The rest of the assembled soldiers were dismissed by the officer. On board the freighter, a last long figure left off examining the space beneath the cockpit consoles and ran to join his comrades. He was anxious to be off this ghost ship and back in the comfortable surroundings of the barracks. His heavy footsteps echoed through the once more empty freighter.
Below, the muffled sounds of the officer giving final orders faded, leaving the interior in complete quiet. The quivering of a portion of the floor was the only movement on board.
Abruptly the quivering became a sharp, upheaval. Two metal panels popped upward, followed by a pair of tousled heads. Han Solo and Luke looked around quickly, then managed to relax a little when it became clear that the ship was as empty as it sounded.
"Lucky you’d built these compartments," Luke commented.
Solo was not as cheerily confident. "Where did you think I kept smuggled goods—in the main hold? I admit I never expected to smuggle myself in them." He started violently at a sudden sound, but it was only another of the panels shifting aside.
"This is ridiculous. It isn’t going to work. Even if I could take off and get past the closed hatch"—he jabbed a thumb upward—"we’d never get past that tractor beam." Another panel opened, revealing the face of an elderly imp. "You leave that to me." "I was afraid you’d say something like that," muttered Solo. "You’re a damn fool, old man." Kenobi grinned at him. "What does that say of the man who allows himself to be hired by a fool?" Solo muttered something under his breath as they pulled themselves clear of the compartments, Chewbacca doing so with a good deal of grunting and twisting.
Two technicians had arrived at the base of the ramp. They reported to the two bored soldiers guarding it.
