Luke knew without confirming it on his screen that Gold Two’s ship had been destroyed. Luke adjusted his course, swinging around to support the run.
“Stay on target, Gold Leader,” Red Leader said. “Loosen up!”
It was too late. Even with Luke’s helmet visor down, the flare as Gold Leader’s ship was blown apart stung Luke’s eyes. An ache rippled through him as he scrambled to think of what to do next. Gold Five moved into place to take the shot.
“Red Leader, this is Base One,” General Dodonna’s voice came over the comm. “Keep half your group out of range for the next run.”
“Copy, Base One,” Red Leader said. “Red Five, take Red Two and Three. Hold up here and wait for my signal to start your run.”
“Understood,” Luke said, scanning the skirmish breaking out beneath him. Sweat worked its way down his face and made his flight suit stick to his back.
“Keep your eyes open for those fighters!” Red Leader said.
“There’s too much interference! I can’t get a read on my screen!” That, from Red Ten, who was trailing behind the squadron leader.
“Red Five, can you see the enemy fighters from where you are?”
Luke pulled himself forward in the cockpit, looking down through the canopy. “No sign of any…wait! Coming in point three-five!” Three TIE fighters were dogging the others, racing along the vein of the Death Star. The one at the center was slightly different from the others. Its wings curved at the edges instead of standing up straight.
“I see them now!” Red Ten said.
“I’m in range,” Red Leader said. “Target’s coming up!”
Luke’s breath caught in his chest again. So close…They were so close….
“Just hold them off a few more seconds!”
“I can’t hold them!” Red Ten’s panic ripped through what little calm Luke had managed to keep. Red Ten’s X-wing exploded in a shower of sparks just as Red Leader fired his proton torpedoes at the exhaust port.
“It’s a hit!” Red Nine cried.
“Negative…” Red Leader sounded like he was on the verge of tears. “It didn’t go in. It just hit the surface. Red Five, prepare to make your run.”
“Hear that, Artoo?” Luke said.
AFFIRMATIVE. READY.
“Me too.” He switched his comm back over to the others. “Wedge, Biggs, close up. We’re going in full throttle—”
There was a horrible scream as Red Leader crashed into a nearby tower, his ship taken down by the fire from the strange TIE fighter. Luke saw it all happen through his window and felt some of his hope shrivel up.
“We lost Red Leader,” he reported back to base, though he had a feeling they already knew.
“Proceed with your run, Red Five,” General Dodonna said. “You’re in charge.”
“Right behind you,” Wedge said.
“Luke, at your speed will you be able to pull out in time?”
Despite everything, Luke managed a small smile. “It’ll be just like Beggar’s Canyon back home. Don’t tell me you’re scared now!”
The three X-wings powered forward, blasting every nearby structure they could. The Death Star’s defenses returned fire, but Luke was flying past, catching only bits of the explosion. The ride got rougher, bouncing him around, rattling his brain inside his skull. Hold it together, hold it together—a shot from one of the towers clipped him, jerking his ship. The sound of alarms filled the cockpit.
“Artoo…that—that stabilizer’s broken loose again! See if you can’t lock it down!”
He saw a shower of sparks out of the corner of his eye.
“Blast it, I’m hit!” Wedge cried.
Luke gritted his teeth. “Get clear, Wedge. You can’t do more good back there!”
They had already lost so many of their fighters. They couldn’t afford to lose Wedge, too.
“Sorry!” Wedge sounded agonized. He was a fighter to the core, Luke knew, and he would have gone down swinging if Luke had let him.
Luke was in the trench now, racing along the same path Gold Leader and Red Leader had taken. His target screen flashed to life as he pulled it down to estimate the distance to the exhaust port.
“Artoo, try to increase the power again!”
The rattling grew worse. Pops and flashes of explosion lit either side of him.
“Hurry, Luke, they’re coming in much faster this time,” Biggs warned from behind him. “I can’t hold them!”
Luke tried looking back over his shoulder again as he felt the engines flare with new life. Good job, Artoo, he thought. Now—
“Hurry up, Luke!” Biggs shouted. “Wait—!”
The force of the explosion nearly sent Luke hurtling nose first into the surface of the Death Star. His grip on the controls slipped, just for a second, as shock and pain and anger and a thousand other emotions rocketed through him.
Biggs was gone.
LUKE WAS ALONE.
The realization sliced through him, cutting him up inside. It hurt even to breathe.
Biggs…it just…it didn’t feel real—how could Biggs be gone, when Luke had only just found him again?
Just like his aunt and uncle. Just like Ben. Even Han and Chewbacca had left.
“Status, Red Five!”
Luke shook himself, trying to break out of his stupor. His X-wing leveled off as he regained full control. Tears tracked down his cheeks, but he wiped them away against his shoulder. This was a battle. This was their one chance. He couldn’t let the others down by just—just packing it in and giving it all up, no matter how much his chest felt like it was about to cave in on itself.
“Still on track for my run,” he said. His whole world became the targeting screen. As the TIE fighters raced up behind him, he rolled right and left to avoid their fire. A sudden chill overtook even his pulsing anxiety as he risked a glance back toward the TIE fighter with the angular wings. He felt like death itself was chasing him.
Don’t think about that, he ordered himself. The yellow crosshairs on his targeting screen steadied as the exhaust port came into focus.
Use the Force, Luke.
There it was again! Ben’s voice filled his mind like a cloud of warm smoke. The Death Star’s surface raced under him. He was hearing what he needed to hear—a comforting, familiar voice. Luke turned back toward the targeting device and adjusted it.
Let go, Luke.
Again! He shook his head, but it was like Ben was sitting behind him, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. Let it go, Luke….
If the Force was as limitless as Ben had said, if it was with him in every moment…why couldn’t Ben somehow be reaching across it to encourage him? He knew what Ben was asking him to do. Turn off the targeting screen. Trust his instincts. But this was it, his one shot. Yavin 4 was minutes away from being destroyed, and the Rebellion along with it.
Hadn’t Red Leader tried to use the targeting system, though? It hadn’t worked for him, even though the system had been perfectly calibrated. Luke turned the thought over in his mind, his pulse speeding as fast as his ship. And then there was that moment on the Falcon. Luke had been blinded and still managed to deflect the blast from the remote. That should have been impossible. But maybe that’s what Ben had really been trying to tell him: the impossible could become possible if he was just willing to trust himself and the Force.
Luke, trust me.
Grim determination pooled in the center of Luke’s chest. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and reaching, reaching, reaching for that place of warmth he had felt on the Falcon and in the simulator. It was like slipping into a refreshing stream after being caught under the pounding sun for too long.
Luke reached up and flipped a switch. The targeting screen drew back with a click, clearing his field of vision.
“Luke, this is Base One.” General Dodonna’s voice crackled over the comm. “You’ve turned off your targeting computer. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Luke said, feeling the last bit of tig
htness in his chest ease. “I’m all right—”
A burst of laser fire from the TIE fighter with the angular wings engulfed R2, sending sparks flying. Luke was sure he could hear the little droid wailing as he looked back over his shoulder, trying to assess the damage.
“I’ve lost Artoo!”
“The Death Star is in range of the planet,” General Dodonna warned.
The trench narrowed slightly as Luke raced toward the exhaust port, his hand steady on the controls, his thumb flicking up the cover over the launch button for the proton torpedoes. He felt like he was being carried along by a powerful stream. But instead of being afraid, he was sure of himself, sure that he could succeed.
Another explosion from behind him momentarily rocked his focus.
“Yahoo!” A new voice joined the fray, overpowering the surprised sounds from Base One and the other pilots. A smile stretched across Luke’s face.
“Han!” Luke yelled.
The Millennium Falcon was cruising behind him and had destroyed two of the TIE fighters and sent the third one with the odd wings spinning off into space. Luke could hear Chewbacca roaring in victory in the background.
“You’re all clear, kid!” Han said. “Now let’s blow this thing and go home!”
Luke turned back to the task at hand, his finger over the trigger for the torpedoes. When the feeling came, a strong nudge from some invisible energy force, Luke slammed his thumb down on the trigger and fired.
LUKE WATCHED the twin bursts of light disappear into the exhaust port and pulled his X-wing up and up and up out of the trench. The sigh he released shook his whole body. Luke blinked in disbelief, looking down again. It felt like he was coming out of a dream as he soared up toward the stars.
“Great shot, kid!” Han cheered. “That was one in a million!”
One of the other pilots confirmed the hit to the base on Yavin 4 in that single quiet second before everything changed.
Luke knew that the moment would be imprinted on his memory forever. The way the ring of pure energy and fire blew out from the center of the battle station, ripping it apart into nothing more than shreds of metal and dust. The pressure of the detonation rocked the X-wing, sending it bobbing. Just as quickly, his flight smoothed out again and calm returned to the galaxy. The terrifying giant was gone, and with it the weight of fear that had been pressing down on Luke.
Remember, he heard Ben say, the Force will be with you…always.
And it would be. Luke saw that now, feeling, for the first time, that all these parts of himself—the farm boy desperate to escape, the Jedi trainee, the Rebel Alliance’s new piloting recruit—had fused. He saw the future spread out in front of him, opened wide.
Luke’s descent into Yavin 4’s atmosphere was filled with the cheers and cries of the officers and staff in the control room. He brought his X-wing down low over the jungle, cutting through the thick mist until the temples finally appeared in front of him. He waited his turn to pull into the hangar, falling in behind the remainder of the Red and Gold Squadrons. By the time he made it inside and initiated the landing procedures, the whole of the Rebellion had flooded in to greet the pilots. He had never been so relieved to see all their faces.
Luke scrambled to unhook his straps and push the canopy up. He tossed his helmet on the seat and was halfway down the ladder before he took his next breath.
“Luke!” Leia ran toward him, a blur of white pushing through the crowd. “Luke!”
He somehow managed to catch her as she slammed into him, laughing. He swung her around in a huge hug, setting her down just as Han came up behind them, grinning from ear to ear. The captain didn’t resist as Luke pounded his back.
“I knew it!” Luke said, punching his shoulder for good measure. “I knew you’d come back!”
Han shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t gonna let you have all the credit!”
Chewbacca growled behind Han, giving the captain a little shake.
“All right, all right, and because we wanted to make sure you got out of this mess in one piece!” Han said. “How does it feel to be a hero?”
“Oh, my! Artoo!” At Threepio’s distressed voice, Luke spun on his heel. In all the excitement, he’d somehow managed to forget about the droid who’d had his back. A technician was lowering R2-D2 to the ground carefully to avoid damaging him further. His white-and-blue body had been scorched nearly black. Wiring stuck out from his joints like climbing weeds, and one of his small arms had been blown off.
“Oh, no!” Luke said, rushing over.
“Artoo!” C-3PO wailed. “Artoo! Can you hear me? Say something!” The protocol droid turned to the mechanic. “You can repair him, can’t you?”
The technician nodded. “We’ll get to work on him right away.”
“You must repair him! Sir, if any of my circuits or gears will help, I’ll gladly donate them!”
“He’ll be all right,” Luke said, resting a hand on the protocol droid’s shoulder. Facing the others again, he was surprised to see Leia smiling up at Han.
“I knew there was more to you than money,” she said.
“Don’t tell anyone,” he said with a wink. “Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, Your Worship.”
“Leia,” she insisted, rolling her eyes. “Just Leia.”
Luke felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips as Wedge came up behind him and punched his shoulder. “Nice shooting!”
“Couldn’t have done it without you!” Luke had to shout to be heard over the songs and cheers that had broken out again. Wedge let himself be swept up into the group, pumping his fists in the air.
For a moment, Luke hung back from the others, leaning against his ship. The atmosphere was humming, brimming with the excitement of everything they had accomplished. Still, he couldn’t miss the holes—the empty places where people should have been. The squadron members who hadn’t lived to see the Empire brought to its knees. Biggs.
Ben.
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.
His father.
You were right, Luke thought, smiling again as Chewbacca hugged Leia and then lifted her right off her feet. Ben, you were right.
He had felt the Force. He didn’t fully grasp it yet, and he knew there was so much more he needed to learn, about himself and his capabilities. But now he knew that the loved ones who had left him weren’t so far away after all. He could feel them nearby, like beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds.
When Luke closed his eyes, he saw Tatooine’s twin suns sinking into a violet glow, burning on the horizon and casting the sand in brilliant gold. He’d been so determined to leave, he’d refused to see the beauty of his home and everything it had done to make him who he was.
“Hey, kid!” Han called, waving Luke over. “You ready for a real celebration?”
The crowd was moving out of the hangar, headed deeper into the Great Temple. No doubt, Luke thought, to dig into what supply of food and drink they had left.
Kid. Luke snorted. Maybe Han would always call him that. Maybe the older pilots would think he was just a rookie hotshot who got lucky. Maybe Leia would always think he was just a simple guy from a planet at the farthest edge of the galaxy, not refined or brilliant or particularly charming.
But Luke knew now he was so much more—and that he had so much farther to go.
This time, no one was going to hold him back.
WHEN THE SUN ROSE golden and bright the next morning, it wasn’t just on the ancient temples of Yavin 4 but on a new galaxy—one shining with possibilities. As the three figures stepped up to the entrance of the Grand Temple’s throne room, each was overwhelmed by the towering stone walls and ceilings carved with intricate patterns. The jungle was in full bloom, coating the damp air with a rich floral scent.
The soldiers of the Rebellion had donned their finest, helmets and boots gleaming as the sunrise filtered through the ceiling above in shafts of light. They stood at attention on either side of the long aisle. Three figures stepped up to the entr
ance of the great chamber. Luke fidgeted in his new clothes, clasping his hands behind him to hide the way they shook, just a little. He relaxed at the sound of Han’s soft whistle next to him. Chewbacca urged them forward, to where a figure in white waited for them. Celebratory music began, and at the first cue of the trumpets they started down the steps and toward the front of the throne room.
Leia struggled to hide her smile as they strode toward her, wanting it to mean as much to them as it did to her. The Rebellion had opened their arms to her, ushering her into a new home, giving her new purpose in helping guide their course.
Near where she stood, two droids—perhaps the true heroes in all this—had been polished and shined and given a place of honor at the front of the ceremony. A repaired Artoo began to bounce on his three legs, whistling in delight as Han, Chewbacca, and Luke came to stand before Leia.
The medals had been placed with care on a tray.
Leia turned, picked up the medals, and, one by one, placed them over the three heroes’ heads.
They turned back toward the soldiers and officers and took a bow together. The room erupted in cheers.
The princess, the scoundrel, the farm boy.
The senator, the smuggler, the dreamer.
The Rebel leader, the captain, the pilot.
More than what they believed of themselves.
More than what others saw of them.
And, together, a new hope for the future.
MY THANKS first and foremost go to Michael Siglain, Emily Meehan, and the entire team at Disney for giving me this unbelievable opportunity. It’s been a dream of mine for…well, pretty much my whole life not only to become a writer but to write the kind of Star Wars book I grew up reading. I am totally humbled and awed by the responsibility—thank you!
Sending blue milk and Wookiee cookies to all my new friends at Lucasfilm, especially Rayne Roberts, Pablo Hidalgo, Leland Chee, Frank Parisi, and Jen Heddle. Your passion and dedication to maintaining our (let’s be honest) favorite galaxy is so inspiring, and it’s been an absolute pleasure and honor to work with you!
The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy Page 14
