Kalon - Han Solo [1]

CHAPTER 7 : There Are Alternatives to Fighting

"What the hell?!" Tasha exclaimed as she fell into the chair. Meteors swam around the falcon, the ship shuddering as they bounced off the deflector shields, hopefully not damaging the ship.

"We've come out of hyperspace into some sort of meteor shower," Han informed her, "it's not on any of the charts,"

"Um, that all well and good, but where's Alderaan?" Tasha asked, rocking in her seat.

"Believe me princess, if I knew I'd tell you," he replied tersely, not looking up from the controls. Luke and Obi-wan rushed in behind them, and Tasha vacated her seat for Chewbacca, leaning over the back of Han's chair.

"What's happened?" asked Luke anxiously, "where's Alderaan?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell ya kid," Han snapped, "it aint there. It's been totally blown away."

"What?!" Luke exclaimed, "How?"

"Destroyed, by the Empire," Tasha puts in, as she put the pieces together in her mind, all the information she had gathered over the past months coming together.

"Its not possible," Han said, turning to her to see if she was joking or not, trying to dispel what an awful thing that would be. He saw the serious look in her eyes, the rigid set of her jaw, and knew she was completely serious. "The entire fleet couldn't destroy a planet. It would take a thousand ships and more fire power than-" Han was cut off by an insistent bleeping above his head.

"There's another ship coming in." Tasha said, her emerald eyes scanning the consol above her, Han nodding in conformation.

"Maybe they know what happened?" said Luke uncertainly, Tasha scoffing in indignation.

"It's an imperial fighter," said obi-wan patiently.

"It's followed us!" he exclaimed. Tasha snorted slightly . . . lets just say humility isn't her strong point.

"No," obi-wan explained slowly, "It's a short range fighter,"

"It sure is leaving in a big hurry." Said the farmboy, still anxious, "if they identify us we're in big trouble." First sensible thing he's said since he got on board, thought Tasha bitterly.

"Don't worry kid; he won't be around long enough to tell anyone about us. Chewie jam his transmissions." Han ordered.

"You'd be as well to let it go," said obi-wan, "it's too far out of range."

"Not for long!" Han said stubbornly.

"A fighter that side couldn't have gotten that deep into space on its own," obi-wan thought out loud.

"It must've gotten lost, been part of a convoy or something" Luke suggested uncertainly.

"He's almost in range," Tasha reported, swinging around to look back out the cockpit window. She noticed a small, dark grey mass floating, about the size of a moon, and the last piece of the puzzle fell into place like a bomb, shattering everything.

"No," she muttered, her eyes widening slightly in horror, "it shouldn't be operational yet."

"Look! It's heading for that small moon. Luke pointed out the window.

"We might be able to catch him before he gets there!" replied Han.

"That's no moon." Tasha said, rushing forward slightly, "it's a space station"

"It's too big to be a space station," Han dismissed uncertainly.

"What the hell would you know about it?" she snapped, "I'm the one who-"