The Broken Pitcher

The Broken Pitcher
The Jewel Casket
The Kitchen Maid
The Lady of Shalott
Hell-flowers bloomed outside his ship as he swung it up and around in a sharpcurve. "You all right, Luke?" came Biggs's concerned query. "I got a little toasted, but I'm okay." A different, stern voice sounded. "Blue Five," warned the squadron leader,"you'd better give yourself more lead time or you're going to destroy yourself as wellas the Imperial construction." "Yes, sir. I've got the hang of it now. Like you said, it's not exactly likeflying a skyhopper." Energy bolts and sun-bright beams continued to create a chromatic maze in thespace above the station as the rebel fighters crisscrossed back and forth over itssurface, firing at whatever looked like a decent target. Two of the tiny craftconcentrated on a power terminal. It blew up, throwing lightning-sized electric arcsfrom the station's innards. Inside, troopers, mechanicals, and equipment were blown in all directions bysubsidiary explosions as the effects of the blast traveled back down various conduitsand cables. Where the explosion had hulled the station, escaping atmosphere suckedhelpless soldiers and 'droids out into a bottomless black tomb. Moving from position to position, a figure of dark calm amid the chaos, was