Kueller.

FORTY-EIGHT.

Leia's message said that she was taking the Alderaan to Almania, and then later she added a note about Wedge and the fleet. But try as he might, Han couldn't locate the Alderaan in the swarm of fighting ships not far from him. He didn't want to think about all the debris floating around them.

He was seated in the c.o.c.kpit, Chewbacca beside him, and Mara Jade in the seat behind. She was still pale and weak. She claimed that the ysalamiri were affecting her Force sense even though they were as far from her as they could be.

He liked that.

"Chewie, hail someone on the New Republic fleet," Han said. "I need to know where Leia is."

"Her ship wasn't here when we got here," Mara said.

Chewbacca ignored her and punched the communications relay. Han hovered near the Wild Karrde. Talon still hadn't gone into hypers.p.a.ce. Something was keeping him nearby.

"I thought he was out to save his hide." Mara smiled. "I think he's still interested in mine," she said cryptically.

"Great," Han said.

Chewie mumbled something about no one having seen Leia since the battle began.

"Long shot, then," Han said. He swerved away from the Wild Karrde and headed toward Almania. "Scan the surface, Chewie. The Alderaan has a distinctive signature. We'll find her if she's there." Chewie's large paws moved on the console. Mara leaned back in her seat. "You'll die before Kueller allows you on the surface."

"I doubt that, sweetheart," Han said. "He's wanted me there all along."

Mara had no reply to that. Chewbacca continued searching. Han piloted the Falcon high over the fighting.

It looked ugly down there. The Star Destroyers had sustained a lot of damage, but they hadn't given up. There were too many TIE fighters, and no X- wings, only A - and B-wings. One of the New Republic's battleships was already destroyed. Only two were left.

"Don't think about it, Solo," Mara said. "Either you get your wife or you save the fleet." He knew that, but watching made him feel helpless. Then something zoomed in his periphery. "TIE fighter at two-oh-nine. Chewie, man the controls. I'm going for the guns."

"I'm coming with you," Mara said.

Han climbed to the topside gunport as Mara climbed to the bottom gunport.

He adjusted his headset as he sat before the controls of the laser cannon. Stars and fighters swarmed around him.

"You in there, Mara?"

"Ready."

"Okay," Han said. "Stay sharp." The TIE fighter went over them, shooting.

Han swiveled his chair and aimed the cannon, shooting as he did so.

Mara's fire from below shone red against the blackness of s.p.a.ce.

The fighter exploded in a brilliant white flash.

"Got him!" Mara yelled.

Two more TIE fighters appeared to his gunport's starboard. Then three shot overhead as three crossed below. Two more appeared port.

"Chewie!" Han shouted as he shot cannon fire in all directions. The Wookiee knew better than to let this sort of trap set up. The Falcon continued moving forward and then, suddenly, it flipped on its side and slipped between the fighters.

The fighters, used to shooting at the tinier A-wings, took a moment to recover.

"Chewie, circle," Han said.

Chewbacca executed a perfect parabola. Han and Mara aimed and shot at opposing TIE fighters. Both exploded as five more came to their rescue.

"There's a mult.i.tude of those things!" Mara said.

"Kueller sure spent a fortune," Han said. "Not even the Empire deployed this many at once." Chewbacca yowled from below. More TIE fighters were coming their way.

"What'd he say?" Mara shouted.

"He said we're pulling fighters from the battle. Your ugly little nightmare friend must know we're here." Sweat was pouring down Han's face. His shoulders ached from pulling on the cannon. He was swiveling and twisting so much in the chair that he didn't know which direction he faced in relation to the c.o.c.kpit. He supposed it didn't matter.

"I thought you said he wanted you alive."

"He did!" Han was shooting at five TIE fighters. He winged one, and it rolled off in the distance. Another flew over, firing as it went. Most of the shots bounced off the deflector shields.

A third fighter fired a round. The shots connected, and something exploded on the Falcon.

"Chewie?" Han shouted.

Chewbacca growled something about losing a deflector shield.

"Chewie, that was more than a shield!" Chewie growled again. He nearly had the shield fixed but he didn't have time to say any more. It was Mara who finally reported.

"That was my cannon," she said.

"You okay?"

"If you call third-degree burns okay," she said. "My hands'll live."

"Get up there and help Chewie, then," he said, uncertain whether or not she was making up the burns. "We're going to have to pa.s.s right over one of those Star Destroyers. Let's hope it doesn't see us."

"Hope is a dangerous thing, Solo." He didn't answer her. His arms were rattling his entire frame as he kept shooting. The TIE fighters were swarming around the Falcon, but their shots kept bouncing off the deflector shields. Chewie must have fixed them.

Or maybe not.

Another shot connected. The Falcon twisted in s.p.a.ce. Chewbacca was yelling, Mara was swearing, and Han found himself upside down from his previous position. If he hadn't been strapped in the chair, he would have been thrown all over the gunport.

"Damage, Chewie?" Chewbacca yelled back.

"I know it's not your fault! Just let me know the damage."

"The concussion-missile tubes." Again it was Mara who answered. "And you'd better thank Chewie for his quick thinking. He dumped the missiles as the shot hit."

"Oh, great," Han said. "I'm supposed to thank him for dumping our weaponry." He kept shooting, though, and took out one TIE fighter that exploded and spun away from the pack. "Get that shield back on line." The Falcon righted itself and headed for the Star Destroyer.

"Hey, Chewie," Han said, "abandon that last plan. Just head for the planet." Chewbacca growled back.

"There are no straight lines in s.p.a.ce," Han said. "Go over it, around it, or under it if you have to. I don't care that it's in your way." Chewie growled again.

"They can't have us in a tractor beam, Chewie," Han said, not wanting it to be true. "Check the instruments again."

"Looks like it doesn't want us to get to Almania, Han," Mara said.

Han wiped the sweat from his face with the back of one arm. He could see the open hangar bay on the destroyer. They would be sucked inside, facing stormtroopers and who knew what else.

If only he could get to Leia.

Luke had done something with his X-wing against a Star Destroyer once. He had shot proton torpedoes into the tractor beam. The torpedoes had gone on board the destroyer and exploded.

But the Falcon no longer had that kind of fire power.

The laser cannon wouldn't do enough damage. But it might stun them for a moment, maybe break the tractor beam, and keep them from chasing the Falcon. It might give him the opportunity he needed to get to Almania and Leia.

Chewbacca shouted from below.

"One ship at a time, Chewie. We only have to pay attention to the new one if it shoots us." At least, Han hoped that was true. The new ship that Chewie had spotted coming up behind them might be even more of a threat.

"Haven't you got any other weapons on board this thing?" Mara shouted.

Han swiveled in his chair, shot several bursts at two pa.s.sing TIE fighters, and then yelled, "We're down to one laser cannon, sweetheart, and a whole lot of blasters. You want to open the top hatch and climb onto the roof and fire a blaster from there? I'm sure Chewie has enough spare time to rig you up a wire to keep you from falling off." Chewbacca growled.

"No need to be sarcastic, Solo," Mara said. "Just trying to be useful."

"Then scan for Leia's ship. I'm not going to Almania if she's not there."

He pointed the cannon upward-for him, anyway-so that his chair tilted him onto his back. He concentrated on one TIE fighter, blasting, blasting, blasting, until the thing fell away in a smoking heap.

"How soon till we get to the destroyer?" Han yelled.

"Almost there!" Mara yelled back.

Chewie growled a countdown to the futile shot. Han's shot wouldn't have the one-in-explosive power that Luke's miraculous destruction of the Death Star had. If anything, Han's blast would smash a few transparisteels inside, knock a few officers out of their chairs, and scorch a bulkhead or two.

For this, though, he turned on the targeting computer. With his right hand, he punched in the coordinates while he kept shooting at TIE fighters with his left. They were swarming him now, flanking, surrounding, and threatening the Falcon. They probably thought they had him, this close to the Star Destroyer.

Chewie growled the end of the countdown.

Han watched the targeting computer.

"You're going to miss the shot!" Mara yelled.

Han ignored her, his concentration great. The lines on the computer converged into a single point and he issued a burst of fire from the cannon. Then he shoved the targeting computer away. The shots went along the tractor beam and sank into the open hangar bay. There was a m.u.f.fled explosion, enough to rattle the entire Star Destroyer.

"That's the best we get," Han said. "Let's take advantage of their surprise and-" Then the Star Destroyer exploded into a thousand pieces.

Light and sparks flew everywhere and debris pelted the Falcon.

"Chewie! Get us out of here!" The TIE's were moving out of the debris field too. Han slipped out of the gunport and into the c.o.c.kpit, yelling a victory cry all the way.

"You didn't do it, Solo," Mara said. She pointed at the s.p.a.ce yacht streaking overhead. "Better say thank you!" Han slapped his hand on the console. "Karrde! Thought you were leaving!"

"I hate missing a good fight, Solo." Karrde's voice came over the speakers in crackles. "Go to the planet. I'll cover you."

"He doesn't make that offer every day," Mara said.

"And he doesn't have to make it twice." Han slipped into the pilot's seat. "Found Leia yet?"

"Nope," Mara said. "We'll have to go on feeling."

"I thought the ysalamiri are interfering with your Force sense." She shrugged. "Let's hope they aren't."

Eeeeooo-whit!

The droid in the lead had seen him.

"R2!" 3PO yelled. "R2-D2, is that you?" The lead gladiator droid shook him. "I told you to shut up."

"I would, sir, if I thought you still had control, but I daresay you're in for a spot of trouble." The gladiator droid swiveled his head. His henchmen, the ones who had gone to investigate, were being crushed against the wall, their guns still trapped in their stomachs, as hundreds of astromech units rolled past.

"R2!" 3PO yelled.

"Send for backup," the gladiator droid said to the droid nearest him.

"And hurry. The rest of you-fire!" Laser cannons went off, and shots reverberated all over the corridor. Droid screams filled the air. Smoke rose as components burned. But the little astromech droids continued moving forward.

"R2!" 3PO screamed. He could no longer see R2 in the sudden haze of smoke. "R2-D2, where are you?"

"One more word," the lead gladiator droid said, "and I will use this scrambler." 3PO had had quite enough of threats. "No, you won't!" he said, and wrenched himself backward as the gladiator droid fired the scrambler. Its shot hit the other gladiator droid holding 3PO. That droid screamed and glowed neon green, a beacon in the haze. 3PO's right arm was free. He yanked his left loose and disappeared into the fog.

Shots ricocheted around him. The gladiator droids flared like flames in the smoke. 3PO shoved several from behind, making them lose their balance and fall forward.

"R2!" he continued to yell as he headed in the direction where he had last seen the astromech droids. "R2!" Eeeeooo-whit!

The whistle came from his left, from a corridor that matched the one he had just come through. It might be a trap, or it might be R2.