Story Challenge #23: 14th May 2004
Take five minutes, and write a list. It can be practical or silly or romantic or even meta. Han's shopping list; Chewbacca's list of evidence that Luke and Han are sleeping together; Luke's list of things he likes about Han; even your own list of things you like/don't like/want to see.... [Well, the list itself took me five minutes. The story around it demanded a bit more time.]

Cons
A SW ficlet by Morgan D.

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"Red Leader, we're right above you. Turn to point oh five. We'll cover for you."

Wasn't it weird? The kid almost sounded like he knew what he was doing.

"Stay there," another voice replied, probably Red Leader's. "I've just lost my starboard engine. Get set up for your attack run."

Six seconds more and that same voice was screaming in terror, all calm and composure gone when death became inevitable. A burst of static, then silence.

For the fifth time, Han Solo reached the comm to shut it off. For the fifth time, Chewbacca roared crankily into his face.

"Alright! Alright! Suit yourself," Han huffed, leaning back in the pilot seat and raising his arms defensively. "Be a morbid beast and listen as they die, one by one. I hope you'll remember it all next time you try to get us involved with suspicious folks wanting to 'avoid Imperial entanglements'."

The co-ordinates were set. They were out of Yavin IV's gravitational field. It would take them at least twenty-two days to reach Tatooine, Jabba would have banthas if they didn't return to pay that bloody debt soon, and Chewie wanted to stay around "just a while longer" and follow the battle through the comm.

Great. Marvellous. Exactly what they needed.

Resigned to acquiesce to this one more whim of the eccentric Wookiee — as if he had any choice! —, Han crossed his arms over his chest and started listing the reasons why he should pull the hyperdrive lever now and not one moment later.

One: Life is beautiful.

Two: You have to be alive to fully appreciate how beautiful life is.

Three: Life is even more beautiful when you have money to live it well, like I do now.

Four: Money is pretty useless if you're not alive to spend it.

Five: I won't have much of a life left if I don't use the best part of this money to pay Jabba as soon as possible.

Six: I'll have even less of a life left if I decide to run into the target screen of that Death Star.

Seven: I already had the opportunity to take a close look at that space station, and I'm not all that eager to get a second one.

Eight: I had the opportunity to see what was left of Alderaan after a cordial visit of said space station.

Nine: The Falcon is much smaller than Alderaan. Her debris would likely be proportionally smaller. We're talking about dust here.

Ten: That particular piece of debris from Alderaan, also known as Her Royal Shortness Princess Leia and Her Royally Painful Attitude. She's not a Wookiee, thank goodness. Rescuing her didn't make me responsible for her. Damn woman, she didn't even bother to thank me for the trouble. She deserves whatever she gets. I am so not worried. It's like she said, I don't care.

Luke Skywalker's voice cut into his thoughts. "Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in. We're goin' in full throttle. That oughta keep those fighters off our back."

"Right with ya, Boss."

Eleven: That blasted kid. The one who does care. Now you see where caring takes ya.

"Luke, at that speed, will you be able to pull out in time?"

Twelve: The battle is over already. There's nothing I can do. How many of them are left anyway? Not enough, if they've got the rookie of all rookies to lead this attack run.

"It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home."

Thirteen: The cockiest, craziest of all rookies. This is like nothing you could possibly have seen back home, kid.

"My computer shows the tower, but I can't see the exhaust port. Are you sure the computer can hit it?"

Fourteen: The computer will not hit it. Ever. Not in a million years. Not with the fighters at full throttle. I told ya, kid. This is suicide. You should've listened to me. Why couldn't you have listened to me? You'd be here, safe, with us. With me.

"Watch yourselves," Luke advised. "Increase your speed full throttle."

"What about that tower?!" someone had the sense to ask.

"You worry about those fighters. I'll worry about the tower."

Fifteen: It wouldn't have mattered. He'd never listen to you. He'll never choose safety when he can go blasting his way into trouble in the name of chivalry, justice, altruism, nobility and all those stupid values that get you nothing but a messy death.

"Artoo, that... that stabiliser's broken loose again. See if you can't lock it down."

Sixteen: I gotta get my stabilisers locked down. Just an overbearing princess. Just a dumb kid. I have a life. I have everything I need.

"I'm hit! I can't stay with you."

"Get clear, Wedge. You can't do any more good back there."

"Sorry."

Only one fighter left between Luke and the TIE fighters. Between a universe with Luke and one without him.

So this is what they call making a decision against your best judgement... "Take the ship around, Chewie. We have a farm boy's ass to save."

The Millennium Falcon was soaring back towards the Death Star even before Han had finished the last sentence.

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