Chapter 22: The Ambush

The Millennium Falcon hung motionless in space above the shadow side of the gray-green planet of Corvus, laced through with lights from a handful of sparse intraplanetary travel routes. Han had chosen the planet as a waypoint on the route to Jax's described destination, which the ship's nav computer was still triangulating. Corvus received minimal ship traffic since the Empire's fall, allowing the planet's population to begin a gradual recovery from occupation. The forests had burned following the Battle of Endor, the legacy of a greedy magistrate who had subjugated the population until the planet's liberation. Like many planets following the Empire's fall, Corvus had been left mostly alone, and like its scorched and ruined forests, it was making a slow, but determined recovery.

Kit reviewed the news coming through on the Falcon's holonet, which had gone from bad to disgusting. Senator Bolsko had eked out a victory in the special election, winning against a large field with a plurality of only 33%. Senator Ismaren had garnered 27% of the vote – a hopeful sign given her association with Leia. The remainder of the field was split among a variety of candidates – some serious, some not. A notable percentage of the Senators had abstained from voting in the election, and Kit was irritated to note that those representatives, which had been sympathetic with Leia's aims, could have put Ismaren over the top with their votes.

Now Bolsko was the Chancellor, and he had given a speech about his priorities and agenda. At least, it was billed as a speech about his priorities; he focused much of the speech on Leia's escape, during which he claimed she attacked guards, attacked her son, and nearly damaged multiple ships and Republic fighters. He declared that Leia had begun using the Force again, which was unsanctioned by the Jedi. The Jedi had condemned the action, and Bolsko, spurred on by the media, was beginning to get a head of steam behind him in portraying Leia as a treasonous enemy of the people. It was reassuring that not everybody in the galaxy was buying this line of logic. However, it was also early, and if his track record were any indication, Bolsko would use any dirty trick in his arsenal to establish the Skywalkers as villains that needed to be destroyed. Kit rolled in her eyes in disgust as she saw that even she was getting dragged into it, as her name carried some recognition. She had been labeled an "agitator," which would have amused her if she were not currently wanted for questioning about treasonous activities.

Han must have registered her disgust, as he had walked over and scanned the news over her shoulder. "Agitator, huh?" he said, chiding her. "Congratulations."

Chewie rumbled a query from below deck, and Han scanned the material, "Yeah, we're in their too, Chewie." Han scanned a little further, "And no, they didn't spell your name right again." Chewie groaned in irritation from below, as Han took a seat nearby. Kit looked over to the ship's galley. Leia had her eyes closed, apparently deep into meditation. She had not told them what she was looking for, but the crew had been studious in not interrupting her. Jax had been below deck in the ventral cannon, practicing on the quad guns to get the feel for the aim. Kit could hear the sporadic bap-bap-bap-bap sounds reverberating through the ship's hull.

Leia emerged from her trance. "No sign of Luke," she said resignedly.

"No response?" Han asked.

"It's like I can't even feel him," Leia said. "I know he got away on Yavin, but it's like there's no trace of him out there."

Han registered the news, feeling alarmed even if he did not fully understand what Leia meant by this. "And Kira?" asked Han.

"Yes," Leia said. "She called to me, but I don't know where she is." Leia looked thoughtful, then she stood up and crossed the galley to the ship's computer.

Han swiveled from his seat to watch her as she began to program something into the computer. In anticipation of his question, Leia explained preemptively, "I'm asking L7 to establish a link with Kira's droid. I'm encrypting it, and it will collapse if Kira isn't doing the communication. I want her to find us. I'm sure she's confused, scared, and angry."

Han watched her, noticing the concern in her face. He had never fully understood why Leia's level of care and concern was equivalent to that of a mother's care and concern toward Kira. He had liked the girl enough, and he knew she was a powerful Jedi. The news that she was the Emperor's daughter had scared and confused him like everybody else, and he harbored doubts about her reliability. He debated speaking to Leia about his concerns, knowing that this had been a point of contention in the past. Instead, he settled for a gentler inquiry, "What makes you think she's looking for us?"

"Any time Kira runs, she's really looking for reassurance," Leia explained, although Han didn't understand the explanation very well. "Right now, I'm probably the closest thing she has to that."

Han decided to let the subject drop. Instead, he checked the ship's systems and saw that everything was ready and functional – or at least as close to ready and functional as the Falcon ever got. He was grateful that he and Chewie had found some extra time to iron out the usual mechanical issues. With everything checked out, he addressed the crew. "Jax, come on up. Chewie, you too."

Jax climbed out of the gunner's bay, and Chewie pulled himself out of the maintenance hatch. Once everyone was gathered, Han addressed them. "Alright. The ship's got a good idea of where we're going. Leia, tell them about our destination."

"When we were looking for suitable planets for the Alderaanian diaspora to resettle, we visited a planet on the edge of the Unknown Regions. It provided a similar climate and terrain to Alderaan, but it was too far removed from the center of galactic power to be suitable. We designated it 'Nal-Hef-1395,' and we left it alone. This planet matches the approximate description provided by Jax," Leia nodded toward Jax, who recognized his turn to speak.

"Our ship orbited a planet that looked like what I saw on the files. A quarter of a light-year away lies the Gap, and we operated a supply line through the only navigable corridor through the maelstroms. If we come out on this side of the planet," Jax indicated the planet's shadowy southern hemisphere, "we will lie within the planet's radar shadow."

"And from there, we can observe and record before sharing our findings with the Republic. Definitive proof, at last," said Kit, a note of determination in her voice.

"Sure, but we don't know what's waiting for us there. We're going to come in hot, with the quads ready to go. Jax and Kit, I want you on the guns as we come out. Shields will go up immediately. Leia, I want you in the cockpit with Chewie and me - just in case I need your help for any fancy flying." Han surveyed his friends, and he saw the determination mirrored on their faces. He wondered if they also felt the same sense of fear and nerves that he had always had before going into a battle. Jax probably did. Kit had not fought in many battles. Leia was, as always, preternaturally calm. Chewie rumbled quietly to himself, his mood uncertain. "It's a short hop to Nal-Hef from here, so we'll be there before we know it. Everybody ready?"

Chewie growled an affirmative. Jax nodded his head, looking scared. Kit concurred. "Let's go," said Han. They broke from the galley, each moving to their respective station. Once in position, Han plugged in the coordinates to the ship's computer. When it affirmed that the hyperdrive was ready and the route was clear, Han pulled back the hyperdrive lever, and the stars stretched into lines as the Falcon shot into hyperspace.

The trip was short, as Han had promised. No more than 20 minutes into the jump, Kit heard Han's warning from the cockpit that they were coming out of hyperspace in 30 seconds. She ran through diagnostics for the quads one more time, and she looked up the ladder toward Jax, who was up in the dorsal gun. He looked down, nervous. She knew that he was now moving closer to the one place he wanted to be as far away from as possible, and even in recognizing that he would die if he went to Sargon, he still seemed deeply ambivalent about the operation.

Han began a countdown from ten, reaching five, four, three, two, and finally, one. Star lines re-emerged as the ship returned to sub-light. Below Kit was the night side of the planet Nal-Hef, its features indistinct in the planetary shadow. She had a moment to appreciate the thin coronal line of the sun rising over the planet's horizon, when Han swore.

The Falcon shuddered, and blasts flew past the gunnery bay. "Fighters incoming!" Han shouted, and Kit swiveled her seat searching for their assailants as the ship went into a dive. Behind them, she saw a large, white cruiser lined with blue and black, bristling with armaments. Han's scanner displayed two dozen fighters approaching in formation from the same sector as the ship. The fighters broke intercept formation to engage the Falcon, and she swiveled the gun toward them and opened fire. Jax had begun to fire as well, and he called through his headset, "It's them! They were waiting for us!"

Han sent the Falcon down toward the planet's surface, knowing that they would be more successful in evading attack if they had obstacles to navigate. The pursuing ships opened fire, and the Falcon shuddered with indirect hits and a few direct hits bouncing off the ship's shields. Han kicked the ship into full sub-light power, hoping to outrun their pursuers. However, the ships were faster than anticipated, and they were able to keep pace. Chewie roared a warning; their shields were already down by 28%.

Kit took aim and fired, but the ships were proving to be more maneuverable, and their pilots more adept at evading blasts than she expected. The Falcon's constant motion made it hard to lock onto targets, and her firing had been wild. She heard Jax whoop from above as he took out one of their pursuers.

"Great job! Only 23 to go," she said, tempering his enthusiasm.

As Han steered the ship, he looked back toward Leia. Her eyes were closed, and he knew she was concentrating. However, she was not guiding his steering like she had over Coruscant. Instead, she seemed to be focused on something that was on the tip of her senses. She spoke out, "There's a dark Jedi on that cruiser."

"What?" Han barked, swerving to dodge another blast, only to steer the Falcon into another direct hit that dropped the shield integrity by another 15%.

"Don't worry about it now," Leia shouted, her focus returning. "Dive! Cut straight to the planet. We need to get out of open space." Han followed suit, straightening the ship out and sending it screaming toward the planet.

With the ship's maneuvering less chaotic, Kit now had a clearer firing angle. Her targeting computer locked onto a fighter, which she obliterated with a well-timed blast. Jax had taken down another two, and she was impressed at how well he took to the firing control. The quads were finicky and oversensitive, and it usually took a while for people to get the control down. Jax shot down another, and suddenly their pursuers fanned out, creating a more widely spaced array of targets. "Jax, you take the left side, I'll take the right!"

"Got it," Jax shouted back down to her. He opened fire, taking out another ship, but just as he began celebrating, the Falcon took another direct hit and began to shudder. It veered off its trajectory as it screamed through the atmosphere. One of the blasts had partially penetrated the shield, and she suspected that the steering control was damaged. Another hit shook the ship, and Kit wondered how much shield she had left.

"Hang on back there!" Han called. He barely had control of the ship, and it took Leia using the Force to nudge the ship onto a better trajectory than the current one that was taking them directly toward an ocean. The ship veered right toward a vast landmass punctuated by snowcapped mountains. Han did not relish trying to come down in the mountains, but it was beginning to look like they did not have a choice. "This isn't gonna be pretty, sweetheart."

"It doesn't have to be. Just get us out of the sky before they shoot us down," Leia muttered, straining through her concentration. She spoke again, "Tell Kit to take her hands off the firing controls."

"What?!" Han asked, incredulous. Chewie roared to second his incredulity.

"Just do it," Leia ordered.

"Kit, Leia wants you to take your hands off the firing controls," Han spoke into his comm.

Kit heard the command but could not believe it. Leia's voice could be heard through the comms and all the way from the cockpit. "Do it now!" Kit saw another dozen ships approaching, and she thought it was madness to stop firing, but she obeyed. Suddenly, the quad began moving of its own accord, and their pursuers began dropping like flies. 18 ships dropped to 10 within seconds, and Kit understood belatedly that Leia had taken control of the guns through the Force. She whooped, suddenly seeing hope. But then a blast hit the ship's engines, and it started to lose power. Leia's concentration shifted, and the gun stopped firing on its own. There were only 10 ships left, but they bore down at speed as the Falcon's drive sputtered. Jax took out another two, but the last eight were nearly within range. One of them opened fire, its blasts shooting past the ship in several near misses. Kit knew that the shields were either gone or nearly gone. One more direct hit to the right part of the ship, and they would be vaporized.

Suddenly, four of the eight ships erupted in flame as a volley of blasts came out of nowhere. Han hollered triumphantly from the cockpit, and a YT-1500 freighter shot past the Falcon, laying down a devastating barrage of fire on the remaining ships. The newly arrived ship took out three more on its second pass, and Kit fired off a round that took out the last pursuer. Their path was now clear.

Despite the elimination of their assailants, Han's anxiety rose as she felt the Falcon sputtering and shuddering as it lost altitude within the planet's atmosphere. Han was maintaining nominal control, and Leia's face was clenched in concentration helping him. The main drive was out, and Han had resorted to firing the ship's repulsor lifts to keep it in the air. Land approached rapidly as the ship dropped toward a deep, mountainous valley carpeted in forest and studded with sparkling lakes. Han spotted a barren shelf ahead, and it looked like as good of a place to put down as any, provided the ship did not hit an obstacle and explode. The YT-1500 had circled back around, and Kit could hear Kira through the speakers, "Falcon, this is the Amaya. I'm gliding in under your right flank. Fire your breakers, and I'll keep you afloat."

Between Kira, Han, and Leia, the ship's momentum slowed, but Kit could tell that the landing was going to be rough. Kit climbed out of the ventral quad in case something smashed the gun, taking her along with it. She climbed up and strapped into a chair, prepared for a collision.

Kira had veered away to avoid her ship going down with the Falcon, pulling away to land on a nearby flat. With a Herculean effort, Han managed to pull the ship up to an incline, and, using the repulsors on the ship's ventral side, he slowed his forward momentum. Then, the repulsors went out, and the ship dropped 25 meters, coming down hard on the landing skids, partially collapsing them and leaving the ship reclined at an angle. The ship's systems shut down under the strain of the landing, leaving the interior dark except for the systems running on the nav computer. She heard Han call out to see if everyone was okay. Jax climbed down the dorsal gun shaft, his head bloody, but otherwise appearing unscathed. Kit answered an affirmative just as Han, Leia, and Chewie came out of the cockpit.

"We're not very well hidden. It's a matter of time before they find us," Han said.

"Lucky Kira got here in time," Kit said.

"Good thinking, Leia," Han affirmed. Then he added, "We're gonna have to abandon the ship. It's too easy a target for them to spot. We'll have to go into the forest. . ."

An alarm from the ship's computer interrupted him mid-sentence. Han rushed over to the computer and read the report. He stood, looking at Jax with anger in his eyes. "L7 just told me that there's a tracking beacon aboard the ship, and it seems to be emanating from right over there." Han pointed directly toward Jax.

Jax, surprised, looked behind him, then realized Han was pointing at him. "Me?" Jax asked.

"That's what the droid said," Han continued. "What is this?" Han asked, his suspicions flaring.

"I don't know. . ." Jax began, but Chewie roared across him.

"Wait, what?" Kit interjected. "Are you saying Jax has a tracking device on him?"

"There was nothing before we dropped out of lightspeed. Now we're emitting a signal. No wonder they were waiting for us," Han said, then, his anger mounting, he stepped toward Jax, pointing at his chest, "Did you sell us out?"

"Han, wait," said Leia. Han pulled back a step, then turned toward her. She walked toward Jax, her eyes searching his. She reached out a hand toward his face, and Jax felt her consciousness touch his like Luke Skywalker's had on Yavin. He opened his mind to her, and she saw that he had not betrayed them. "Han, have L7 scan his body for the location of the tracker."

Han stepped to the console and keyed a command. Leia steered Jax over to a spot in front of the computer's console, and a scanner emerged from a port. The scanner ran a blue light over his body, and the scan on the computer screen indicated that the tracker had been implanted in his hip.

"I thought so," Leia said.

"What is it?" Han asked.

"I suspect Specks had it implanted during his surgery. Whether he did it or got a doctor to do it, I don't know." She looked at the scan. "It should be easy enough to remove and destroy."

Han rummaged through a compartment and pulled out a first aid kit. He removed an incision laser, then stepped toward Jax. Jax stepped back, scared, but Han reassured him, "Don't worry, kid. It only hurts a bit.

Minutes later, Leia had pulled the tracker from Jax's hip, and using another setting on the laser, Han mended Jax's skin, leaving a thin scar. Leia held the tracker, which emitted a faint red light through a glossy sheen of blood and body matter. She was about to destroy it when Han held out his hand.

"Wait!" Han ordered. Then, with his characteristic lop-sided grin, he said, "Chewie, you remember that stunt we pulled on Florrum?"

Chewie growled an apprehensive affirmative, and Kit could tell Chewie was not pleased with where Han was going with this.

Han then turned toward the ship's console. "Comms are down. Normally, L7 could send a message. Maybe Kira could. . ."

"Actually, Han, if you don't mind," Leia interjected. She had a grim look on her face that made Han feel uneasy. "I have an idea, too."

She took a step back from the computer and closed her eyes. She folded her hands in front of her waist and concentrated. Jax could feel the ripples through the Force as Leia reached out with her senses. Then, Leia spoke, barely a whisper, saying, "Ben?"