173A lone guard stands in a tower high above the Yavin landscape, surveying the countryside. A mist hangs over the jungle of twisted green.
INT. MASSASSI - WAR ROOM BRIEFING AREA
Dodonna stands before a large electronic wall display. Leia and several other senators are to one side of the giant readout. The low-ceilinged room is filled with starpilots, navigators, and a sprinkling of R2-type robots. Everyone is listening intently to what Dodonna is saying. Han and Chewbacca are standing near the back.
DODONNA The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet. It's defenses are designed around a direct large- scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense.
"Won't the Imperial TIE Fighters outnumber the rebels?" asked Ahsoka.
"They're going to have to destroy it fast" said Anakin.
"I don't like these odds" complaind Obi Wan.
"No one does," said Padmé "but they have much of a choice"
Gold Leader, a rough looking man in his early thirties, stands and addresses Dodonna.
GOLD LEADER Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?
DODONNA Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station.
Artoo-Detoo stands next to a similar robot, makes beeping sounds, and turns his head from right to left.
DODONNA The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.
Silently, in the back of the room, Palpatine began to smile. Perhaps his Death Star wouldn't be destroyed after all.
A murmer of disbelief runs through the room.
DODONNA Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray- shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes.
Luke is sitting next to Wedge Antilles, a hotshot pilot about sixteen years old.
WEDGE That's impossible, even for a computer.
"Possible, with the help of the Force, it is" said Yoda.
LUKE It's not impossible. I used to bull's- eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters.
"Do you think he used the Force to do that without knowing it?" asked Padmé.
"Perhaps," said Obi Wan. "It seems very likely"
DODONNA Man your ships! And may the Force be with you!
The group rises and begins to leave.
EXT. SPACE
The Death Star begins to move around the planet toward the tiny green moon.
INT. DEATH STAR
Tarkin and Vader watch the computer projected screen with interest, as a circle of lights intertwines around one another on the screen showing it's position in relation to Yavin and the forth moon.
DEATH STAR INTERCOM VOICE Orbiting the planet at maximum velocity. The moon with the Rebel base will be in range in thirty minutes.
VADER This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi and it will soon see the end of the Rebellion.
"Oh no" breathed Padmé.
"Let's hope this isn't happening at the same time as the last scene" said Anakin. "If they can get there fast enough, they can destroy the Death Star before it fires"
INT. MASSASSI OUTPOST - MAIN HANGAR DECK
Luke, Threepio and little Artoo enter the huge spaceship hangar and hurry along a long line of gleaming spacefighters. Flight crews rush around loading last-minute armaments and unlocking power couplings. In an area isolated from this activity Luke finds Han and Chewbacca loading small boxes onto an armored speeder.
MAN'S VOICE (over loudspeaker) All flight trooper, man your stations. All flight troops, man your stations.
Han is deliberately ignoring the activity of the fighter pilots' preparation. Luke is quite saddened at the sight of his friend's departure.
"He's leaving?" said Padmé in disbelief. Anakin made what sounded like a huff of annoyance and Ahsoka rolled her eyes.
LUKE So... you got your reward and you're just leaving then?
"All they really expected him to do was give them transport than Alderaan. Luke shouldn't be upset that he won't do more than his end of the deal" said Mace.
"They've just been on a big adventure together. Luke was starting to think of him as a friend" said Anakin.
"Jedi shouldn't grow attached to their friends," said Mace. "Especially smugglers"
Anakin said nothing but turned back to the screen exasperated.
HAN That's right, yeah! I got some old debts I've got to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you? Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. I could use you.
LUKE (getting angry) Come on! Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them.
HAN What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like suicide.
"We do know that Han survives to be in more movies" said Ahsoka. But not anyone else, she left out, but it was implied. No one liked the dark implications of that.
LUKE All right. Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?
Luke goes off and Han hesitates, then calls to him.
HAN Hey, Luke... may the Force be with you!
"At least he said that" mumbled Padmé.
Luke turns and sees Han wink at him. Luke lifts his hand in a small wave and then goes off.
Han turns to Chewie who growls at his captain,
HAN What're you lookin' at? I know what I'm doing.