Girls Page 2

  Rieekan looked from her to Luke. She could tell Luke was thinking the same thing she was: for Chewie to be so late, something had to be wrong.

  “I’ll go find him,” Leia announced.

  “I’ll come with you,” Luke said.

  “No, stay here in case Chewie shows up. I’ll take Artoo with me.” Both Luke and the general seemed hesitant. “We’ll be fine,” she assured them. “Artoo and I can take care of ourselves.”

  Leia strode quickly down the icy corridor. You had to move fast on Hoth—otherwise you’d turn into an icicle.

  She had to find Chewie. Leia held her lantern high. The light illuminated the tunnel of packed snow and ice with pipes and wires strung on both sides. The upstairs corridors were bustling with personnel, but not many people went down to that remote area, still being built.

  Leia looked at R2-D2, blinking by her side. The droid was always ready for action and had whistled happily when she’d asked him to help her find Chewbacca.

  “I hope Chewie’s okay,” she said, with a hint of worry in her voice.

  The Wookiee was very strong and a great pilot, and plenty of other things that were helpful to the Rebellion, but most important, he was a loyal friend, and Leia couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to him.

  R2-D2 beeped optimistically in response, and Leia smiled.

  Leia looked around. All she could see were some metal door parts, thrown all over the floor as if someone had abandoned installing them, and a driller the crews must have left down there. A little snake of anxiety began wriggling in Leia’s stomach.

  Her boots scraped softly on the ice as she and R2-D2 crept to the end of the corridor. Leia had no idea what was at the end of the hallway.

  The floor sloped gradually downward into complete darkness. Leia paused and raised her lantern high. The yellow light did little to penetrate the murk.

  “Chewie!” she called.

  Her voice echoed back at her, Chewie-ewie-ewie…Her ears strained for a returning roar from the Wookiee. But there was only the eerie darkness, the heavy silence.

  R2-D2 rolled up, and Leia rested her hand on his smooth dome. A gentle warmth came from his motor and his bright blinking lights.

  “Chewbacca!” she shouted again.

  This time, Leia heard a faint roar from the depths of the corridor. It was coming from beyond the slope. Leia’s heart leapt. Chewie wasn’t lost! He was down there—somewhere. But there must be a reason he wasn’t coming up to them—and she was going to find out what it was.

  “That sure sounds like Chewie. Come on, Artoo!”

  R2-D2 whirred behind her as she led the way down the slick slope. The lantern burned steadily, lighting the way a few meters in front of them. The slope flattened out. Leia could tell they were in some kind of a cavern—one she hadn’t even known existed. Chewie must have discovered the cavern while he was digging the corridor. How big it was, she couldn’t tell, even as she swung the lantern left and right. It must have been where Chewie howled from, but she couldn’t see him.

  The little astromech droid beeped at her.

  “We’re going to find him, don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Leia stepped forward. “Chewie? Are you here?”

  Suddenly, her swinging light caught the Wookiee, crouched in a corner.

  “Chewie! Is that you? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Chewie growled very softly. His face was twisted with tension and he didn’t rise from his crouch.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  Leia knelt beside him. He was squatting next to a large pile of snow.

  “Come on out, Chewie, everything’s all right! It’s so cold down here. Let’s go back—I brought a lantern, see?”

  Chewie shook his head violently, strands of fur catching the light. He gestured toward the snow mound. Leia looked at it more closely.

  It was breathing.

  Leia realized that what she thought was a pile of snow was actually a wampa—one of the fur-covered snow beasts that lived on Hoth.

  Leia’s pulse thudded in her ears. She hadn’t brought her blaster. She hadn’t brought anything besides a droid and a lantern. Okay, so no weapons. They weren’t going to be able to fight the creature. Not even Chewie, a big strong Wookiee, could fight a wampa. So the most important thing would be to sneak away without waking it.

  “Okay, Chewie,” she whispered. “Very slowly, let’s go—”

  The wampa stirred and, reaching out with its long-clawed paws, pulled Chewie against it like a stuffed toy. Next to the giant wampa, Chewie looked very small. Eyes still closed, the wampa nuzzled the Wookiee happily. Chewie’s blue eyes stared out from the mix of white and brown fur like two huge marbles. He let out a low, worried moan.

  R2-D2 beeped softly.

  “It does look dangerous, Artoo,” Leia whispered back. “But Chewie’s coming with us. I’m just trying to think of how to rescue him.”

  Suddenly, a loud crackle broke the quiet. Leia’s comlink blinked on and C-3PO’s voice filled the cavern.

  “Princess? Princess Leia? Are you there? Master Luke is wondering if you’ve found Chewbacca.”

  Leia grabbed her comlink from her belt. “Threepio,” she whispered. “SHHH!”

  “I’m so sorry. You’re breaking up,” Threepio crackled. “There appears to be a lot of static—”

  Frantically, Leia thumbed the off button, but it was too late. The beast began to stir, like a mound of shifting snow. Chewie scrambled away as it swiped at him. For an instant, Leia stared up into gaping jaws below a slimy snout. The wampa reared up to its full height and lifted its head. It let out a full-throated roar that boomed around the cavern.

  “Go, go!” Leia pushed R2-D2 in front of her toward the exit as Chewie whirled around and sped after them.

  The wampa roared again. Its shadow loomed dark on the white wall. Its mouth opened wide and saliva dripped from its yellow fangs. It ran toward them with frightening speed.

  “It’s gaining on us!” Leia shouted, panting up the ice-covered slope. “Get going!”

  R2-D2 buzzed up the slope slowly. He was having trouble moving on the slick surface. Chewie dug his long black claws into the ground and pushed the droid.

  Leia tried to grip with her feet, but her boots weren’t much help on the ice. The slope was like a slide—sending them right back toward the wampa. She shot a glance over her shoulder. The wampa ran easily toward them, its long claws digging into the ice like it was climbing a ladder. Its big black eyes were fixed on them. The rank odor of its fur filled the air.

  “We can’t let it get into the base!” Leia shouted.

  Her voice shook. Her heart pounded so hard in her ears she could barely hear her own words.

  “Chewie, run ahead and seal that passageway! I’ll distract it!”

  Chewie roared in response and picked up R2-D2. Carrying the droid like a package, he sprinted up the slope toward the hallway.

  Leia spun around, her breath whistling in her ears. She had to keep the wampa near her, without letting it get too near. It didn’t seem very smart. Maybe she could distract it. Perhaps it liked heat and light. And she had heat and light—the lantern.

  “Here, boy!” she called softly. She swung the lantern gently.

  The wampa slowed at the sound of her voice and stood several meters away, facing her. It roared and Leia almost lost her nerve. She gritted her teeth. She had to give Chewie and R2-D2 at least a few moments to get the door built to seal the passageway. They’d have it done in no time…she hoped!

  The wampa’s head swung as it followed the lantern. It made a snuffling noise that Leia hoped meant it was happy. It padded toward her. The odor of its fur and breath grew stronger—rank and thick. Its tongue hung to one side, dripping thick blobs of saliva onto the ice, where they froze immediately. Leia kept her eyes fixed on the beast’s face, willing it to come forward. “Come on, boy,” she whispered.

  “Easy. Easy.”

  Chewie and R2-D2 worked frantica
lly to install the door so they could keep the wampa from entering the base. Chewie turned the drill up to top speed and roared at R2-D2, who was quickly screwing in bolt after bolt. R2-D2’s whirrs rose to a high-pitched whine. He snatched up another bolt and screwed it into the hole so fast it looked like a blur of gray metal. A little curl of smoke rose from each bolt hole.

  Chewie threw down the drill and raised the side of the door frame, struggling with the awkward slab of metal. R2-D2 spun around and shot bolts into the slab, one after the other.

  Chewie leapt up and grabbed the welding torch. Almost done.

  Leia’s eyes felt pasted open. Sweat trickled down the side of her neck and into her uniform. The wampa seemed hypnotized by the gently swaying lantern. That was good. But just how long would the trance last? That was the question.

  “Come on,” she muttered.

  In her head, Leia willed Chewie and R2-D2 to finish their job faster. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold off the creature.

  The wampa suddenly shook its head and roared. The sound blasted Leia’s ears.

  And there’s my answer.

  The wampa had grown tired of the swaying light, apparently. Now it wanted more interesting fare—like a rebel princess. Leia flattened herself against the side of the tunnel. The wampa charged.

  Leia sprang out in front of the beast, holding the lantern high. She’d only have one chance. When she was sure the wampa was focused on the lantern, she flung it away, back down the slope toward the cavern.

  The wampa skidded to a halt, following the arc of the tiny light as it bounced down the icy slope. Leia stood frozen. Then, with a roar, the wampa turned and ran after the lantern.

  No sense in waiting around!

  Leia ran back up the slope toward Chewie and R2-D2. In about five seconds, the wampa would discover the lantern wasn’t a tasty dinner—that in fact, something that would make a tasty dinner was running away—and it would be back.

  She grabbed her comlink from her belt and flicked it on as she ran.

  “Chewie! How’s that door coming?”

  She heard Chewie roaring and R2-D2 beeping through the comm.

  “I’m almost there!” Leia shouted. “Stop arguing and finish!”

  She snapped the comlink back onto her belt just as an angry bellow came from behind her.

  “And…he’s coming for his dinner,” Leia muttered to herself.

  The wampa roared again. Closer this time. Leia picked up the pace and threw a glance back. It was closer than ever, running along the icy floor at an amazing speed.

  She could see the door ahead. It was open, but Chewie stood in front of it, trying to weld something on with a torch. R2-D2 was drilling at the bottom.

  “Here we come!” Leia shouted to them.

  The wampa was only a meter or so behind her now. Leia could smell the musk of its fur. Her throat ached and her lungs screamed for rest.

  The door was just ahead. The wampa swiped at her back, narrowly missing. Leia flung herself forward right as Chewie leapt to the side. She dove through the opening.

  “Now, Chewie!”

  Chewie hit the activation button. The door hissed closed. The wampa slammed against the other side. For a moment, Leia, Chewie, and R2-D2 stood there, listening to the wampa throwing itself against the door in rage.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  A dent appeared in the metal. Leia held her breath as Chewie squeezed her hand. Then, slowly, the bangs grew weaker. The wampa was getting tired. At last there was silence. Leia held her finger up to the other two and tiptoed to the door. She laid her ear against the metal just in time to hear the scritch-scritch of the wampa’s claws on the ice as it padded away down the tunnel.

  Roaring joyfully, Chewie flung his arms around Leia and picked her up in a Wookiee hug. Leia hugged him back.

  “You’re welcome, Chewie. But I should say thank you to you, too. And Artoo. Without your fancy tool work, I’d be that wampa’s dinner for sure.”

  Chewie set Leia down, and R2-D2 beeped happily. The three friends left the dark tunnel behind and headed back to their busy life on Echo Base.

  A Message from Maz:

  We’ve been telling tales a long time tonight, haven’t we? My throat is a bit dry. But see? I have some broth, here, in this pot. And two bowls—one for you and one for me. Hot. And savory, too! It warms the soul. Ah, the flurrgs are coming to us now. Look at this one. He’s brought his family, too.

  What is that flurrg saying? Hungry, are you, my friend? Soup? This is what you want? Well, here. I can’t eat while you go hungry. Open your mouth. I’ll pour it in. And some for your family, too—here, all of you.

  But back to our stories. At this point you may be asking, “What makes a hero?” The answer may not be as complicated as you think.

  At midday in the Garel City marketplace, vendors wrapped in robes shouted their wares, selling fruit and sausages, pans, navigators and comlinks, tools, and lengths of cloth.

  Artisans crouched over low tables, whacking at metal rings or feeding fabric through sewing machines. Politicians in long garments walked and talked together, rough-looking smugglers eyed everyone suspiciously, and groups of stormtroopers in shiny white armor stood at every corner, blasters resting on their forearms. Children ran, shouting and weaving through people’s legs, while shoppers of different species fingered cloth and squeezed produce, arguing with the vendors.

  Jyn Erso wandered through the section of fruit vendors. She kept her body relaxed through long practice, but her eyes darted around her. Her jaw was clenched, and her hands tucked into her pockets were balled into fists.

  She had to keep on the lookout. If the stormtroopers caught her, they’d surely lock her up. She had gotten into too much trouble with the Empire.

  Feeling a fruit at one vendor’s stall, Jyn gritted her teeth against the sick feeling that always rose when she thought of the past few years.

  Everyone she’d ever loved or trusted was gone—her father, her mother. Saw Gerrera, the rebel who had taken her in, had abandoned her long before.

  She’d been doing her best ever since to survive on her own and keep from starving. Sometimes she had to do things she wasn’t proud of.

  Like now.

  Her contact had promised her the man she was meeting would pay a lot of credits for what Jyn had. And he’d better. She’d spent weeks forging valuable documents for him. Forgery was one of the skills she’d had to develop to survive. If the man gave her enough credits, she could disappear again for a while. Jyn looked around. Where was he? By the meiloorun fruit stall, that’s what she’d told him.

  What if it’s a setup? she thought suddenly, and her stomach plunged.

  She felt sweat break out on her forehead. Someone might have offered him a better price to inform on her. Jyn resisted the impulse to flee.

  “There you are,” someone with a gruff voice said in her ear, and Jyn jumped, bumping the man who had appeared at her side.

  He was draped in black robes, with a fold of the cloth over his head. She couldn’t see his face. She didn’t like it when she couldn’t see people’s faces.

  “You got the credits?” she said. “I have to get out of here.”

  “What’s the hurry?” The grating voice seemed to come from a long way under the robes.

  The sick feeling in Jyn’s stomach got worse.

  “I have the documents, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  Jyn glanced around again. No one seemed to be listening. The fruit vendor was filling a woman’s basket with fat orange meilooruns. Jyn pulled out the datacube that contained the documents. She held it up, then pulled it back fast when the man’s hand shot out.

  “Hang on, friend. The credits first.”

  “The datacube first, friend,” the man said. “Or I’m out of here and you’re left with nothing.”

  Jyn thought about it, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She shook her head.

  “All right, quick.”

&nb
sp; She slapped the datacube into his cloth-wrapped hand.

  “Now the credits.”

  She hoped he wouldn’t try to cheat her. She didn’t want to get into a fight. What good would it do anyway, in a crowded place like that?

  The man put his hand into his robes and pulled out a bundle of credits wrapped in burlap.

  “They’re all there. Ten thousand. Just like we agreed.”

  Jyn exhaled slowly as she took the packet. The man nodded at her and melted back into the crowd as quietly as he had come. Jyn unfolded the bundle and counted the credits. Ten thousand. Her knees were shaky with relief. She was fine now, she told herself. Everything was fine. She folded the burlap again carefully and tucked the bundle beneath her shirt.

  Her heart lighter than it had been for a long time, Jyn dug a stray credit out of her pocket.

  “This one,” Jyn told the elderly fruit vendor, plucking a soft orange meiloorun from the pile.

  He nodded at her, and she tossed the fruit into the air a few times before catching it and taking a juicy, dripping bite.

  “There she is!”

  A deep filtered voice came from behind her, and Jyn turned. A group of four stormtroopers was clustered around a little girl who had backed into a pile of teakettles. The little girl wore a torn dress, her face grubby with dirt, her hair tangled and uncared for. She clutched a took a cat in her arms.

  “Please! Leave me alone!” she cried, cowering against the pile of kettles, holding the tooka cat to her chest.

  A crowd gathered to watch. The stormtroopers loomed over the girl, their white-and-black armor blinding in the sunlight.

  “You are in violation of code three-one-zero. Hand over the animal,” one of them said, his filtered voice loud even amid the din of the market.

  Jyn squeezed the fruit she held. Of course they’d go after a little girl with a pet. They didn’t have anything better to do. And they preferred to prey on the weak. She’d seen it many times. Bile rose in her throat and almost choked her as she watched the stormtroopers loom over the girl.