Star Wars Journal - The Fight for Justice by Luke Skywalker by John Peel Page B

could barely even track the TIE fighter approaching me. And his shots were getting closer.
    I wouldn’t make it to the target.
    Then, suddenly, the TIE fighter was hit and spinning off helplessly into space. Over the communications I heard someone yell, “Whoopee!” and the Millennium Falcon flashed above me.
    Han had come back! He’d changed his mind!
    Maybe what we were fighting for had gotten to him. Maybe he liked me too much to let me die. Maybe he just wanted to annoy the princess by forcing her to thank him. At that moment I didn’t care what his reasons were. He was back!
    And laying down fire for me. He and Chewie covered me for the last part of the run.
    Then I could see the target ahead of me. It looked so tiny, and I was coming up on it so fast. Was I just deluding myself? Was it an impossible shot after all? Was I nothing but a farm boy who shouldn’t have been given an X-wing, let alone the responsibility of saving the Rebels?
    I fought down my doubts. Ben believed in me; so did Leia, and so, even, did Han. Why else would he come back? They all believed in me, and I knew that I should believe in me, too.
    I focused inward as I drew closer to the port, feeling for that gentle touch of the Force inside me. Reaching out to connect, and to know exactly the right second to fire.
    And I felt it. The absolute, calm assurance that now was the time. My thumb pressed the button without any conscious thought at all.
    Then I peeled away, up and out. The guns were still firing at us, but I didn’t care. My torpedoes were on their way, and I knew it was working. The Force was with me.
    Han and I headed directly back toward the moon at full acceleration. Neither of us wanted to be in the vicinity when the Death Star went up. I glanced around, but there was no sign at all of Vader’s TIE fighter. Had he escaped somehow? Or was he dead? I didn’t think he was. I was certain I’d feel a disturbance in the Force if such great evil were to perish. But I didn’t have time to look for him.
    Space behind us suddenly exploded with color.
    The Death Star had powered up its planet-breaker just as my torpedoes hit their target.
    The result was an explosion so huge, it blotted out everything. The shock wave sent my ship and the Falcon tumbling, but we managed to pull out of it.
    The Death Star was gone, and Yavin was safe. The Rebel base was safe. Leia was safe.
    I felt absolutely drained, completely wrung out.
    “Come on, kid,” Han called. And the Falcon nosed down to the moon below. I followed him in.
    I heard Ben’s voice again, this time with a promise. He sounded proud of me. “The Force will be with you, always.”
    I knew he was right. I did have a strong connection to the Force. Maybe I would become a true Jedi one day.
    The first person to greet me when I landed was Leia. She threw her arms around me and kissed me, even though there were hundreds of people watching. I could feel myself blushing like crazy. Then Han and Chewie came over, grinning. Han claimed he only came back because he didn’t want me to get all the credit, but I knew better. He came back because he’d discovered something better than money.
    I made sure the flight crew took Artoo out carefully. Threepio hovered beside them nervously, but the mechanics assured us they could patch up Artoo without a problem. I really hope so. We’ve been through a lot together, and I’ve grown very fond of the little droid.
    Leia says there’s going to be a big celebration later, and advised me to shower and rest. I’ve just realized how hungry I am. A feast certainly sounds good. We’ve got a lot to celebrate. And to remember.

FOURTEENTH ENTRY
    It wasn’t a feast. Well, no, it was a feast. But that was afterward.
    First there was the ceremony.
    It turned out that Leia had managed to convince everyone that we were heroes—Han, Chewie, and myself, that is. As if all she did was stand around and watch us! But, apparently, everyone agreed that we were heroes,