The Jon Solo Chronicles Book 3: Return of the Jedi

Chapter 15: Speeder Bike Chase

I have a bad feeling about this! I've made a terrible mistake! What am I doing here?! We're all gonna die!

These were just some of the thoughts rushing through Jon Solo's mind as he sat on the back of the speeder bike. His heart was pounding in his chest. He found it hard to breathe. And sweat poured down his face. Occasionally, he'd cough and sputter as insects and other debris flew into his mouth.

"Why are you here, Jon?!" Luke asked over the roar of the speeder bike's engine.

"WHAT?!" Leia exclaimed from the front. "Oh, Han will kill us!"

Yeah, if we don't die in this chase first, Mom! thought Jon.

"It doesn't matter why I'm here!" Jon answered out loud. He hoped this explanation would hide how he, himself, didn't even know why he'd chosen to come with his mother and Luke. "But I'm sticking close to you guys, just like Dad said I should. And this isn't even the craziest thing the three of us have ever done together. Remember how we swung over that chasm in the first Death Star?"

"I see two speeder bikes ahead of us!" said Leia. Jon craned his neck to see that she was right. Their bike was catching up to the others.

"Quick! Jam their comlink! Luke ordered Leia. "Center switch!" She flicked the switch her brother had indicated.

"That should keep them from calling for backup, right?" asked Jon.

"Yes," replied Luke. The two speeders in front jumped over a fallen tree, while Leia took the one she, Luke and Jon were riding underneath the log.

"I never realized that you were such an awesome pilot, Mom!" Jon said in awe. "Wait until Dad hears about this!"

"Thank you, son!" Leia called behind her. "What, did you think my life as a princess was full of lessons in etiquette, knitting, languages and diplomacy? Well, yes, those things were true. But in addition, my father allowed me to take piloting lessons. And all these years later, they're still paying off."

The father Leia mentioned was Bail Organa. He'd adopted her shortly after she was born, while Luke was taken to his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tattooine. Little did Leia know that piloting expertise-like the Force-ran through her biological bloodline.

"Move closer!" Luke shouted in Leia's ear. She did as her brother told her, again catching up with the other bike. "Get alongside that one!" Leia moved her speeder to be neck-and-neck with the other one. And that's when the Scout Trooper  began ramming his speeder against Jon's, Luke's and Leia's.

"OH!" Leia cried out nervously. Jon gritted his teeth so hard, that he was afraid his jaw would crack. Luke jumped over to the other bike, beginning a struggle with the Scout Trooper, finally pushing him off so he crashed into a tree. One trooper was down, but there was still another one. Then two more Scout Troopers joined the chase on their own speeder bikes. It wasn't long before they caught up to Jon, Luke and Leia. One of them shot at Luke's bike.