firing their laser cannons and attempting to mimic his every maneuver. Y4 M1 z3 H' \$ p( T
Han Solo knew he had to be trickier and more daring if he was to lose the deadly pursuit ships. Spotting a narrow chasm through his windscreen, he banked the Millennium Falcon to one side. The ship soared sideways through the high-walled rocky trench.! O9 h4 T6 l# f# ?9 ]6 z& u7 u
Unexpectedly the two TIE fighters followed. One of them even sparked as it grazed the walls with its metal hull.7 w1 t, y5 h1 l {) @
Twisting, banking, and turning his ship, Han pressed through the narrow gorge.
6 A! R: E5 p) I- ?0 H6 ]6 v From behind the black sky flared as the two TIE fighters crashed against one another, then exploded against the rocky ground.
: n$ ] M& X1 U; Q, V2 P1 g Han reduced his speed. He still wasn't safe from the Imperial hunters.
# Y6 `: U0 O% v0 O$ y$ D5 v Searching about the canyon, he spotted something dark, a gaping cave mouth at the very bottom of the crater, large enough to hold the Millennium Falcon—perhaps. If not, he and his crew would know soon enough. |