Star Wars: The Adventures of Lando Calrissia (62 page)

“Zzzzz—
what
? Lehesu! Why so formal all of a sudden—and where the Core have you been?” The gambler had heard it suggested that the young Oswaft had run away from defending the ThonBoka. He didn’t believe it for a moment, but he was curious.

“
Oh, just before your duel with Rokur Gepta, I heard him tell an officer—his helmet microphone was open, apparently—that he was sending a courier to have that person’s family murdered should he disobey a rather ugly order. I hopped after him, but it took me a while to catch up
.”

Lando stretched, yawned, reached for a cigar. “Oh? What did you do then, ask him to stop politely?”

“
Why yes, and he did. In several pieces, I’m afraid: I shouted it at him
.”

The gambler chuckled. “So now you’re home and going to be the Elder of all you survey, is that how it is?”

There was a long pause. “
No, not precisely. I told them I would not be their Elder, and if they wanted my advice, they wouldn’t appoint a new one. I don’t think they listened to me. I wish neither to give nor receive orders—something I learned from you, Lando my friend
.”

Lando his friend scratched his head, a gesture he’d never had habitually until he’d picked it up from Vuffi Raa. “I’m glad to hear it. What are you going to do with yourself, then?”

“
Explore, discover the answers to questions. Probably get in trouble again. But tell me, I am very confused on one point: the
Millennium Falcon
is not really a person, is that correct? Nor the cruiser
Wennis?”

“The late, unlamented cruiser
Wennis
. I don’t know what that life-destroying stuff was Gepta spewed around, but I’m glad it was destroyed with her. No, friend Lehesu, much as we may love her, the
Falcon
is a machine.” He puffed on his cigar, anticipating the Oswaft’s next bewildered question. “And before you ask, yes, the One, the Other, and the Rest are indeed persons, of the mechanical persuasion. They think for themselves, the
Falcon
doesn’t. In a sense, they are to you what Vuffi Raa is to me: you both live in free space; it’s your natural environment. Vuffi Raa and I are arms-and-legs types,
born and bred in a gravity well and most comfortable where there’s light and heat and atmosphere.”

“
But Lando, what is Vuffi Raa
?”

“A larval starship, if you believe him. The organic people who invented his ancestors looked like him, built machines that looked like him—the same idea as a humanoid robot. Today his people use ‘extensors’—manipulators—that still look like him. If he’s a good little bot and eats all his spinach, he’ll grow up to be a starship, too. If he wants to.”

Concern tinged the vacuum-breather’s transmission. “
I’m told that he was nearly killed while I was gone. I feel somewhat guilty for—
”

“Forget it, old jellyfish, his daddy repaired him in just a few hours. What counts is the memory, the experiences, the character, and they were all intact, protected in googolicate at the deepest levels of his being. No little blaster was going to do more than freeze him up mechanically.”

“
What will you do now, Lando
?”

“Well, I think it’s time I gave up this wandering life, if only for a while. I need to do something responsible, own something, have some obligations. I’ll think about it. I’ve learned a lot, and I have plenty to get started on. The Falcon’s holds are full of gigantic gemstones—every variety I’ve ever seen or heard of, and a few I’m going to have to consult experts on. I could buy an entire city.”

“
And Vuffi Raa
?”

“I don’t know, old manta, I don’t know.”

The
Millennium Falcon
’s engines thrummed with pent up energy. She was eager to go back into intergalactic space, eager for another adventure. In her cockpit, Vuffi Raa was finishing up a lecture: “And be sure to back the engines off at least three percent when initiating the deflector shields, otherwise the surge will overload her, and—”

“I know, I know, I know,” her captain replied patiently while trying to suppress tears. “The only thing I don’t understand is why you’re going back this very minute. Why can’t you—”

“Master, it is a bargain I have made. I would much prefer, like you and Lehesu, to continue exploring the universe, to have adventure and savor life. I will again, someday. But I was constructed for the purpose of recording those experiences and
relaying them to my people. I feel the need to do this, as you feel the need to breathe. Do you understand, Master?”

“I understand.” He patted the little droid’s shiny torso. The rest of the blast damage had healed, and the robot looked as new and perfect as the day they’d met. “Well, if you ever get back to this arm of the galaxy, you know how to find me, don’t you? I haven’t much in the way of a permanent address.”

There was an electronic chuckle. “I’ll just go where there’s the most trouble and noise, and there’ll you be, Master.”

“Not on your life! I’m going to settle down, be responsible. And Vuffi Raa?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Don’t you think, now that you know exactly who and what you are, that you could stop calling me master?”

“Why, I suppose so, Lando. Why didn’t you ask me before?”

You saw the movies. You watched the cartoon series, or maybe played some of the video games. But did you know …

In
The Empire Strikes Back
, Princess Leia Organa said to Han Solo, “I love you.” Han said, “I know.” But did you know that they actually got married? And had three Jedi children: the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and a younger son, Anakin?

Luke Skywalker was trained as a Jedi by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But did you know that, years later, he went on to revive the Jedi Order and its commitment to defending the galaxy from evil and injustice?

Obi-Wan said to Luke, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” Did you know that over those millennia, legendary Jedi and infamous Sith Lords were adding their names to the annals of Republic history?

Yoda explained that the dreaded Sith tend to come in twos: “Always two, there are. No more, no less. A Master, and an apprentice.” But did you know that the Sith didn’t always exist in pairs? That at one time in the ancient Republic there were as many Sith as Jedi, until a Sith Lord named Darth Bane was the lone survivor of a great Sith war and created the “Rule of Two”?

All this and much, much more is brought to life in the many novels and comics of the
Star Wars
expanded universe. You’ve seen the movies and watched the cartoon. Now venture out into the wider worlds of
Star Wars
!

Turn the page or jump to the
timeline
of
Star Wars
novels to learn more.

1

“IT’S a warship all right. Damn!”

Instrument panels in the
Millennium Falcon’
s cockpit were alive with trouble lights, warning flashers, and the beeps and hoots of the sensor package. Readout screens were feeding combat-information displays at high speed.

Han Solo, crouched forward in the pilot’s seat, coolly flicking his eyes from instrument to screen, hastily assessed his situation. His lean, youthful face creased in a frown of concern. Beyond the cockpit canopy, the surface of the planet Duroon drew steadily nearer. Somewhere below and astern, a heavily armed vessel had detected the
Falcon’
s presence and was now homing in to challenge her. That the warship had, in fact, picked up the
Millennium Falcon
first was a matter of no small worry to Han; the ability to come and go without attracting notice, especially official notice, was vital to a smuggler.

He began relaying fire-control data to the ship’s weapons systems. “Charge main batteries, Chewie,” he said, not taking his eyes from his part of the console, “and shields-all. We’re in prohibited space; can’t let ’em take us or identify the ship.” Particularly, he added to himself, with the cargo we’re hauling.

To his right, Chewbacca the Wookiee made a sound halfway between a grunt and a bark, his furry fingers darting to his controls with sure dexterity, his large, hairy form hunched in the oversized copilot’s seat. Wookiee-style, he showed his fierce fighting teeth as he rapidly surrounded the starship with layers of defensive energy. At the same time, he brought the
Falcon’
s offensive weaponry up to its maximum charge.

Bracing his ship for battle, Han berated himself for ever having taken on this job. He’d known full well it could take him into conflict with the Corporate Sector Authority, in the middle of a steer-clear area.

The Authority ship’s approach left Han and Chewbacca just seconds for a clutch decision: abort the mission and head for parts unknown, or try to pull off their delivery anyway. Han surveyed his console, hoping for a clue, or a hit off the Cosmic Deck.

The other ship wasn’t gaining. In fact, the
Falcon
was pulling away. Sensors gauged the mass, armaments, and thrust of their pursuer, and Han made his best guess. “Chewie, I don’t think that’s a ship of the line; looks more like a bulk job, with augmentative weapons. She must’ve just lifted off when she got wind of us. Hell, don’t those guys have anything better to do?” But it figured; the one major Authority installation on Duroon, the only one with a full-dress port layout, was on the far side of the globe, where the dawn line would just be lightening gray sky. Han had planned his landing for a spot as far away from the port as possible, in the middle of the night-side.

“We take her down,” he decided. If the
Falcon
could shake her follower, Han and Chewbacca could make their drop and, with the luck of the draw, escape.

The Wookiee gave a grumpy growl, black nostrils flaring, tongue curling. Han glared at him. “You got a better idea? It’s a little late to part company, isn’t it?” He took the converted freighter into a steep dive, throwing away altitude in return for increased velocity, heading deeper into Duroon’s umbra.

The Authority vessel, conversely, slowed even more, climbing through the planet’s atmosphere, trading speed for altitude in an attempt to keep the
Millennium Falcon
under sensor surveillance. Han ignored the Authority’s broadcast order to halt; telesponders that should have automatically given his starship’s identity in response to official inquiry had been disconnected long ago.

“Hold deflector shields at full capacity,” he ordered. “I’m taking her down to the deck; we don’t want our skins cooked off.” The Wookiee complied, to shed thermal energy generated by the
Falcon’
s rapid passage through the atmosphere. The starship’s controls trembled as she began to buck the denser air Han worked to put the planet between himself and the Authority vessel.

This he soon accomplished, as indicators registered increased heat from the friction of the freighter’s dive. Between watching sensors and looking through the canopy, Han quickly found his first landmark, a volcanically active crevasse that ran on an east-west axis, like a stupendous, burning scar on the flesh of Duroon. He brought the
Falcon
out of her swoop, her control systems rebelling against the immense strain. He leveled off only meters above the planet’s surface.