Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry

grunted. Leia didn’t need to speak Wookiee to understand that one.
    “Then be quiet and let me do it.”
    The
Falcon
did another little hop behind the
Outrider
, settled back into its dangerous dance with the treetops.
    “So, the building the freighter hit was the Emperor’s private museum. Had a lot of his mementos in it. Most of them were lost in the ensuing fire.
    “The Emperor was not happy. He had the Rendar family’s property seized, then had them banished from Coruscant. That included Dash. They kicked him out of the Academy on Carida and off that planet, too.”
    Leia ground her teeth. That kind of thing was one ofthe reasons the Alliance was fighting the Empire. No one should have that much power, that he could arbitrarily do such things unchecked. And Leia knew of worse, knew of much worse. The Death Star had destroyed her homeworld, killed millions, as a test of its power. Just to see if it worked. It had meant nothing to the Empire, less grief than swatting a fly.
    “I can see that he wouldn’t have any love for the Empire,” Leia said. “Why isn’t he working for the Alliance?”
    Lando shrugged. “He doesn’t want to owe anybody, doesn’t want anybody to owe him. He works for whoever pays the most. He’s downright magic with anything that flies, and he can pick wing nuts off a tabletop with a blaster without scorching the finish. He’s a good man to have at your back when the going gets hot—as long as your money lasts.”
    Leia nodded. The Empire had ruined a lot of good people. Looked as if Dash Rendar was one more casualty.
    F our TIE fighters roared in, spewing death.
    Luke yelled at Wedge. “Rogue One, look out! On your port, bearing three-oh-five!”
    Wedge’s X-wing immediately peeled left and down. “Thanks, Luke!”
    Luke punched it, swung a shallow turn, and headed straight for the attacking quad.
    Use the Force, Luke
.
    Luke grinned. The first time he’d heard that, during the attack on the Death Star, he hadn’t understood. He knew what it meant now.
    “Targeting sensors off, rear shields off, reroute more power to the guns.”
    Artoo was not pleased and said so.
    “Sorry, buddy, but this way is better.”
    Luke reached out. The Force was here, as it was everywhere,and it was no harder to touch deep in space than it was in the swamps on Dagobah. He let it fill him.
    The TIE fighters suddenly seemed to be moving slower. Luke’s hands flew over the controls; he moved the stick with sharp and precise movements. Swung to his starboard and lit the lasers, double-tapped the fire button.
    Lines of fire lanced out and shattered one, two of the four TIE fighters. The explosion spat a hard spray of wreckage at him as Luke looped away. Shards of the destroyed TIEs sleeted against the X-wing’s transparisteel canopy, a metal and plastic hail.
    “Fine shootin’, Rogue Leader,” Rogue Five said.
    “Thanks, Dix.”
    “More coming in, six blips at one-seven-five,” Rogue Four said.
    “Watch your back, Luke!” somebody said. “You got a tail!”
    But Luke had already felt the approach of the TIE and had put his fighter into a hard downturn. He flew an outside loop and came up behind the TIE.
    Luke stroked his fire button once, and the TIE shattered into expensive scrap.
    “Rogue Two, you got a pair of ’em coming in at two-two-four, move it!”
    “Ah, copy that, Wes. I owe you one.”
    “Pay me back later.”
    The X-wings and TIE fighters streaked back and forth through the blackness of space, tossing incandescent spears of hard light at each other.
    “I’m hit,” Rogue Two said. “Got my Artoo unit and punched a hole in my canopy. I’ve got a patch here … Okay, the leak is plugged.”
    “Break off and return to base, Rogue Two,” Luke said.
    “Hey, I can still shoot and I got manual.”
    “Negative, Will, there’s too many for that. Take a walk.”
    Artoo whistled rapidly.
    “Doesn’t apply to me,” Luke said. “I’ve got an edge.”
    “Copy, Rogue Leader.