The planet Sullust was a volcanic world in the Outer Rim Territories. It had a highly toxic atmosphere, but beneath its rocky surface lived millions of humanoid Sullustans. They had jowled faces with wide, black-orbed eyes and large ears, and their technologically advanced subterranean cities were highly regarded for their beauty. Sullust was also home to SoroSuub, a prominent corporation that manufactured starships, weapons, and droids. Because an influential SoroSuub executive remained grateful to the Alliance for rescuing him from Imperial captivity, the Rebel fleet had been allowed to rendezvous in the Sullust system.

The vast Rebel fleet included several small Corellian battleships, many single-pilot starfighters, a few Gallofree Yards Medium transports, and a Nebulon-B frigate that had been converted for medical duty. The blimp-shaped Mon Calamari Star Cruisers were the largest and most unusual-looking ships, their fluid exteriors covered by bulging protuberances that gave the vessels an organic quality, as if they’d been grown, not built.

One of the Mon Cal cruisers, the 1,200-meter-long Home One, had been originally designed as a peaceful exploration ship; refitted with recessed weapons batteries and shield generators, it was now the personal flagship for Admiral Ackbar. Like other Mon Calamari, Ackbar was an amphibian with salmon-colored skin, large, bulbous yellow-orange eyes, and webbed hands and feet.

Ackbar stood with his Mon Calamari officers in a holographic ampitheater that had been transformed into a briefing room. Staggered rows of white plastoid seats encircled a central console unit that resembled a wheel lying on the floor; the console housed a retracted holographic projector. Ackbar watched the military leaders and a few dozen pilots file into the ampitheater and take their seats.

Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO were present, as was the X-wing pilot Wedge Antilles. Among the other pilots were several aliens, including a Sullustan named Nien Nunb. Thanks to Chewbacca, C-3PO’s right eye was repaired and the golden droid could again see clearly; he thought Leia looked splendid in her Alliance-issue uniform.

As Chewbacca took a seat, Han spotted Lando, who was wearing a floor-length dress cape with an impeccably tailored Alliance uniform. Glancing at the rank plaque on Lando’s tunic, Han said, “Well, look at you, a general, huh?”

Lando grinned. “Someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the Battle of Taanab.”

Han knew all about Lando’s skirmish with the notorious Norulac space pirates in the Taanab system. Han said sarcastically, “Well, don’t look at me, pal. I just said you were a fair pilot. I didn’t know they were lookin’ for somebody to lead this crazy attack.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t ask you to do it.”

“Well, who says they didn’t?” Han asked. “But I ain’t crazy. You’re the respectable one, remember?” Han took a seat beside Chewbacca. Lando smiled broadly.

As Leia sat down beside Han, a human woman in a white gown entered the room. She had auburn hair and pale blue-green eyes, and wore a gold medallion around her neck. As a young Senator from the planet Chandrila, she had been one of the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. She was now the leader of the Rebellion. Her name was Mon Mothma.

An electronic chime sounded, signaling the audience for their attention. The room fell silent as Mon Mothma stepped beside the ampitheater’s central console unit. “The Emperor has made a critical error,” she announced, “and the time for our attack has come.”

The ampitheater’s lights dimmed and Mon Mothma looked to the middle of the console unit, where a holographic projector extended up. Above the projector, a light-generated three-dimensional image of a rotating green world appeared; the green hologram was orbited by a second hologram, a relatively smaller sphere that was an incomplete structure, colored red for visual clarity. From either personal experience or familiarity with the Battle at Yavin, everyone in the room recognized the smaller hologram as an unfinished Imperial Death Star.

“The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor’s new battle station,” Mon Mothma said. “We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we’ve learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star.” Mon Mothma swallowed hard. “Many Bothans died to bring us this information. Admiral Ackbar, please.”

Admiral Ackbar stepped up beside the central console and gestured to the holograms. “You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest moon of Endor,” Ackbar said in his gravelly voice. “Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest moon of Endor.”

From the “surface” of the green moon’s hologram, a yellow stream of light—representing the energy shield—appeared to project and wrap around the Death Star. Ackbar continued, “The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted.”

Every pilot in the room knew Ackbar’s statement as a given fact. Planetary shields were so powerful that any starship unlucky enough to careen into one were either severely damaged or instantly vaporized.

The hologram of the forest moon and energy shield vanished, and the Death Star’s hologram rapidly magnified to fill the space above the central console. The enlarged image was a three-dimensional cross-section that displayed an internal route to the center of the incomplete space station. Ackbar said, “Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor. General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack.”

Surprised, Han turned to Lando with renewed respect and wished him luck. Then added, “You’re gonna need it.”

Admiral Ackbar stepped back and said, “General Madine.”

A brown-bearded, middle-aged human, General Crix Madine had been a highly decorated Imperial officer before he’d defected to the Alliance. Madine stepped forward and announced, “We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator.”

Hearing this, the assembled group exchanged nervous glances and mumbled among themselves. C-3PO said, “Sounds dangerous.”

Leia leaned closer to Han and said, “I wonder who they found to pull that off.”

Scanning the ampitheater, Madine located Han’s seated figure and said, “General Solo, is your strike team assembled?”

Leia, startled, turned to look at Han. Then her surprise changed to admiration.

“Uh, my team’s ready,” Han said, squirming under the attention that was suddenly given to him. “I don’t have a command crew for the shuttle.”

Beside Han, Chewbacca raised his hairy paw and barked, volunteering.

“Well, it’s gonna be rough, pal,” Han said. “I didn’t want to speak for you.”

Chewbacca growled cheerfully, conveying to everyone that the choice was his.

Han smiled. “That’s one.”

“Uh, General,” Leia said, “count me in.”

“I’m with you, too!” Luke volunteered as he entered the room from the rear. He’d just arrived from Dagobah with R2-D2, who wobbled over to talk with C-3PO. Making his way down to the ampitheater’s floor, Luke arrived before Leia, who embraced him warmly. Then, sensing a change in him, she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

“What is it?” she asked.

Luke thought, I still can’t believe she’s my sister. But he couldn’t tell her now. He hesitated, then said, “Ask me again sometime.”

Han, Chewbacca, and Lando crowded around Luke as the assembly broke up.

“Luke,” Han said, extending his hand.

Luke took it. “Hi, Han…Chewie.” It feels so good to be among friends again.

R2-D2 beeped a singsong observation to C-3PO.

C-3PO shuddered and replied, “‘Exciting’ is hardly the word I would choose.”

An Imperial shuttle, the Tydirium was twenty meters long and had a trihedral foil design: The tall dorsal stabilizer remained stationary but the two lower wings extended during flight and folded upward for landing. Before it had been transported to the Sullust System, the Tydirium had been captured by the Alliance with the help of “Ace” Azzameen at an orbital outpost at Zhar. Now, looking very out of place, the Imperial shuttle rested beside the Millennium Falcon and several single-pilot starfighters in the main docking bay of Admiral Ackbar’s Mon Cal cruiser.

Han and Lando stood between the Falcon and the Tydirium. As the Rebel strike team loaded weapons and supplies onto the shuttle, Han gestured to the Falcon and said, “Look: I want you to take her. I mean it. Take her. You need all the help you can get. She’s the fastest ship in the fleet.”

“All right, old buddy,” Lando said. “You know, I know what she means to you. I’ll take good care of her. She—she won’t get a scratch. All right?”

“Right,” Han said. He turned for the shuttle, then stopped and looked back to Lando. “I got your promise. Not a scratch.”

“Look, would you get going, you pirate.” Lando exchanged salutes with Han, then added, “Good luck.”

“You, too,” Han said, and headed up the shuttle’s ramp.

Inside, he saw Leia briefing the twelve SpecForces Rebel commandos seated in the shuttle’s aft area. The commandos wore combat uniforms of full forest-camouflage fatigues, and their unit leader was Major Bren Derlin. Han had worked with Derlin and his SpecForces soldiers on Hoth and knew they had what it took to get the difficult job done. Like the commandos, Leia wore a camouflage poncho.

There were three seats on each side of the Tydirium’s cockpit. C-3PO sat in the rear portside seat and R2-D2 stood close by. In front of C-3PO, Luke—also wearing a camouflage poncho—was adjusting switches on a control panel. At fore starboard, Chewbacca was in the co-pilot’s seat.

Han moved past the droids and Luke and stepped down to the pilot’s seat. Beside him, Chewbacca was having a hard time figuring out all the Imperial controls.

“You got her warmed?” Han asked Luke.

“Yeah, she’s comin’ up,” Luke replied with confidence.

Chewbacca growled a complaint about the controls.

Han answered, “I don’t think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie.” As the shuttle warmed up, Han looked out the window to the Millennium Falcon, which was just across the docking bay…but somehow seemed impossibly out of reach.

Han felt a chill run up his spine.

Leia entered the cockpit and placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and glanced at her.

“Hey,” Leia said, “are you awake?”

“Yeah,” Han said sadly, returning his gaze to the Falcon. “I just got a funny feeling. Like I’m not gonna see her again.”

Speaking softly, Leia said, “Come on, General, let’s move.”

Han snapped back to life. “Right. Chewie.”

Chewbacca roared, eager to get going. Leia took the seat behind Chewbacca.

Han said. “Let’s see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?”

“All set,” Luke said.

At the back of the cockpit, R2-D2 beeped.

C-3PO said, “Here we go again.”

The Tydirium glided out of the docking bay and into space. Moving away from the Mon Cal cruiser, the shuttle’s lower wings dropped to their extended position. Han steered the shuttle past the surrounding ships, then said, “All right, hang on.” He threw a switch, and the Tydirium launched into hyperspace, on course for the Endor system.

In orbit of Endor’s forest moon, the Death Star’s construction continued. A formation of Imperial TIE fighters patrolled the space station’s north pole, sweeping past a highly shielded tower that rose one hundred stories above the surface. The tower was topped by a control post that had been converted into a throne room and private observation chamber for Emperor Palpatine.

The Emperor’s throne was a large, contoured chair with control panels in the arms; the chair rested on an elevated platform below a tall, circular window with radiating panes. A stairway extended down from the platform to the turbolifts and observation gallery. Except for the brightly colored instrument lights that ringed a pair of duty posts near the stairway, everything was black and dark gray, cold and metallic.

Standing beside his throne, Palpatine gazed out the window and surveyed the half-completed Death Star and Endor’s moon. Behind him, members of the Imperial council watched silently as Darth Vader exited the turbolift on the other side of the chamber. Vader crossed a short bridge that extended over the tower’s vast elevator shaft, then ascended the stairs to the upper platform.

Vader had been informed that a fleet of Rebel ships had assembled in the Sullust system, and suspected the Emperor wished to do something about it. Ignoring the Imperial dignitaries, Vader arrived before the Emperor and said, “What is thy bidding, my Master?”

Turning away from the window to face Vader, the Emperor replied, “Send the fleet to the far side of Endor. There it will stay until called for.”

Vader said, “What of the reports of the Rebel fleet massing near Sullust?”

“It is of no concern,” the Emperor assured him. “Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us! Your work here is finished, my friend. Go out to the command ship and await my orders.”

Vader bowed deeply and said, “Yes, my Master.”