Han leaped to his feet. "What are you doing!"
Qwi stepped over the fallen stormtrooper. The previous day she had seemed more fragile; the Imperial-issue heavy blaster pistol looked huge in her delicate hand. "Admiral Daala is mobilizing this entire fleet in less than a day. She plans to take the Sun Crusher and her four Star Destroyers to wipe out the New Republic. Your friend Kyp Durron is also scheduled for termination this afternoon." She raised her feathery eyebrows. "Does that add up to enough of an excuse to escape as soon as we can?"
Han"s mind reeled. At the moment all he could think of was seeing Kyp and Chewbacca again, then getting back to Coruscant so he could be reunited with Leia and the twins. "I don"t have any appointments I couldn"t be persuaded to cancel."
"Good," Qwi said. "Any questions?"
Han smirked as he began to pull on his disguise of stormtrooper armor. "No, I"m used to doing this sort of thing."
Kyp could sense the difference in the air--his first indication that his efforts to focus the Force were actually accomplishing something. He studied every slight change in air currents, in the sluggish odors around the cell, the myriad tiny sounds that echoed through the metal walls.
Stretching his mind through invisible webs of the Force, Kyp could feel a surge from the guards when they walked past his cell. He could sense a twinge each time someone dispensed the food tray through the door. But their att.i.tudes had changed. Over the whole ship he could catch faint ripples of activity, tension, growing anxiety.
Something was about to happen.
Closer at hand, he understood a deeper gut-wrenching truth. The emotions had been so clear in the guard stationed beside his door the previous sleep period. Kyp Durron was not to be part of whatever activity the Star Destroyers were preparing. A young man from the spice mines of Kessel could provide no useful information; they had no reason to keep him alive.
Admiral Daala had already scheduled Kyp"s termination. He had not much longer to live. His lips curled back in an angry snarl. The Empire had been trying to destroy him all his life, and now they were about to succeed.
When he heard voices outside his door, he sensed the barrage of their uneasiness, the curdling plans of violence behind the forefront of their minds.
He had no way to defend himself! Despairing, Kyp slid his head against the cool metal wall of the door, trying to pick out a few select words of the conversation.
".... scheduled for execution this afternoon."
"... know that. We are ... take him. Admiral ... authorization right here."
"... irregular. Why ... want him?"
"Weapons test ... target ... new concept ... vital to the fleet"s new armaments ... right away!"
"... need specific ... only a general authorization."
"No ... good enough!"
The voices rose, but Kyp couldn"t make out more of the words. He tried to decipher three voices talking all at once. Kyp made ready to lash out the moment the door slid open. He knew he would be cut down by blaster fire in no time--but at least it would be over, and he would be shot on his own terms, not the Empire"s.
"... check with ... first. Wait-"
Suddenly Kyp heard a thump and a m.u.f.fled blast. A heavy object smashed against the doorway. Kyp flinched back as the door whisked open.
The dead stormtrooper guard sprawled backward into his cell with a clatter of white armor. A smoking hole oozed steam from the waist joint in the brittle uniform. Another stormtrooper stepped inside holding the still-warm blaster pistol. Beside him stood a willowy alien woman, looking delicate but outraged at the same time.
"I hope that was sufficient authorization," the stormtrooper said, then pulled off his helmet.
"Han!" Kyp cried.
"I really hate red tape," Han said, nudging the dead guard with his foot. "Think you can fit into this uniform, kid?"
"No, I don"t want one of the slow old ones!" Qwi snapped at the keeper of the Wookiee work detail. Through the narrowed field of view in his stormtrooper helmet, Han watched the delicate woman play the part of a tough, impatient researcher.
The rotund man glanced at his hairy charges, unintimidated as if he were accustomed to being shouted at by prima donna scientists. The keeper"s face looked like pale, wet clay.
Han fidgeted, sweating in the cramped uniform. The helmet had nose filters, but the suit still smelled of body odor from its former owner.
The stormtroopers at Maw Installation lived in their uniforms and likely disinfected the interiors much less often than they polished the exteriors.
The keeper shrugged, as if Qwi"s impatience did not concern him.
"These Wookiees have been worked hard for over a decade. What do you expect from them? They"re all slow and worthless."
Han could see that most of the other Wookiees wandering around the hangar bay had patchy fur and stooped shoulders, bringing them almost to the height of a human. These slaves looked as if their will had been crushed over years of harsh servitude.
"I don"t want to hear your excuses," Qwi said. She tossed her head, making the feathery pearls of her hair shimmer. "We"ve been ordered to get a lot of work done before the fleet departs, and I need a Wookiee with some energy. Give me that new prisoner you have. He"ll do the work."
"Not a good idea," the keeper said, wrinkling his pasty forehead.
"He"s unruly, and you"d have to double-check his work. Can"t trust him not to try sabotage."
"I don"t care how unruly he can get!" Qwi snapped. "At least he won"t fall asleep on the job."
On the far side of the bay a tall Wookiee stepped out of a gamma-cla.s.s a.s.sault shuttle. He straightened from the cramped quarters and looked around the bay. Han had to force himself not to yank off his helmet and call out Chewbacca"s name. The Wookiee seemed ready to strike, barely restraining himself from flying into a suicidal rage. With his bare hands Chewbacca could dismantle five or six TIE fighters before the stormtroopers took him down. The keeper glanced at Chewbacca, as if considering.
"I have authorization from Admiral Daala herself," Qwi said, holding out a curled hardcopy bearing Daala"s seal. Han glanced at the other stormtroopers standing guard in the engine pool. He could not invoke the same violent "authorization" he had used to spring Kyp Durron from his cell.
Beside Qwi Xux, Kyp--wearing the smaller of the two stolen stormtrooper uniforms-stood stock-still. Han knew the kid must be terrified, but Kyp had snapped to attention and done everything Han suggested. Han felt a rush of warmth inside, and he hoped Kyp could get out of here to the normal life he deserved.
"All right, but you take him at your own risk," the keeper finally said. "I won"t be responsible if he ruins whatever you have him working on." He whistled and motioned for a pair of stormtroopers to bring Chewbacca over.
The Wookiee growled in anger, glaring around with hard, dark eyes.
He did not recognize Han, nor did he know Qwi Xux. Chewbacca glared at them, resenting another a.s.signment.
"A little more cooperation!" the keeper yelled, then struck out with his energy lash, burning a smoking welt across Chewbacca"s shoulder blades.
The Wookiee howled and snarled but somehow restrained himself as the other stormtroopers hauled out their blasters, ready to stun him if he went wild. Han tensed, clenching his fists as much as the armored gloves would allow. More than anything he wanted to shove the generating handle of the energy-lash down the keeper"s throat and switch it on full power.
But instead Han stood at attention, doing nothing, saying nothing.
Like a good stormtrooper.
The four of them marched out of the hangar bay. The keeper ignored them as he strode to the other captive Wookiees and began to strike left and right with his energy-lash, venting his anger. Han felt his stomach knotting.
Chewbacca kept looking from side to side, as if searching for his chance to escape. Han just hoped they could get someplace private before the big Wookiee decided to tear them all apart.
The doors closed, leaving them in a harshly lit white corridor.
"Chewie!" Han said, pulling off his stormtrooper helmet. After breathing through the sour nose filters, even the musky scent of a Wookiee smelled sweet to him.
Chewbacca bleated in delighted surprise and grabbed Han in a huge hug, wrapping hairy arms around him and lifting him off the floor. Han gasped for breath, grateful for the protection of the armor. "Put me down!" he said, trying to stop himself from chuckling. "If somebody sees you, they"ll think you"re killing me! Wouldn"t that be a stupid reason to get blasted?"
Chewbacca agreed and lowered him back to the floor.
"Now what?" Han asked Qwi.
"If you can pilot us out of here, we can escape," Qwi said.
Han grinned. "If that"s our only problem, we"re home free. I can pilot any ship--just give me the chance."
"Then let"s get out of here," she said. "Time is running out."
When they boarded the shuttle back down to Maw Installation, Han could ask no further questions. Surrounded by other stormtroopers rigidly minding their own business, neither he nor Kyp could speak with Qwi.
Casual conversation seemed forbidden.
Qwi fidgeted, looking at the shuttle walls, the narrow windows showing the deadly barrier of the Maw itself with its secret pathways--if they could escape.
Han desperately wanted to see Leia and the twins again. They filled his thoughts more and more, preoccupying him at times when he should have fixed every iota of attention on the peril around him. He ached to hold Leia again--but thinking of her while he wore a stormtrooper uniform seemed to taint the emotion.
Beside him sat Kyp, unreadable behind a stormtrooper mask. But the eyeholes of the helmet continued to turn toward Han, as if seeking rea.s.surance. Han wished he had more to offer--but he did not know Qwi"s plan.
Why were they returning to Maw Installation, rather than just stealing a ship and racing off into s.p.a.ce? It would be a breakneck run, no matter when they started--and Admiral Daala"s attack preparations grew more complete with each hour.
Han had to warn the New Republic of the disaster about to befall it. First, he had been concerned about the concentration of s.p.a.ce power around Kessel--but the fleet of four Star Destroyers and the Maw Installation"s secret weapons looked infinitely worse than whatever Moruth Doole had pieced together from the sc.r.a.p heap.
Chewbacca wore mechanic"s overalls, looking like a worker a.s.signed to perform maintenance on some piece of equipment down in one of the laboratories. He made grunting sounds to himself, content to be reunited with his friends but anxious for action.
Qwi remained uncommunicative, keeping her thin bluish hands folded in her lap. Han wondered if he had gone too far in his accusations of her naivete and the evil nature of her work. He wished he knew what she was thinking.
When the shuttle landed in one of the Installation"s asteroids and the stormtroopers disembarked, Qwi led Han, Kyp, and Chewbacca away from the rocky hangar through a tunnel high enough to allow the movement of ships. "This way," she said.
Han did not recognize where she was taking them. "Aren"t we going back to your lab, Doc?"
Qwi froze in mid-step before turning to him. "No, never again."
Then she moved on.
When they reached a tall metal doorway guarded by two stormtroopers standing at attention, Qwi took out her badge again, flashing the imprinted holograms in the light. The stormtroopers straightened to attention.
"Open up for me," Qwi said.
"Yes, Dr. Xux," the head guard said. "Your badge, please?"
She handed him her badge with a barely controlled smile. Han began to grow uneasy. These guards recognized Qwi by sight, and she seemed more comfortable now than she had been during other parts of their escape. Was this some kind of treachery? But to what purpose? He and Kyp turned toward each other, but the stormtrooper helmets kept their expressions unreadable.
"The Wookiee is here to do heavy maintenance on the engines--a complete coolant overhaul before tomorrow"s deployment of the fleet," Qwi said. "These two guards are specially trained to prevent him from acting up. This Wookiee has caused some damage before, and we can"t afford delays." Han tried not to cringe. Qwi was talking too quickly, letting her nervousness show through.
"Just give me the proper authorizations," the guard said. "You know the routine." He slid her badge through a scanner to log Qwi in, then handed it back to her. The stormtrooper seemed unconcerned, as if glad to be posted here rather than in the middle of frantic preparations for deployment.
Qwi went to the door"s data terminal and punched up a request, then she handed him the hardcopy printout of Admiral Daala"s permission again.
Han wondered how many times she was going to use the same piece of paper!
"There, you"ll see the approved work request for the Wookiee with a notation for special handlers. It"s been authorized by Tol Sivron himself."
The guard shrugged. "As usual. Let me scan the service numbers of these two troopers. Then you"re free to go in." He entered Han"s and Kyp"s numbers, then worked the door controls.
The great steelcrete doors ground to each side, revealing a hangar lit by levitating globes of light. Overhead, wide rectangular skylights let in the eerie glow of swirling gases around the Maw. Qwi stepped inside the chamber, and her whole demeanor changed, as if she had suddenly turned breathless. Han, Kyp, and Chewbacca followed.
The guard worked his controls, and the doors slid closed, sealing them inside. Qwi visibly relaxed.
Han stared up at a ship like none he had ever seen before. Smaller than the Millennium Falcon, this craft was oblong and faceted, like a long shard of crystal. Its own repulsorlifts kept it upright, with an actual ladder leading to the open hatch. Defensive lasers bristled from the corners of its facets.
The armor plating was multicolored and shimmering, like a constantly changing pool of oil and molten metal. At the lower vertex hung the oddly fuzzy torus of an immensely powerful resonance-torpedo transmitter. Though not much larger than a fighter craft, the Sun Crusher hummed with deadly potential.
"We"re going to steal that?" Han cried.
"Of course," Qwi Xux said. "It"s the greatest weapon ever devised, and I"ve spent eight years of my life designing it. You didn"t expect me to leave it here for Admiral Daala, did you?"
The Millennium Falcon"s sub-s.p.a.ce engines flared white hot as the ship blasted away from Kessel"s garrison moon. A swarm of fighters streamed after it, peppering s.p.a.ce with multicolored blaster fire. Large capital ships began to nose into the Falcon"s flight-path like sleeping giants roused by stinging insects.
Lando Calrissian did his best to dodge the concentrated blaster fire. "The sublight engines are still optimal. Either Han"s been maintaining her with a real mechanic for a change, or Doole reconditioned her for his fleet," he said. "Let"s see how well the weapons systems work."
A pair of wasp-like Z-95 Headhunters streaked after them, shooting fire-linked banks of triple blasters; close behind followed three battered Y-wing long-range fighters.
Luke spun around and whistled in surprise. "Headhunters! I didn"t think anybody used those anymore!"
"Doole couldn"t be choosy, I guess," Lando said.
The Falcon rocked with several direct blaster hits; the fresh and fully charged shields held, though, for the moment.
Lando dropped the blaster cannon through its ventral hatch, then fired back at the pursuers. After five prolonged shots, Lando managed to hit the exhaust nacelle of a Y-wing, forcing it to break formation and peel off for repairs.
"One down--only about a thousand more to go," Lando said.
The Z-95 Headhunters pummeled them with repeated blaster fire, as if to punish the Falcon.
"Go down close to the planet and skim the atmosphere," Luke said.
"Let"s burn them up in the energy shield."
Lando set course for the lumpy world of Kessel as he voiced his complaints. "We can"t detect that energy shield either. How do you know we won"t get disintegrated ourselves?"
"We"ve got better reactions than they do."
Lando didn"t seem convinced. "I"ve already almost flown into an energy shield once during our attack on the Death Star. I"m not anxious to repeat the process."