The Avenger had spotted the Millennium Falcon the moment the freighter shot out of
the enormous asteroid.
    From that moment, the Imperial ship renewed its pursuit of the freighter with a
blinding barrage of fire.  Undaunted by the steady rain of asteroids on its massive
hull, the Star Destroyer relentlessly followed the smaller ship.
    The Millennium Falcon, far more maneuverable than the other ship, darted
around the larger asteroids as they came rocketing toward it.  The Falcon was
succeeding in holding its lead in front of the Avenger, but it was clear that the steadily
pursuing ship was not about to abandon the chase.
    Suddenly a gigantic asteroid appeared in the Millennium Falcon's path, rushing
toward the freighter at incredible speed.  The ship quickly banked out of the way,
and the asteroid hurtled past it, only to explode harmlessly against the Avenger's hull.
    Han Solo glimpsed the explosion's flare through the front window of his ship's
cockpit.  The craft that followed them seemed absolutely invulnerable; but he had no
time to reflect on the differences between the ships.  It took everything in his power
to maintain control of the Falcon as it was pelted by Imperial cannon fire.
    Princess Leia tensely watched the asteroids and cannon fire flaring in the
blackness of space outside the cockpit windows.  Her fingers had tightened on the
arms of her chair.  Silently she hoped against hope that they would emerge from this
chase alive.
    Carefully following the bleeping images on a tracking scope, See-Threepio
turned to Han.  "I can see the edge of the asteroid field, sir," he reported.
    "Good," Han replied.  "Soon as we're clear, we'll kick this baby into
hyperdrive."  He was confident that within moments the pursuing Star Destroyer
would be left light-years behind.  The repairs in the freighter's light-speed system
had been completed, and there was nothing left to do now but get the ship free of the
asteroid field and into space, where it could blast away to safety.
    There was an excited Wookiee bark as Chewbacca, looking out a cockpit window,
saw that the asteroid density was already decreasing.  But their escape could not yet
be completed, for the Avenger was closing in, and the bolts from its laser cannons
bombarded the Falcon, making it lurch and carom to one side.
    Han rapidly adjusted the controls and brought his ship back on an even keel.
And in the next instant, the Falcon zoomed out of the asteroid field and entered the
peaceful, star-dotted silence of deep space.  Chewbacca whined, joyful that they
were at last out of the deadly field—but eager to leave the Star Destroyer far behind.
    "I'm with you, Chewie," Han responded.  "Let's vacate the area.  Stand by for
light-speed.  This time they get the surprise.  Hang on…"
    Everyone braced himself as Han pulled back on the light-speed throttle.  But it
was the crew of the Millennium Falcon, and mostly the captain himself that got the
surprise as, once again—
    —nothing happened.
    Nothing!
    Han frantically pulled back the throttle again.
    The ship maintained its sublight speed.
    "This isn't fair!" he exclaimed, beginning to panic.
    Chewbacca was furious.  It was rare that he lost his temper with his friend and
captain.  But now he was exasperated and roared his fury in angry Wookiee growls
and barks.
    "Couldn't be," Han replied defensively, as he looked at his computer screens and
quickly noted their readings.  "I checked the transfer circuits."
    Chewbacca barked again.
    "I tell you, this time it's not my fault.  I'm sure I checked it."
    Leia sighed deeply.  "No light-speed?" in a tone that indicated she had expected
this catastrophe, too.
    "Sir," See-Threepio interjected, "we've lost the rear deflector shield.  One more
direct hit on the back quarter and we're done for."
    "Well," Leia said, as she glared at the captain of the Millennium Falcon, "what
now?"
    Han realized he had only one choice.  There was no time to plan or to check
computer readouts, not with the Avenger already out of the asteroid field and rapidly
gaining on them.  He had to make a decision based on instinct and hope.  They
really had no alternative.
 "Sharp bank, Chewie," he ordered and pulled back a lever as he looked at his copilot.
"Let's turn this bucket around."
    Not even Chewbacca could fathom what Han had in mind.  He barked in
bewilderment—perhaps he hadn't heard the order quite right.
    "You heard me!" Han yelled.  "Turn around!  Full power front shield!"  This
time there was no mistaking his command and, though Chewbacca couldn't
comprehend the suicidal maneuver, he obeyed.
    The princess was flabbergasted.  "You're going to attack them!" she stammered
in disbelief.  There wasn't a chance of survival now, she thought.  Was it possible
that Han really was crazy?
    Threepio, after running some calculation through his computer brain, turned to
Han Solo.  "Sir, if I might point out, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an
Imperial Star Destroyer are—"
    Chewbacca snarled at the golden droid, and the immediately shut up.  No one
on board really wanted to hear the statistics, especially since the Falcon was already
banking into a steep turn to begin its course into the erupting storm of Imperial
cannon fire.
    Solo concentrated intently on his flying.  It was all he could do to avoid the
barrage of flak bursts rocketing toward the Falcon from the Imperial ship.  The
freighter bobbed and weaved as Han, still heading directly for the Star Destroyer,
steered to avoid the bolts.
    No one on his tiny ship had the slightest idea what his plan might be.

    "He's coming in too low!" the Imperial deck officer shouted, though he scarcely
believed what he was seeing.
    Captain Needa and the Star Destroyer crew rushed the to Avenger's bridge to
watch the suicidal approach of the Millennium Falcon, while alarms blared all over
the vast Imperial ship.  A small freighter could not do much damage if it collided
against a Star Destroyer's hull; but if it smashed through the bridge windows, the
control deck would be littered with corpses.
    The panicked tracking officer reported his sighting.  "We're going to collide!"
    "Shields up?" Captain Needa asked.  "He must be insane!"
    "Look out!" the deck officer yelled.
    The Falcon was headed straight for the bridge window and the Avenger crew and
officers fell to the floor in terror.  But at the last instant, the freighter veered up
sharply.  Then—
    Captain Needa and his men slowly lifted their head.  All they saw outside the
bridge windows was a peaceful ocean of stars.
    "Track them," Captain Needa ordered.  "They may come around for another
pass."
    The tracking officer attempted to find the freighter on his scopes.  But there was
nothing to find.
    "That's strange," he muttered.
    "What is it?" Needa asked, walking over to look at the tracking monitors for
himself.
    "The ship doesn't appear on any of our scopes."
    The captain was perplexed.  "It couldn't have disappeared.  Could a ship that
small have a cloaking device?"
    "No, sir," the deck officer answered.  "Maybe they went into light-speed at the
last minute."
    Captain Needa felt his anger mounting at about the same rate as his
befuddlement.  "Then why did they attack?  They could have gone into hyperspace
when they cleared the asteroid field."
    "Well, there's no trace of them, sir, no matter how they did it," the tracking
officer replied, still unable to locate the Millennium Falcon on his viewers.  "The
only logical explanation is that they went into light-speed."
    The captain was staggered.  How had that crate of a ship eluded him?
    An aide approached.  "Sir, Lord Vader demands an update on the pursuit," he
reported.  "What should he be told?"
    Needa braced himself.  Letting the Millennium Falcon get away when it was so
close was an unforgivable error, and he knew he had to face Vader and report his
failure.  He felt resigned to whatever punishment waited in store for him.
    "I am responsible for this," he said.  "Get the shuttle ready.  When we
rendezvous with Lord Vader, I will apologize to him myself.  Turn around and scan
the area one more time."
    Then, like a living behemoth, the great Avenger slowly began to turn; but there
was still no sign of the Millennium Falcon.

    The two glowing balls hovered like alien fireflies above Luke's body lying
motionless in the mud.  Standing protectively next to his fallen master, a little
barrel-shaped droid periodically extended a mechanical appendage to swat at the
dancing objects as if they were mosquitoes.  But the hovering balls of light leaped
just out of the robot's reach.
    Artoo-Detoo leaned over Luke's inert body and whistled in an effort to revive
him.  But Luke, stunned unconscious by the charges of these energy balls, did not
respond.  The robot turned to Yoda, who was sitting calmly on a tree stump, and
angrily began to beep and scold the little Jedi Master.
    Getting no sympathy from him, Artoo turned back to Luke.  His electronic
circuits told him there was no use trying to wake Luke with his little noises.  An
emergency rescue system was activated within his metal hull and Artoo extended a
small metal electrode and rested it on Luke's chest.  Uttering a quiet beep of concern,
Artoo generated a mild electrical charge, just strong enough to jolt Luke back to
consciousness. The youth's chest heaved, and he awoke with a start.
    Looking dazed, the young Jedi student shook his head clear.  He looked around
him, rubbing his shoulders to ease the ache from Yoda's seeker balls' attack.
Glimpsing the seekers still suspended over him, Luke scowled.  Then he heard Yoda
chucking merrily nearby, and turned his glare on him.
    "Concentration, heh?" Yoda laughed, his lined face creased with enjoyment.
"Concentration!"
    Luke was in no mood to return his smile.  "I though those seekers were set for
stun!" he exclaimed angrily.
    "That they are," the amused Yoda answered.
    "They're a lot stronger than I'm used to." Luke's shoulder ached painfully.
    "That would not matter were the Force flowing through you," Yoda reasoned.
"Higher you'd jump!  Faster you'd move!" he exclaimed.  "Open yourself to the
Force you must."
    The youth was beginning to feel exasperated with his arduous training, although
he had only been at it a short time.  He had felt very close to knowing the
Force—but so many times he had failed and had realized how very far away it was
from him still.  But now Yoda's goading words made him spring to his feet.  He
was tired of waiting so long for this power, weary at his lack of success, and
increasingly infuriated by Yoda's cryptic teachings.
    Luke grabbed his laser sword from the mud and quickly ignited it.
    Terrified, Artoo-Detoo scurried away to safety.
    "I'm open to it now!" Luke shouted.  "I feel it.  Come on, you little flying
blaster!"  With fire in his eyes, Luke poised his weapon and moved toward the
seekers.  Immediately they zipped away and retreated to hover over Yoda.
    "No, no," the Jedi Master scolded, shaking his hoary head.  "This will not do.
Anger is what you feel."
    "But I feel the Force!" Luke protested vehemently.
    "Anger, anger, fear, aggression!" Yoda warned.  "The dark side of the Force are
they.  Easily they flow…quick to join in a fight.  Beware, beware, beware of them.
A heavy price is paid for the power they bring."
    Luke lowered his sword and stared at Yoda in confusion.  "Price?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
    "The dark side beckons," Yoda said dramatically.  "But if once start you down
the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.  Consume you it will…as it did
Obi-wan's apprentice."
    Luke nodded.  He knew who Yoda meant.  "Lord Vader," he said.  After he
thought for a moment, Luke asked, "Is the dark side stronger?"
    "No, no.  Easier, quicker, more seductive."
    "But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" he asked, puzzled.
    "You will know," Yoda answered.  "When you are at peace…calm, passive.  A
Jedi uses the Force for knowledge.  Never for attack."
    "But tell me why—" Luke began.
    "No!  There is no why.  Nothing more will I tell you.  Clear your mind of
questions.  Quiet now be—at peace…" Yoda's voice trailed off, but his words had a
hypnotic effect on Luke.  The young student stopped protesting and began to feel
peaceful, his body and mind relaxing.
    "Yes…" Yoda murmured, "calm."
    Slowly Luke's eyes closed as he let his mind clear of distracting thoughts.
    "Passive…"
    Luke heard Yoda's soothing voice as it entered the receptive darkness of his
mind.  He willed himself to travel along with the master's words to wherever they
might lead.
    "Let yourself go…"
    When Yoda perceived that Luke was as relaxed as the young student could be at
this stage, he made the tiniest of gestures.  As he did, the two seeker balls above his
head shot toward Luke, firing stun bolts as they moved.
    In that instant Luke sprang to life and ignited his laser sword.  He leaped to his
feet and, with pure concentration, began deflecting the bolts as they spun toward him.
Fearlessly he faced the attack, and moved and dodged with extreme grace.  His leaps
into the air, as he jumped to meet the bolts, were higher than any he had achieved
before.  Luke wasted not a single motion as he concentrated only on every bolt as it
sped his way.
    Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the seeker attack was over.  The glowing
balls returned to hover on either side of their master's head.
    Artoo-Detoo, the ever-patient observer, let out an electronic sigh and shook his
metal dome-head.
    Grinning proudly, Luke looked toward Yoda.
    "Much progress do you make, young one," the Jedi Master confirmed.
"Stronger do you grow."  But the little instructor would not compliment him more
than that.
    Luke was full of pride at his marvelous achievement.  He watched Yoda,
expectantly waiting for further praise from him.  But Yoda did not move or speak.
He sat calmly—and then two more seeker balls floated up behind him and moved into
formation with the first two.
    Luke Skywalker's grin began to melt away.

    A pair of white-armored stormtroopers lifted Captain Needa's lifeless form from
the floor of Darth Vader's Imperial Star Destroyer.
    Needa had known that death was the likely consequence of his failure to capture
the Millennium Falcon.  He had known, too, that he had to report the situation to
Vader and make his formal apology.  But there was no mercy for failure among the
Imperial military.  And Vader, in disgust, had signaled for the captain's death.
    The Dark Lord turned, and Admiral Piett and two of his captains came to report
their findings.  "Lord Vader," Piett said, "our ships have completed their scan of the
area and found nothing.  The Millennium Falcon definitely went into light-speed.
It's probably somewhere on the other side of the galaxy by now."
    Vader hissed through his breath mask.  "Alert all commands," he ordered.
"Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory and disburse
the fleet to search for them.  Don't fail me again, Admiral, I've had quite enough!"
    Admiral Piett thought of the Avenger's captain, whom he had just seen carried
out of the room like a sack of grin.  And he remembered the excruciating demise of
Admiral Ozzel.  "Yes, my lord," he answered, trying to hide his fear.  "We'll find
them."
    Then the admiral turned to an aide.  "Deploy the fleet," he instructed.  As the
aide moved to carry out his orders, a shadow of worry crossed the admiral's face.
He was not at all certain that his luck would be any better than that of Ozzel or Needa.

    Lord Vader's Imperial Star Destroyer regally moved off into space.  Its
protecting fleet of smaller craft hovered nearby as the Imperial armada left the Star
Destroyer Avenger behind.
    No one on the Avenger or in Vader's entire fleet had any idea how near they were
to their prey.  As the Avenger glided off into space to continue its search, it carried
with it, clinging unnoticed to one side of the huge bridge tower, a saucer-shaped
freighter ship—the Millennium Falcon.
    Inside the Falcon's cockpit all was quiet.  Han Solo had stopped his ship and
shut down all systems so quickly that even the customarily talkative See-Threepio
was silent.  The stood, not moving a rivet, a look of wonder frozen on his golden
face.
    "You could have warned him before you shut him off," Princess Leia said,
looking at the droid that stood motionless like a bronzed statue.
    "Oh, so sorry!" Han said in mock concern.  "Didn't mean to offend your droid.
You think braking and shutting everything down in that amount of time is easy?"
    Leia was dubious about Han's entire strategy.  "I'm still not sure what you've
accomplished."
    He shrugged off her doubt.  She'll find out soon enough, he thought; there just
wasn't any other choice.  He turned to his copilot.  "Chewie, check the manual
release on the landing claws."
    The Wookiee barked, then pulled himself out of his chair and moved toward the
rear of the ship.
    Leia watched as Chewbacca proceeded to disengage the landing claws so that the
ship could take off without mechanical delay.
    Shaking her head incredulously, she turned to Han.  "What do you have in mind
for your next move?"
    "The fleet is finally breaking up," he answered as he pointed out a port window.
"I'm hoping they follow standard Imperial procedure and dump their garbage before
they go into light-speed."
    The princess reflected on this strategy for a moment, and then began to smile.
This crazy man might know what he was doing after all.  Impressed, she patted him
on the head.  "Not bad, hot shot, not bad.  Then what?"
 "Then," Han said, "we have to find a safe port around here.  Got any ideas?"
    "That depends.  Where are we?"
    "Here," Han said, pointing to a configuration of small light points, "near the
Anoat system."
    Slipping out of her chair, Leia moved next to him for a better look at the screen.
    "Funny," Han said after thinking for a moment, "I have the feeling I've been in
this area before.  Let me check my logs."
    "You keep logs?" Leia was more impressed by the minute.  "My, how
organized," she teased.
    "Well, sometimes," he answered as he hunted through the computer readout.
"Ah-ha, I knew it!  Lando—now this should be interesting."
    "I never heard of that system," said Leia.
    "It's not a system.  He's a man, Lando Calrissian.  A gambler, con artist,
all-around scoundrel," he paused long enough for the last word to sink in, and gave
the princess a wink, "…your kind of guy.  The Bespin system.  It's a fair distance
but reachable."
    Leia looked at one of the computer monitor screens and read the data.  "A
mining colony," she noted.
    "A Tibanna gas mine," Han added.  "Lando won it in a sabacc match, or so he
claims.  Lando and I go way back."
    "Can you trust him?" Leia asked.
    "No.  But he has no love for the Empire, that much I know."
    The Wookiee barked over the intercom.
    Quickly responding, Han flicked some switches to bring new information to the
computer screens, and then stretched to look out the cockpit window.  "I see it,
Chewie, I see it," he said.  "Prepare the manual release."  Then, turning to the
princess, Han said, "Here goes nothing, sweetheart."  He leaned back in his chair and
smiled invitingly at her.
    Leia shook her head, then grinned shyly and gave him a quick kiss.  "You do
have your moments," she reluctantly admitted.  "Not many, but you have them."
    Han was getting used to the princess's left-handed compliments, and he couldn't
say that he really minded them.  More and more he was enjoying the fact that she
shared his own sarcastic sense of humor.  And he was fairly sure that she was
enjoying it, too.
    "Let 'er go, Chewie," he shouted gleefully.

    The hatch on the underbelly of the Avenger yawned open.  And as the Imperial
galactic cruiser zoomed into hyperspace, it spewed out its own belt of artificial
asteroids—garbage and sections of irreparable machinery that scattered out into the
black void of space.  Hidden among that trail of refuse, the Millennium Falcon
tumbled undetected off the side of the larger ship, and was left far behind as the
Avenger streaked away.
    Safe at last, Han Solo thought.
    The Millennium Falcon ignited its ion engines, and raced off through the train of
drifting space junk toward another system.
    But concealed among that scattered debris was another ship.
    And as the Falcon roared off to seek the Bespin system, this other ship ignited its
own engines.  Boba Fett, the most notorious and dreaded bounty hunter in the galaxy,
turned his small, elephant's head-shaped craft, Slave1, to begin its pursuit.  For Boba
Fett had no intention of losing sight of the Millennium Falcon.  Its pilot had too high
a price on his head.  And this was one reward that the fearsome bounty hunter was
quite determined to collect.

    Luke felt that he was definitely progressing.
    He ran through the jungle—with Yoda perched on his neck—and leaped with
gazellelike grace over the profusion of foliage and tree roots growing throughout the
bog.
    Luke had at last begun to detach himself from the emotion of pride.  He felt
unburdened, and was finally open to experience fully the flow of the Force.
    When his diminutive threw a sliver bar above Luke's head, the young Jedi
student reacted instantly.  In a flash he turned to slice the bar into four shiny
segments before it fell to the ground.
    Yoda was pleased and smiled at Luke's accomplishment.  "Four this time!
The Force you feel."
    But Luke was suddenly distracted.  He sensed something dangerous, something
evil.  "Something's not right," he said to Yoda.  "I feel danger…death."
    He looked around him, trying to see what it was that emitted so powerful an aura.
As he turned he saw a huge, tangled tree, it blackened bark dry and crumbling.  The
base of the tree was surrounded by a small pond of water, where the gigantic roots had
grown to form the opening to a darkly sinister cave.
    Luke gently lifted Yoda from his neck and set him on the ground.  Transfixed,
the Jedi student stared at the dark monstrosity.  Breathing hard, he found himself
unable to speak.
    "You brought me here purposely," Luke said at last.
    Yoda sat on a tangled root and put his Gimer Stick in his mouth.  Calmly
looking at Luke, he said nothing.
    Luke shivered.  "I feel cold," he said, still gazing at the tree.
    "This tree is strong with the dark side of the Force.  A servant of evil it is.
Into it you must go."
    Luke felt a tremor of apprehension.  "What's in there?"
    "Only what you take with you," Yoda said cryptically.
    Luke looked warily at Yoda, and then at the tree.  He silently resolved to take
his courage, his willingness to learn, and step within that darkness to face whatever it
was that awaited him.  He would take nothing more than—
    No.  He would also bring his lightsaber.
    Lighting his weapon, Luke stepped through the shallow waters of the pond and
toward the dark opening between those great and foreboding roots.
    But the Jedi Master's voice stopped him.
    "Your weapon," Yoda reproved.  "You won't need it."
    Luke paused and looked again at the tree.  Go into that evil cave completely
unarmed?  As skilled as Luke was becoming, he did not feel quite equal to that test.
He gripped his saber tighter and shook his head.
    Yoda shrugged and placidly gnawed his Gimer Stick.
    Taking a deep breath, Luke cautiously stepped into the grotesque tree cave.
    The dark inside the cave was so thick that Luke could feel it against his skin, so
black that the light thrown by his laser sword was quickly absorbed and illuminated
scarcely more than a meter in front of him.  As he slowly moved forward, slimy,
dripping things brushed against his face and the moisture from the soggy cave floor
began to seep into his boots.
    As he pushed through the blackness, his eyes began to grow accustomed to the
dark.  He saw a corridor before him, but as he moved toward it, he was surprised by
a thick, sticky membrane that completely enveloped him.  Like the web of some
gigantic spider, the mass clung tightly to Luke's body.  Thrashing at it with his
lightsaber, Luke finally managed to disentangle himself and clear a path ahead.
    He held his glowing sword in front of him and noticed an object on the cave floor.
Pointing his lightsaber downward, Luke illuminated a black, shiny beetle the size of
his hand.  In an instant, the thing scurried up the slimy wall to join a cluster of its
mate.
    Luke caught his breath and stepped back.  At that moment he considered
hunting for the exit—but he braced himself and ventured still deeper into the dark
chamber.
    He felt the space about him widen as he moved forward, using his lightsaber as a
dim beacon.  He strained to see in the darkness, trying his best to hear.  But there
was no sound at all.  Nothing.
    Then, a very loud hiss.
    The sound was familiar.  He froze where he stood.  He had heard that hiss
even in his nightmares; it was the labored breath of a thing that had once been a man.
    Out of the darkness a light appeared—the blue flame of a just-ignited laser sword.
In its illumination Luke saw the looming figure of Darth Vader raised his lighted
weapon to attack, and then lunge.
    Prepared by his disciplined Jedi training, Luke was ready.  He raised his own
lightsaber and perfectly sidestepped Vader's attack.  In the same movement, Luke
turned to Vader and, with his mind and body completely focused, the youth
summoned the Force.  Feeling its power within him, Luke raised his laser weapon
and brought it crashing down on Vader's head.
    With one powerful stroke, the Dark Lord's head was severed from his body.
Head and helmet crashed to the ground and rolled about the cave floor with a loud
metallic bang.  As Luke watched in astonishment, Vader's body was completely
swallowed up by the darkness.  Then Luke looked down at the helmet that had come
to rest directly in front of him.  For a moment it was completely still.  Then the
helmet cracked in half and split open.
    As Luke watched in shocked disbelief, the broken helmet fell aside to reveal, not
the unknown, imagined face of Darth Vader, but Luke's own face, looking up at him.
    He gasped, horrified at the sight.  And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the
decapitated head faded away as if in a ghostly vision.
    Luke stared at the dark space where the head and pieces of helmet had lain.  His
mind reeled, the emotions that raged inside of him were almost too much to bear.
    The tree!  He told himself.  It was all some trick of this ugly cave, some
charade of Yoda's, arranged because he had come into the tree carrying a weapon.
    He wondered if he were really fighting himself, or if he had fallen prey to the
temptations of the dark side of the Force.  He might himself become a figure as evil
as Darth Vader.  And he wondered if there might be some even darker meaning
behind the unsettling vision.
    It was a long while before Luke Skywalker was able to move from that deep,
dark cave.
    Meanwhile, sitting on the root, the little Jedi Master calmly gnawed his Gimer
Stick.