"What planet is it?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Closed to outside ships," Pilot muttered.

"Identify or be destroyed!" the voice thundered.

"So find another planet!" Qui-Gun suggested sharply, beginning to lose his patience.

"emergency." Pilot leaned into the comm unit. "we have an emergency on board. And Jedi! It is a Jedi emergency! Asking permission to land?"

"Permission not granted! Repeat: permission not granted!"

Qui-Gon peered through the viewscreen. "Were are we, Pilot? We must be close to Gala. This should be a populated system. There has to be somewhere else to land!"

"Not so!" Pilot cried as he maneuvered the ship with a lurch to the right.

Not so? Obi-Wan heard the expression with a start. His friend Guerra had used it so many times!

"Why not?" Qui-Gon demanded.

Suddenly two starfighters appeared and split off with each other in order to flank them. Laser cannons began to fire.

"Because we are under attack!" Pilot screamed.

Chapter 3

Pilot began to take evasive action as the starfighters screamed toward them. Obi-Wan was thrown against the console.

"I think I can lose them!" Pilot shouted as the ship was attacked by laser fire.

"Stop!" Qui-Gon roared. He threw himself forward and wrenched the control from Pilot's grasp. "Are you a fool? This transport can't outmaneuver two starfighters!"

"I'm a good pilot!" Pilot said wildly. "And can't you use that Force of yours?"

Qui-Gon gave him a sharp look, then shook his head. "We can't work a miracle," he said firmly. "The starfighters are escorting us down. If you don't follow them, they'll blast us right out of space."