The Sandtrooper's Story - Part II (Fan Fiction WIP)

[Dewbackrider88]

4 outta 4 sandys!!

Great read, once I finish it ill be sure to let you know if I get some good ideas.

[Tyranus]

Thanks so much for reading, and for posting in here with your comments!

I look forward to hearing what you think and what you might like to see.

[Tyranus]

Here's a little more:

Felth walked into the dim bunkroom and pulled off his helmet. Holder was in his bunk asleep, and the lifeless droid sat silently beside mine with its head off. He dropped his bucket and blaster on a bunk and slipped his pack off, wondering where I was, “Deckard?”

There was no response from the dark, only silence.

“Where is he?” he thought. “He’s supposed to be working on the ‘droid and watching Holder.”

In a gut-wrenching moment of startled realization, he briskly walked back into the command center and flipped on the holo-port to check the log. His outbound message was there.

TO: BASE ONE, SKYWALKER.

Perspiration suddenly dampened his skin as he realized his error. ****. He had forgotten to wait for it to send and then erase it. Suddenly, all sorts of paranoid thoughts began to race through Felth’s mind. Had Deckard figured him out? He was usually more than careful to cover his tracks, how could he have been so careless this time? He made a mental note to begin setting up a contingency plan for escape in case he should be discovered.

When news of the Death Star’s destruction had finally reached their small group, he secretly cheered inside, hoping that the information he passed to Dodonna had helped in some way. His new position as Information Officer definitely opened doors for allowing him more uninterrupted holonet time, but he had an uneasy feel about his fellow troopers all of a sudden.

He was about to check to see if the log had been accessed when the sound of the mechanical freight lift initiated in the storage room. He quickly jogged through the bunk room and stuck his head through the door just in time to see the rising platform come to a stop at the ground level with me on it, “All done with your rounds?” I asked, juggling several electronic parts in my hands.

“What were you doing down there?” he asked, looking in the direction of the lower level, “I thought the ‘droid was already almost prepped for another test run?”

I stepped off the platform and walked past him toward my bunk, laying the parts out, “It is almost ready. These are going to be used to make a surge suppressing unit so that what happened last time won’t happen again. You OK, Felth? Did something happen on your patrol?”

He calmed a bit, “A few unruly drunks over at the Dowager Queen, Jawas loitering in several of the bay pits looking for parts, nothing too far out of ordinary for this scum-hole I would say.”

“That’s a really bizarre place. I ran into the manager when I was out looking for parts the other day and asked him about it. He says it was a colony ship from Bestine IV that crash-landed here a hundred years ago. There are sections of the ship scattered all over this area. Some of the smaller pieces have become makeshift shelters for the homeless, but the surviving skeleton of the main section became the basis for the hotel. I learn more and more about this place every day. You should get out some and mingle, away from that holo-net port sometime.”

He watched as I began to work, “Interesting. Yeah. I’ll have to do that.” He said as he walked back into the command center. I began my work on the new parts, pretending not to notice what he was doing. He went straight to the holo-net console and deleted the log entry. Then he re-emerged into the bunk room pulling off his armor plates and closing the transparisteel portals, darkening the room as he spoke, “I’m sure you were able to rest some with Holder sleeping. I’m gonna catch a little sleep, do you mind working on that somewhere else where there’s light?”

I looked over at him across the dim room, “Sure, I can work down in the cache.” I gathered up my parts and disappeared into the back room. Felth finished slipping off his gear, kicked off his boots and rolled into his bunk. He had to be more careful, there was too much at stake now, for him and the Alliance. Uneasily he closed his eyes as he adjusted his aching feet.

*

The whine of the lift mechanism hummed for a few seconds and the platform vibrated under my boots until I reached the bottom. I walked through the doorway into the dim room, setting the electronics down on the tech bench as I crossed the floor to the bay. I moved ‘round behind the troop transport and secured the lock on the upper doors.

That had been too close. I had just made it in before Felth came through the front door. I jumped up on the tailboard of the transport and grabbed hold of a fine, dangling cord that ran down from an overhead pipe. I whipped it to free the grappling hook on the other end that was caught on the pipe. It released and fell away, dropping into my waiting hands, cord trailing behind it.

I glanced up to the closed doors in the ceiling as I attached the cord to my belt and depressed the re-coil button. The line quickly was wound up on the take-up reel in the belt compartment. I finished the task by replacing the folded tines of the hook in its pouch. I would have to be more careful next time. Coming in that way wasn’t easy! The engines on the Sentinel above the doors in the rear courtyard should be cool by the time Felth woke up.

I hopped off the tailboard and headed back toward the tech bench to get to work. The fabricated story of the surge suppressing unit wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

*

Garindan moved closer, into a better position in the narrow alley beside our headquarters, as Nadon looked slowly around, and then climbed into his speeder and drove away, heading for home. He glanced momentarily back at the Sentinel, listening to the creaking of the cooling engines, then turned back to watch the Ithorian Arborist disappear into the gathering morning crowd on the streets.

He unwrapped a small stick of Glitterstim which instantly began to sparkle a brilliant blue in his hands as it came in contact with the light. He slipped it in his mouth and began to chew it, feeling the old familiar burn and tingling in his cheeks and the back of his throat. He swallowed and closed the sensitive eyes beneath his protective goggles feeling the warmth move down into his belly. His body relaxed as he slipped back into the shadows.

* * *

[Tyranus]

“There’s nothing here. We’ve been over this room three times now” said Falker as he sat down on the repulsor sled. “He’s right. We’re wasting our time now.” said 0600. Topolev leaned his rifle against the wall. Hung his bucket over the exposed butt-end of his holstered E-11 and ripped open a packaged ration bar. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a bite as Etz spoke up, “You eating another one of those?”

Topolev chewed, swallowed part of his mouthful and continued chewing on the rest as he replied, “Yeah, because they’re THAT GOOD. No. Trust me; I held off as long as I could, I HATE these things. I had to live off them for awhile during my tour on Kashyyyk. They’ll keep you alive, but the taste.” He shuddered. “I’d be happy to never eat these things ever again. When we get back, I’m getting some real food.”

Falker chuckled as the others walked over to them. BoShek was still eyeing the hallway they entered from, “If you’ve finished your search here. Let’s head on down to where the carbon freezing chamber is.” He turned back to face Rogue, who nodded his agreement, “Right. Let’s move on!” Ddraig fell in behind BoShek as he exited the room through a broad doorway. The others followed.

They were led down another corridor, and eventually past a low, half-wall as their guide pressed on. Blade leaned over the wall to check out what was on the other side as they walked past. He stuck his head over and found himself peering down a rectangular shaft that bit deep into the surface of the planet.

The outside walls were draped with descending flights of stairs almost as far as he could see. He quickly pulled his head back as BoShek stepped through an open archway to the top step and paused, turning to them, “Now . . . we go down.”

* * *

Through the slot cut in the stone, Leia watched light rains fall softly across the lush green jungle. She sat quietly in the darkness on the stone sill, her long hair blowing in the cool, gentle breeze as she looked out over the ancient ceremonial grounds surrounding the Massassi temple.

She turned her gaze away from the opening and back to see the new rebel Commander, Luke Skywalker shifting position in the chair where he had fallen asleep. They had talked at length about how each of them had come to be where they were now, and how Luke had known Ben Kenobi his whole life, but had never really been around him for any of it.

He had confided in her, entrusted with her his longing to have known Ben sooner, and in turn to have learned more about his father and mother. His opportunity to discover details about his parents had slipped through his fingers with Ben’s death. Just knowing that his father was a Jedi would have been enough to drive him on when he felt lowest, out working on ‘vaporators.

Ben had visited him at the homestead several times over the years, until once, when he came bearing a gift, Uncle Owen sent him away. Even after that happened, although he felt completely alone, he also remembered somehow feeling safe and watched over.

Although from drastically different childhood lives, he and Leia had both been thrown together by similar circumstances, both now orphaned and their homes lost. The lower lids of her deep brown eyes suddenly welled with tears that glistened in the dim light. When they could no longer be contained, tears fell, silently trailing down her stoic cheeks as she thought of her father and home on Alderaan, now gone. So much had been lost.

The pain increased, rising in her chest and throat as her stomach quivered. Her eyes closed forcing the next wave of tears over the edge and down her face as the wind caught her hair and she turned again to silently stare at the rain.

Luke moved slightly, shifting again in the chair, mumbling something about Ben. His eyes darted back and forth beneath closed lids as he watched images unfolding in his dreams.

The obscure layers of consciousness slipped elusively by as his dreams progressed, pulling him into deeper and deeper sleep. His disjointed dream-thoughts were now mingling with the energies of the light side of the Force and taking on more continuity and clarity. The spirit of Obi-Wan was closer than Luke could have ever imagined as images began appearing in his mind’s eye. The murky dream-images became somewhat clearer now.

He was on Tatooine wearing a hooded cloak, walking atop a rocky ridge somewhere in the Jundland wastes. The view before him was an expansive one, out over the ridge at someone working on a condenser. The person working was leaning inside one of the control covers of a moisture ‘vaporator with a box of tools behind him in the sand.

The figure reached back one-handed toward the toolbox trying to grab a tool without pulling his head out of the machine. As Luke watched the figure grope blindly for the tool, several tools in the box rose up, hanging in midair, until one dropped to the sand and slid to within the reach of the mechanic. His fingers closed around the tool and he went back to work, none the wiser about what had just occurred.

Luke smiled, realizing that the Force must have moved the tools. Suddenly, his dream-state point of view shifted out of his hooded body and moved away, turning to look back at himself until he saw that it was not his own face that he saw staring back, it was Obi-Wan, grinning like a proud father.

The dream-view then shifted back to the mechanic who pulled his head out of the machine and stood up, replacing a floppy hat and goggles on his head as he turned to walk to a nearby Treadwell ‘droid and landspeeder. The mechanic was him! Obi-Wan HAD been watching him, and apparently he had been exhibiting Force-sensitive behavior, much to the delight of the old Jedi.

The image of the smiling Jedi began to darken as the old man’s voice echoed in his ears, “Luke. Trust your feelings. Return to my home. From there you will be led along your way. You are not alone.”

The voice drifted away as the dream vision faded into absolute blackness. His eyes opened and he sat motionless in the chair, feeling his slow breathing flow in and out. Leia was across the room, her back to him, and he heard the gentle sound of steady rain.

He allowed himself to digest what he had just experienced. Had it been a dream? He knew in his heart he had to return to Tatooine. Leia wiped her face with her hands and rose silently,walking to the door. He remained still, and closed his eyes, feigning sleep, watching her in the darkness. She slipped out and closed the door behind.

He looked back to the window . . . to the rain and closed his eyes.

* * *

[TK-6829]

Hmph!

Why is it always the fat guy who will eat anything, eh?

Just kidding!

Loving this thing Ward - loving it.

The pictures once again really help bring it to life.

[Tyranus]

I promise that's not what I was doing! I don't think anyone in the group is fat! I really appreciate you reading John, and the feedback. I think Topolev has just had enough of the rations and would rather eat the hydropnically grown veggies and cooked scurrier, womprat, or ronto burgers, as we all would.

Thanks for the continued interest in the story. I really do take a lot of time and effort to find pictures that will help tell the story. Sometimes while searching for a specific picture, I'll find another that will suddenly strike me with an idea for a side storyline or sub-plot, so it is very beneficial.

If any of you have obscure or seldom seen pics of the cast members, I would love to see them or have the link sent to me. They are a HUGE help.

Again thanks for reading...I'm trying to keep things interesting, and would LOVE feedback written here or on any of the other boards where the story appears from anyone reading. It truly helps me alot.

Here's a little more:

The troops had been descending the stone steps for some time when 4120 finally spoke up, “BoShek, how much deeper do we have to go before we reach the level with the carbon freezing chamber?”

The spacer stopped and turned back, looking up the steps to the trooper four back in line that had asked the question, “It’s another seven levels. I know it’s a long way, and normally we could have taken a lift to get there, but with the power plant offline, we have to walk it. The carbon freeze chamber was almost never used. It was only put here in case anything unusual and of interest to the Empire’s scientists was discovered while digging. There’s very little to find on this planet except rock and more rock. It’s my guess that since it wasn’t used all that often, it was placed down here in an out of the way location. We’re almost there.” He caught sight of motion further up on a higher level of the stairs, only for a moment, and then nothing. “Come on, let’s get moving. It’s not far.”

He turned and continued down the twisting stairs.

*

Above them, a dark shape listened cautiously until it heard the troops begin moving downward once again. Only then did it continue its own downward descent.

*

Finally BoShek came to a side corridor that led away from the still-descending stairs. He stepped through it, across a short landing and down a single flight of stairs which spilled out into a long corridor. Bundles of sagging cables ran along the walls and ceiling and stretched out as far as the eye could see in both directions.

“This way” he said half under his breath as he turned sharply to the left, heading down the long corridor. The group continued on, passing intersecting corridors and continuing on straight until they arrived at a plate durasteel wall with a small hatch in it. The hatch had been left swung open, most likely by the last of the troops and dig operators as they left this place. Beyond, we could see yet another room with a door on the far side.

Our guide stepped up and through the hatch. Etz and Blade fell back, turning to look back down the hallway, watching their backs as the rest also proceeded through. When all others had gone, they turned and stepped through as well.

The others had already begun walking toward the door on the far side. Etz and Blade followed silently through the unremarkable room until the all came to the far wall and the closed door set into it.

BoShek stepped up close to it, rotated the durasteel wheel-handle and pushed it open with his shoulder. A harsh metal on metal squealing echoed off the stone walls as it rocked open.

He stepped through and switched on additional emergency lighting overhead, brightly illuminating the room. Everyone filed through, following him inside. “OK, we’re here. Those things over there on the green support stands are the carbon freezing chambers.”

Rogue and the others turned their attention to the small metallic chambers. He took his helmet off as he continued to stare, “I thought they would be much larger, if not take up an entire room. I’ve seen a few carbon freezing chambers over the years and they were ALL larger than these”, he said as he stepped closer, noting the grates in the floor.

BoShek nodded, grinning a bit, “Yeah. Believe me, that’s the only reason they’re still here. They’re so small I can’t find anyone interested in buying them, otherwise I would have moved these things a long time ago.”

0600 pulled off his helmet, “Let’s start looking, you guys know the drill. Find anything that might link Holder to this place.” The troops spread out in different directions going over every inch of the room. 1265 and Danz were inspecting a control area along one of the walls when Ddraig spoke up, breaking the silence, “I think I found something.”

The others stopped their searching and walked over to where Ddraig had been looking. He was crouched down by a small set of durasteel shelves running along one of the walls adjacent to the chambers. Wires and hoses were draped across them, and in the center of the second shelf was a cylinder with several adjustment knobs set into the grip. It could only have been a lightsaber hilt. Ddraig reached in and pulled it out, holding it up to the light for everyone to see. Falker silently strained his neck to see over Topolev’s shoulder.

Part of the handle near the emitter had a hole pierced all the way through the casing. Black scorch marks stained the otherwise shiny handle around the rough holes on both sides. He rolled the lightsaber over in his hands. As he rotated it, he could hear something tumbling inside the damaged casing and focusing cup.

He rolled the hilt around until a small object fell out of the blast hole to the floor. Ddraig retrieved it and held it up to the light overhead between his gloved fingertips. It was a crimson crystal. The kind found in a Sith Lord’s sword, or that of a Jedi Hunter.

Ddraig turned to look up at Rogue, handing the lightsaber to him, “Looks like Holder’s story holds up so far.”

As he spoke, we all heard the clanging of metal on stone from outside the hatch. BoShek was standing beside it. He spun his head to look back the way we had come. His eyes widened a bit as he grabbed the hatch, quickly swinging it shut, “****.”

“What is it?” asked Rogue.

The spacer was rapidly rotating the hatch wheel to lock down the door, then shot a glance over to Rogue, “We’re not alone down here.”

* * *

[Tyranus]

The smooth floor plate slammed shut as Chewbacca let go of the durasteel panel. He reached for the last plate and slid it into place, over the hidden compartments beneath which, at the moment, were packed full with cases of money, paid in full by the Rebel Alliance Government. He didn’t agree with accepting money for the rescue of the Princess, but he new Solo needed the money to set things right with Jabba, if it wasn’t already too late.

The Wook reached into his leather satchel as he walked toward the cockpit. He pulled out a small chain with two golden chance cubes dangling from it. He slipped through the narrow door, glancing back once to make sure he was alone. Then he moved between the co-pilot and pilot’s chairs and reached up to reattach the chain to an overhead lever. “Chewie!” howled Solo, walking down the corridor toward him.

The Wook jumped and turned to look over his shoulder with a scowl at the Corellian pilot walking toward him and ‘WOOFED’ a response. “I thought we’ve been through this. No chance cubes in here. If you want them hanging over your bunk, be my guest, but not in here.” Chewie bared his teeth slightly, but restrained from responding again, as he put them back in the bag at his hip. Solo raised his eyebrows in a scolding manner as the Wook pushed past him out into the ship.

The Wook walked off toward his bunk and Solo walked out past the holo chess table and main cargo area and wandered down the boarding ramp where he stopped and sat down, knees bent and his arms resting on them. To his right, technicians were working to install a new engine on a Y-wing fighter. He turned his head to the left and watched as several mech ‘droids were screwing down new access panels along the fuselage of an X-wing that had been damaged in what was now being called the ‘Battle of Yavin’.

‘The Battle of Yavin’, he thought to himself. A major Rebel offensive, and he had ended up smack in the center of it. How had he gotten himself here? He was looking straight ahead now, staring off into nothingness as he wondered how much the price was on his head. Jabba surely had bounty hunters looking for him by now. As soon as they were all safely away, he would settle his account with Jabba. His eyes focused on the here and now as across the hangar, the Princess entered with a small group of Rebel Commanders and Generals. She had amazing eyes. Wait! What was he thinking? Bria’s death had really shaken him. He swore he wouldn’t get that close again. His thoughts drifted back to that night on Tatooine . . . [/color]

He had been sitting in the bar for hours; sipping drinks and watching the people come and go as he tried to figure out a way to get Jabba off his back. He had bought himself some time, but it would probably not be enough, unless his luck changed drastically. The Yavin Vassilika contest had taken a lot out of him and his first mate.

Chewbacca had long since called it a night and returned to the ‘Falcon. Dash Rendar had kicked back a few drinks with them, boasting about the Outrider and how he was still in good graces with the Hutt before also calling it as night, leaving Solo alone.

Wuher was now herding people toward the door, and he shot Han a glance. Solo nodded, downed what was left of his drink, and stood up, walking for the door. One of two Jawas in front of him tripped and fell on the steps. Han stepped on the hooded little creature and kept on moving out the door. He was on his way back to the spaceport, turning into the long hallway that led to the ‘Falcon when Boba Fett stepped out of the shadows.

Han’s body shook as he sobered immediately, reaching for his blaster. “Take it easy, Solo. There’s no price on your head . . . yet.” A look of relief washed over the Corellian’s face as he blinked in the moonlight, “If you’re not after me, what are you doing?”

Fett stood silent for a moment, “I once made a promise to someone I was hunting, someone I almost captured onboard the Queen of the Empire. In my pursuit, I promised that if she died, I would get word to her father. I am many things, but I don’t make promises lightly. Unfortunately, she got away and never had the chance to tell me who her father was.” Han was looking confused now, “Who? Whose father?”

Fett exhaled lightly, “Bria Tharen is dead.”

Han was stunned, and leaned against the wall for support as Fett grabbed his arms, holding him up with gloved hands.

“How did it happen? When?” Fett’s helmet moved slightly as he spoke, “Two days ago. She and her group were killed on Toprawa by Stormtroopers as they stormed a holonet tower and transmitted stolen Imperial data.” Solo noticed the many dents and scratches worn across the surface of the mandalorian helmet, now so close to his face.

“Solo, if there had been any other way I would have taken it. I didn’t know who else to tell. I trust that you know how to reach her father?” Han shook his head slowly allowing the words to sink in. “Yeah. I’ll get word to him.”

Fett stabilized him against the wall, “Thank you.” He turned to go, and then stopped, turning his helmet around to look at Solo, “I wouldn’t keep the Hutt waiting for his money. You know how . . . irritable he can get.” Han nodded as Fett walked away into the Tatooine night. Bria was dead.

He watched as Leia and her entourage inspected the repairs that were underway. He hadn’t planned to get caught up in all of this. He still had to make a trip to Corellia to find Bria’s father and let him know. He certainly didn’t plan on a princess with brown eyes working herself into the equation.

* * *

[Tyranus]

“I saw one, I don’t know if there are more” yelled BoShek as he held tight to the hatch wheel. “This is a medium duty blast door. It’ll hold against fire, but it has no lock from the inside.” As he finished his sentence, the door was pelted with blaster fire from the other side accompanied by high-pitched pings as the bolts were deflected away.

“Is there another way out of here? Maybe we can circle around behind them and take them out” said Rogue. BoShek nodded, “Over there, but it doesn’t loop back.

Rogue resisted “We’re not going to run from these guys, even if there are more of them, we’re not . . .” BoShek cut him off quickly, “I’m not suggesting that we turn tail and run, but if there are more of these guys, and we stay put, we’ll get pinned down here, there’s only two ways in and out. Let’s head down that way.”

They were all staring at him now. “I’ve seen what some of these pirates are capable of, and I for one don’t want to be on the receiving end. I’ve run into some of these guys before. They’re spacer pirates that hang out here; ‘stim junkies most of them. Some have gotten lost in the mazes down here and gone mad trying to find their way out. There’s no telling what they might do. Surviving to continue your search only makes you smart. This is not the place to have a stand. We need a place more to our advantage but we have to hurry!”

More blaster fire began banging against the hatch and leaving superheated, orange ovals glowing on their side. BoShek pulled his knee away from the door as more searing rings appeared. The troops made their way through the doorway into the corridor beyond. Rogue tucked the lightsaber and crystal into the long pouch on his belt and buckled it shut.

BoShek followed after the troops, closing the second hatch as sparks showered from the door on the opposite wall followed by a violent explosion that rocked the room. Loose rock and sand rained from the corridor ceiling as the shock waves rocked this lower level. They raced along the corridor past several robotic diggers still waiting to be switched on to complete their tasks.

In time, they could hear and feel cool rushing air and the tunnel opened up into a vast and noisy ventilation shaft. “There’s no stairway on this end”, yelled their guide, trying to be heard over the rushing air. “We’ll have to climb out” he said, pointing up and showing the wall-mounted ladders. “We only need to go up one or two levels. Then we can get off the ladders and make our way back to the lift.”

“Start climbing” yelled Rogue.

*

“Hurry up, Blade.” yelled 4120 from the top of the ladder, “This is the last one, Rogue. Let’s get moving.” The corridor was small and dark, but there was light coming from up ahead, and they wasted no time heading for it.

BoShek was in the lead, sprinting down the hall toward the light when a shadow cast from a crossing hallway revealed its source as Boba Fett stepped out into the middle of the corridor, leveled his blaster rifle at them and fired several shots.

The blaster bolts ripped past them, missing everyone. BoShek and Rogue had drawn their blasters and were preparing to fire on Fett when they heard cries from down the hall behind them. They turned to see several pirates on the floor of the dark hall behind them. Fett raised the muzzle of his rifle, pointing it away from them as he checked a small handheld tracking device with a sweep display, “Come with me. Quickly! There’s far too many of them down here.” He turned and disappeared back down the hall he had emerged from.

All in the search party followed him down the passage. It was a long, narrow access tunnel with huge pipes running along the right wall, held back by large, vertical durasteel retainer beams. A small ventilation duct ran along the low ceiling with cables and another large pipe along the left.

BoShek was running down the passage directly behind the Bounty Hunter, “Fett, what are you doing here?” The man in the Mandalorian armor answered as he ran, “I’m looking for Solo. He skipped out on a debt to the Hutt. I warned him not to let it go unpaid too long. I know pirates sometimes hang out here when things heat up. I’ve checked all the usual spots but haven’t seen him or the Wookiee. We don’t have much time. I set several charges around this site, and was going to blow this part of the dig. Hurry up, over here.” He ran to the right, up a wide set of stone steps.

We raced beneath dozens of power cables strung over the arch and steps. When we reached the top, Fett turned a quick left and raced into a very dark, narrow hallway and up a set of steep steps.

We raced out of the arch at the top of the steps and found ourselves in a naturally formed crevasse in the rock of the surface. Fett checked the sensor in his hands, noting the blips that were following closer than he would have liked. We rounded a corner in the smooth cave tunnel and saw a beam of light streaming down from the surface, illuminating the cavern.

Blade watched our backs as we raced along, following the Bounty Hunter through twists and turns in the air-carved chambers on our way closer and closer to the light of day on the surface of this forsaken planet.

Fett barked at us as he ran out through an opening in the rock into the streaming, blinding sunslight, “We have to cross this access pit to another cavern on the far side. Once we get across, there is a set of stone stairs leading up to the surface.” We were all standing at the edge of the bridge now. A suspended bridge spanning the dizzying height of an access pit that cut down into the surface parallel to the main pit.

“Let’s go!” yelled 0600 as he charged out onto the swaying span. The others filed after him, trying not to look down. Fett held his position at the mouth of the cavern until all were on their way across the bridge.

He turned to run and the stone by his head exploded as a blaster bolt sheared through it, throwing small pieces into the air, showering him in sand and small rocks. He raised his rifle behind him as he ran and fired a burst round down the steps into the darkness without looking. The suspended span was shaking and rattling now as Fett took the last few steps on it before reaching the far side.

He stopped just short of the cavern and pulled out several more charges, attaching them to the connecting beams and supporting cables that were anchored against the stone. He keyed the timer to ten seconds and switched it on before turning to run into the cavern as a dozen pirates, from various worlds, raced out onto the bridge from the other side, blasters blazing at him.

Fett ran through the crevasse toward the steps as far behind, the charges began to blow.

The ground beneath him shook violently, pitching this way and that dropping more sand and stone on him. Above, he could see the last of the troopers stepping off at the surface. He threw himself into the air as his jetpack roared to life, the flames illuminating the narrow hallway in a deep amber glow as he was propelled up the stairwell.

He was almost to the top when the charges on the bridge supports went off, its force blowing sand and stones at incredible speeds on a concussive wall of air up through the corridor and steps, snuffing out the jets and hurling Fett headfirst into the sand on the surface near where we stood.

The detonating explosives shredded the cables and the stone mounts supporting the bridge, which moaned and creaked as that end tumbled away from the pit wall and fell away into its depths, tumbling all the pirates off to fall to their deaths, blasters firing all the way down.

Fett rolled over to a crouch and stood as another shock wave rocked the ground beneath his feet, as a swarm of startled Skettos circled in the smoky skies nearby.

He steadied himself and picked up his rifle, “Come with me. My ship’s this way.”

*

[Tyranus]

The sand spray kicked up by the departing ship blasted across them all as Slave I lifted from the ground and rapidly accelerated away, climbing steeply through the glare from the twin suns heading for space.

The roaring echoes of its engines bounced back several times from the nearby hills and the skettoes that had keenly watched us arrive scattered once again. The smoke from the burning dig site had begun to disperse, carried away by the now-gusting midday breezes.

Many of the sublevels of the site would now be caved in from the blasts, cutting off further exploration of the Carbon Freezing room and its surrounding facilities.

The men stood gathered in a small group, discussing Fett’s search for Solo. The Corellian must have cost the Hutt a fair amount for him to dispatch multiple bounty hunters to hunt him down. IG-88, Dengar Roth, Bossk and Fett were all well known for their tracking and hunting abilities.

Fett now knew that Solo had helped rescue Princess Leia Organa from the Death Star before its obliteration, and that he may very well be concealing his whereabouts by lying low with the Alliance. It became apparent to the troops that not only were the old man and the boy of interest in this whirlwind they had stepped into; Solo now shared the spotlight with them. Most likely a spotlight the Corellian and the Wookiee had spent years skirting.

Their guide lay back prone on the boarding ramp with his eyes shut, catching a small nap in his black pressure suit. While the exchange between the troopers and Fett regarding Solo and the ‘Falcon had been of considerable assistance to the bounty hunter, all BoShek could think about was stealing a few moments of sleep.

He breathed in the hot air as he rolled their conversation over in his mind. Solo was good. Not that Fett wasn’t, but from what BoShek knew of the Corellian pilot, his entire life had been spent making sure he was at least one step ahead.

Rogue, leaning against one of the shuttle’s landing gear flaps, pulled the damaged lightsaber hilt from his belt pouch and rolled it over in his hands; his gloved fingertip tracing the blackened hole that pierced it as he listened to the others talk. He dropped the saber back in the pouch and closed it as he walked to the ramp, kicking the sole of BoShek’s boot, “Let’s head back to base. I think we’ve found all we can here.”

He was walking up into the ship as the others stopped talking and turned their heads as 0600 yelled out to his friend, “I think it would be worth our time to have Holder take us to the place where he and the others encountered the Jedi. There may still be artifacts there to help us corroborate his story.”

Rogue paused a moment, nodded and disappeared into the ship.

*

[Tyranus]

I secured the pulse suppression unit inside the body cavity of the little astromech and attached the power leads to the main batteries. The little ‘droid stood lifeless in the sand of the rear courtyard, at the rear of the Sentinel ship. It was now late afternoon and as I secured the domed head onto the body of the little ‘droid, Holder emerged from the narrow alleyway, holding onto the walls for support, “You up for some company?”

I rose from my kneeling crouch and walked over to him, helping him to the loading dock where he could sit down. “You look like you’re feeling better. You’ve been out of it since I gave you the sedative.”

“Yeah, the muscles spasms and cramping have stopped for now, thanks. How’s it coming with my ‘droid?”

“Your ‘droid?”, I said looking him in the eye.

He nodded his head slowly; eyes squinting in the bright light, “Yeah, he was mine. What was wrong with him? I always kept him in great shape.” I stepped back, allowing Holder a complete view of the little ‘droid, “It looks like there was some kind of energy pulse or flux that destroyed his power supplies and many internal systems. There were couplings hanging out of him too.”

Holder nodded, “Sounds like someone created that energy pulse and ripped out the wiring packs on purpose to hide something. It was probably Slicer covering his tracks. What about the memory? Did it survive?” I gently wiped the blue and silver dome with a rag, “Unfortunately no, it was crispied up right along with the other systems in the direct vicinity of the power circuitry.” Holder nodded thoughtfully. “What about the redundant memory loop?”

I stopped wiping and looked back at him, “Redundant memory loop?” Holder was grinning now as he rocked back a bit on the loading dock, feet dangling, “Yup. I installed a custom-made redundant memory loop in a, how should I say this, out of the way place.” I laughed, “You’re kidding.”

“Nope”, he nodded. “Open the sealed system for the center leg deployment. On top of the main leg drop/left drive system, you’ll find a moderately sized memory system. It was designed as a necessary hiding place for data and secrets about our missions. ‘HOLDER’, remember? HOLDER of secrets?”

I pulled the head off the little ‘droid and opened the cover of the central leg mobility system. Attached to the inside of the lid and wired into the main data junction plate was a redundant memory loop. “Nice work”, I said.

Holder smiled, “If the thing worked as it was supposed to, you should have a recording of everything I’ve told you about. That little ‘droid was working with us on the ridge the day we were breaking down the survey equipment. I had him chronicling the tear-down procedures for some follow-up reports I was working on.”

He smiled and closed his eyes to feel the sun on his face, “It’s nice to be getting more pieces of my memory back.”

Excited, I replaced the dome, activated the fusion furnace and switched the ‘droid on. As before, the domed head rotated to the right with a whirring sound as the Process State Indicator displays on the front and rear lit up as the little astromech’s brain came back online.

“You know, it was the pulse wave from this little guy that released you from the carbonite. We were deadlocked about what to do with you, or if you would have survived the containment at all.”

Holder eyed me as he turned that remark over in his head. His eyes flicked down to the ‘droid, “I programmed that pulse wave into him in case any of us were ever taken hostage or prisoner and held in a holding cell. The pulse wave was designed to knock out any restraints or barricade doors used in a standard holding cell, allowing for our escape. I never actually thought it would be used. Where’s everyone else? Felth is crashed out inside, but I didn’t see the others.”

I nodded my head, “They’re all at the dig site, trying to find any evidence they can to support your story. We have to be able to trust you. You could have been telling us the truth, and then again you might have been the one that resisted fighting the Jedi. We had to know for sure.”

“Of course. I understand completely. If I’m ever to cover your backs, you want to know I really have it covered. I would expect nothing less.”

“If I can retrieve the recording of the ridge fight, that’ll be all they’ll need. I’m assuming that you have a personal voice command lock on your hidden files?” Holder laughed, “Right again. I like the way you think, Deckard.” He turned his attention to the ‘droid, “Initiate Command Voice Override.” The little mech turned his dome to face Holder and bleeped a small series of whistles and beeps, awaiting the next command. “Initiate holographic playback mode, last encrypted recording.”

The blue and silver dome rotated to the left a bit as the process indicator lights winked a little faster as it recalled the hidden memory and the recording contained in it. We watched as the front holoprojector lit up and a recorded image of several troopers working on some equipment appeared. Holder and I both watched as things unfolded as he had described: the appearance of the Jedi, the others in his group turning on him. Then Slicer loaded him and the ‘droid onto a transport back to the dig site.

“I think this little guy just bought you a lot of credit”, I said as I watched Slicer return to the transport with the carbonite-frozen Holder. He proceeded to reach over to the camera. A burst of static followed and the recording ended. “That must have been when Slicer fried the little guy” said Holder. “Thanks for working on him Deckard, I owe you.”

* * *

Luke knew they were pressing their luck. It had now been a little more than five months since the Death Star was destroyed, and although no one had spotted Imperial ships, they were being watched, he could feel it.

He knew the Empire would never let the Rebel victory at the Battle of Yavin go unanswered, nor would they allow them to just slip away into seclusion. They needed to leave this place and do it soon, or they would fall victim to the ground assault that was surely coming.

If they needed to evacuate quickly, they were now in a position to do so, but every day that passed put them at greater risk. The search teams had found a location for the new rendezvous point, and as soon as all personnel and equipment could be loaded from the base here, they would begin efforts to ready their new location.

Contracts for cold weather gear and supplies were being quietly sought through various trusted channels, but it would require funds they didn’t have, and it was taking time, which they certainly didn’t have. Until money could be secured, they would need to leave this place and meet up with the rest of the fleet, staying on the move until everything began to come together for the new base.

It would certainly not be a quick process. A normal relocation of this scale would take a year, maybe two, but moving into a harsh environment and literally having to carve out the space needed? It could take three years to have a fully functional base of operations again. He already had plans for that time, though.

If he was to have any chance against Vader, he needed to try to find more about Obi-Wan and his teachings. The only place he knew might yield some information, and the best place to begin his search was in the Jedi’s old home.

As he thought of returning there, he remembered his naïve comment to his mentor about selling his ‘speeder, “That’s OK, I’m never coming back to this planet again”. Tatooine seemed so far away and so long ago to him now. The one place that he couldn’t wait to leave was now the one place to which he must return. “Never say never” he thought to himself, as the transport speeder full of pilots pulled away into the underground corridor heading for the hidden fighter hangar far out in the jungle.

* * *

A shadow crept silently across the Lusankya and the other clustered Star Destroyers of the forming Imperial Blockade, as the Executor, arriving out of hyperspace, eclipsed the light of Yavin’s sun and slipped effortlessly into place above the fourth moon. The Dark Lord stood motionless and deep in thought, staring out the central portal on the bridge of the enormous craft. He knew the rebels would be trying to evacuate soon. Reconnaissance missions had revealed isolated ships leaving the moon, but there had been no mass exodus of alliance personnel and craft yet.

Unbeknownst to Vader and the Empire, most of the Rebel fleet, including the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers under Ackbar’s command and the refugee ships containing the Alliance government, had not been present during the Battle of Yavin and were now scattered throughout the galaxy, awaiting transmission of the rendezvous beacon signal and coordinates to their next hidden base.

As he watched five Immobilizer-418 class Interdictor Cruisers emerge from hyperspace and assume their textbook blockade positions, his thoughts drifted back to another blockade set up long ago by the Trade Federation around Naboo. As the last of the key ships fell into place, he knew that the waiting game they had been playing with the rebels was nearly over.

Landing craft would soon be deployed to the surface coordinates provided by their spies. Each would be loaded with mechanized A5 Juggernaut, AT-AT and AT-ST divisions as well as ground troops. Members of his handpicked 501st Legion would be spearheading the attack, anxious to avenge the troops lost in the Death Star explosion. Although nearly six standard months had passed since the station’s obliteration, the loss was still fresh enough that anger would more than fuel their vengeful assault.

Deep in the bowels of the Imperial ships, troops were gathering, checking their gear and grabbing extra power clip bandoliers as they loaded into their assigned deployment vehicles. AT-ATs were being loaded, legs folded, into surface deployment pods and lifted into the overhead deployment racking systems with the awaiting TIE bomber squadrons. The scout units had landed on the moon under the cover of darkness two days ago and had made their way through the jungle to the planned perimeter around the temple.

*

The silent, empty screen he had been watching was suddenly alive with activity, small blips appearing. “General, Imperial ships are appearing out of hyperspace and taking up perimeter positioning as you said they would.”

Dodonna stood up from his seat and came over to the console, looking over the young rebel’s shoulder. He studied the screen for a moment, seeing still more blips appear, “They’re readying the blockade. Troops and bombers will be here soon. Send out the alert. A ground assault is now imminent. Send a scrambled signal to Ackbar. Have him jump some empty fleet tankers to coordinates near the Vallusk Cluster to see if he can lure some of these Imperial ships away.”

*

Luke ascended the orange durasteel ladder attached to the side of his ship, looking around the empty hangar at the other fighters.

X-wings and Y-wings sat silently awaiting duty. Their pilots were the lucky ones. All had seen action against the Empire and made it back to fight another day. Soon they would be called upon to provide safe cover away from this place.

He grabbed the dangling control box that hung from the catwalk overhead and used it to maneuver R2 up to the level of the astromech socket behind the open canopy. He was busy securing him when the relayed alert from the temple base was broadcast through the hangar.

Looking up from his work to listen to the blaring announcement, he felt a shiver move up his spine and an icy cold darkness tugging at his insides. He realized it must be Vader. They didn’t have any time to spare. As he finished securing the little ‘droid, other pilots came running into the hangar, helmets under their arms, to ready their ships.

Wedge Antilles ascended the orange rack ladder of the fighter beside him, “Looks like this is it. Support and escort! Time to fold up and head out!” He stepped down into his cockpit and flipped on the main power to his ship’s reactors, grinning as he pulled on his flight gloves, “You know, if you hadn’t gone and blown up their station . . .”

Luke grinned as he stepped around the canopy and down into his own cockpit to begin his pre-flight check, “I know, we wouldn’t have been invited to THIS little party.” Wedge was still grinning as he connected the chin strap on his helmet and adjusted the amber visor.

*

At the fringes of the moon’s jungle forest, a trooper lay on the ground behind the massive trunk of a fallen tree, peering through the eyepiece of his monoculars at his scouts across the huge clearing ahead. They had made their way across the expanse and were positioned at the edge of a broad stone terrace that led to the immense stone temple, now shrouded in a light fog.

The Massassi were a larger, stronger branch of the Sith race, and had populated the bulk of it’s military. While the Massassi had originated on Korriban, there had been a fragmentation of the Sith people, and many had emigrated here to Yavin IV seeking a safe haven. During the Sith War and Exar Kun’s reign, most of the Massassi perished. Today, only their ruins stood as testimony to their existence.

The all but forgotten stone temples rose out of the wilds of the lush jungle, catching the first rays of sunlight as it streamed across the canopy of the treetops. Silently, the lead scout turned and motioned back to the trooper on point for the remaining troops to proceed to his location. He, in turn, lowered his monoculars and motioned to the troops behind him.

The task force of the 501st Legion rose to their feet and double-timed it across the clearing. Once they reached the scouts, all proceeded toward the long, low entrance that extended across the foundation of the temple.

As they crossed the stone courtyard, the trees out of which they had just come began to tremble, and the ground shook. The lush, green limbs were pushed aside and the trees splintered and pushed over as Imperial AT-AT Walkers ripped their way through the dense foliage and out onto the stone courtyards that surrounded the temple.

It was a coordinated effort, as AT-ATs emerged from the trees on all sides, blocking any avenue of escape. TIE’s and TIE Bombers screamed in from the distance, strafing the treeline behind the grouped AT-ATs, and dropping bombs, perfectly timed for the attack, blocking escape by air, and clearing away the foliage that could provide cover for fleeing Rebel troops. The Rebel’s base that had eluded destruction by the Death Star would now fall.

Blaster fire erupted from out of the darkness, glancing off some of the polished Impervium armor before finding weak spots, cutting down troops across the front line. Those behind the fallen advanced through the smoke and mayhem of the dead and dying, sporadically tripping hidden thermal mines, set by the rebels, which simply materialized when triggered, vaporizing three or more troops at once within the spherical reach of the pulsed white disintegration orbs.

The smoke drifted on the slight breeze as the sights and sounds of battle once more unfolded around the base of the ancient temple that had seen this kind of fighting many times throughout its history.

TIE’s engaged the small, fleeing Rebel transports ships, crippling and downing some into the surrounding jungle. Troops strategically situated in the foliage took care of any crash survivors trying to escape into the jungle. Some of the smaller ships were able to slip by and make their way out of the atmosphere. Rebel troops finally retreated, running into the darkened bowels of the temple and across the huge hangar bay to the last transport ship.

Jan Dodonna watched carefully for a break in the onslaught. During a slight lull, and using the smoke as cover, he slipped out of the temple, making his way into the center of a squadron of TIE Bombers that had landed in the courtyard. He rolled under the belly of the ship in the center, planting and activating a small sonic charge. As soon as the timer began counting down he rolled out from under the ship and ran back into the temple, once again behind enemy lines.

A suffocating silence washed out over the jungle as the charge absorbed all sound waves around it, immediately followed by the ear-shattering blast of the sonic charge wave ripping vertically down into the courtyard and up through the center ship, causing it to explode, triggering a chain reaction, destroying the formation of bombers in a massive explosion. With hands clasped tightly over his ears, he turned and ran toward the transport, hoping he could slip past the troopers already inside the dark hangar.

Two rebel squads of X-wings and Y-wings, having launched from a remote location, streamed in from the distance joining the fight. Skywalker was among them, giving the TIEs a run for their money. A third squad of ships remained behind at the remote launch site guarding camouflaged personnel carriers.

Leia was already safely on one of them with C-3PO. Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot had confirmed she was onboard and were preparing to raise ship. The unit of AT-ATs fired simultaneously, ripping into the temple, rocking it with explosions as the last of the personnel transports lifted off, flanked by Rebel fighter escorts.

As they moved clear, the Millennium Falcon rose from the mossy stone courtyard on its repulsor field. Chewbacca brought the main engines online as they rose up past the tree line. Before he or Solo could react, the ‘Falcon shuddered and pitched as she came under fire. Solo grabbed the throttle levers and pulled them all back together. The ship leaped forward as Slave I dove over the treetops, spitting blaster fire across the courtyard at them, ripping up the stone.

The Wookiee howled something unfavorable as he fought to re-energize the rear shields as Solo took his fast hunk of junk into a straight upward climb into the blinding Yavin sun, followed by a twisting rollover into a dive heading straight back toward Fett and Slave I. As he swung his ship recklessly around, one of the rebel commanders catching a ride to the rendezvous point had made his way up the main tunnel ladder and strapped himself into the upper quad gun array seats.

Fett rocked Slave I to one side and unleashed a hailstorm of blaster fire stabbing through the air and burning across the 'Falcon’s shields. Solo rolled the ‘Falcon over a quarter turn as he raced past Slave I, narrowly missing a midair collision. At the bottom of his dive he pulled up hard and rolled over once, racing out over the green canopy of the jungle moon. The gun turret swiveled quickly to the rear as Slave I executed an inverted loop and rolled in behind the ‘Falcon. Solo pitched the ship back and forth, left and right, accelerating as the commander in the gun turret opened fire.

All four barrels of the quad cannon fired at once in a blinding, pulsed flash of energy which Slave I took as a hit head on. Her shields absorbed most of it as Fett wound her around, trying to avoid more blaster fire. Solo climbed to avoid a taller grove of trees and abruptly threw the ‘Falcon up on end to narrowly avoid slamming into one of the tall stone Massassi monuments that thrust up through the trees.

Fett corrected also, but Slave I's starboard outrigger slammed into the giant stone pillar as they raced past at breakneck speed. The ship spun hard to the starboard under the force of the impact as part of Fett’s rudder on that side sheared off and hurtled away into the trees. He fought to maintain control, looking for a clear place to set down as the Millennium Falcon rolled over several times and climbed straight up into the overhead sky. He watched through his tinted visor until he could no longer make out the Corellian ship against the deep blue, “Another time Solo, another time.”

The last of the slow-moving transports and her fighter escorts continued their ascent through the atmosphere, ‘nav computers on standby with the pre-loaded coordinates encoded. Finally, they joined the other alliance ships and headed into a certain battle with the Imperial blockade as the Falcon joined the mix.

Vader watched the battle’s progress and the small group of Rebel ships heading his way, when suddenly Admiral Griff’s squadron of Star Destroyers dropped out of lightspeed, squarely on a collision course with his ship. Aggressively evasive maneuvers were attempted by the crews, but the destroyers collided with the newly commissioned Executor with amazing force.

The rebels seized the opportunity during the confusion that followed. As soon as the last ship cleared the atmosphere, and the first ship was beginning to come under fire from the blockade, all ‘nav computers were activated, aligning them all in formation for a synchronized jump to lightspeed.

In a flash, all the rebel ships disappeared in a mass hyperspace jump. Only a lone X-wing remained momentarily behind. Luke adjusted his own ‘nav computer settings manually as R2 voiced his protest in a series of whistles. Moments later his ship also hyperjumped, following a slightly different course from the others.

Vader was furious. His ship had been damaged and the rebels and his son had slipped through his grasp. As Griff’s hologram apologized profusely to the dark Lord, the invisible pressure of the Force’s dark side crushed his airway. Vader clutched his fist, shaking it at the forward viewport on the Executor’s bridge until the impetuous Admiral’s life had left him, and his holographic form dropped to the deck.

*

Imperial troops poured throughout the darkness of the empty hangar bay, stepping over Rebel and Imperial corpses where they lay. Fueling hoses hung from overhead gantries, haphazardly tossed aside. Several small repulsor transports had been abandoned near the entrance, and the smell of damp stone and starship lubricants hung heavy in the silent, still air of the stone temple.

More troops now flooded in now, advancing deeper into the temple, down darkened, winding hallways, weapons drawn at the ready, searching every room until the command center was finally discovered. All personnel had successfully evacuated, and although most of the equipment had been removed, it had been done hastily. There were pieces of small hardware still lying about.

As the team moved through, sweeping the command center for anything of value, one trooper dropped a blaster charge pack during his reload. He bent down to pick it up when he noticed a small datacard on the ground, stuck in the crack between two of the metal floor grates. The smeared label read “Base One”.

It appeared to have been stepped on and crushed . . . fractured in a splintered, spiderwebbed pattern, but could prove useful if the data inside could possibly be retrieved. He tucked it in his utility belt and rose to catch up with the rest of his unit.

* * *

[Tyranus]

The blood pounded through what remained human of the dark Lord as he stood motionless, watching the patch of stars toward which the rebels had jumped into hyperspace, eluding him and his blockade. The lenses in his breath mask fogged slightly as the heat poured from the top of his head.

Tiny fans on either side instantly switched on to clear his view as he turned away from the viewport and headed for the turbolifts. He wanted to see the damage to his new ship personally. With a slight wave of his hand, his reluctant officers fell in line behind him.

Sweat was forming under their high collars as they hurried to keep up with Vader’s large stride. “Commander, where was the damage to my ship sustained?” One of the officers opened a datapad, “Damage reports are still coming in, mi'lord, and it is spread across several levels, but it appears that the majority of the damage occurred in bay 117.” Vader listened, then turned, stepping into the waiting turbolift alone. As the doors closed, his officers scrambled for another lift pod.

The Stormtrooper guards on either side of the entrance to the bay stiffened their stance a bit as Lord Vader stepped through the passageway into the bay. He stopped momentarily, taking in the initial view of the damage as he folded his cape back on both sides, revealing his gleaming upper chest and shoulder armor.

He leaned his helmeted head back, looking up at the twisted durasteel scar that ran the full height of the enormous bay and continued to both the decks above and below. The magnetic shield would hold back the vacuum of space until they could return to Fondor shipyard for repairs.

Thoughts of Kenobi and his son ran through his mind now as his officers silently approached through the access hall behind him, hoping not to be heard or noticed. For some reason he couldn’t shake the echoing words Kenobi had uttered during their final confrontation aboard the Death Star, ‘Anakin, you perceive the power of the Force as little as the spoon perceives the taste of the food.’

Without turning his head he spoke, “Commander, alert Fondor shipyard to have the necessary components prepared for immediate repairs to my ship.” The officer opened his datapad to send the message as he replied, “Yes, Lord Vader.”

With that, Vader whirled around, cape flying as he walked toward the hall. His men quickly parted, making a path for him. He stepped into the corridor beyond and headed back to the turbolift. His men remained several paces behind, waiting for him to leave the area before they stepped forward. They were all thankful for their lives and didn’t want that to change.

As he stood waiting for the lift to open, Vader felt the slight cool ripples he had been feeling in the Force fade away and vanish entirely. His son had been definitely been on Yavin IV and was now gone.

“Commander, I want probes searching every corner of this galaxy. I don’t care how many it takes. I want thousands dispatched immediately and thousands more lost as they pass beyond the fringes into unexplored space. I want mountains of data returned and analyzed. I want the Rebels found!” The datapad flew open once more as the officer replied, “Yes, Lord Vader.”

* * *

[Tyranus]

As he passed Adriana and Ohann, two gas giants, Luke witnessed the phenomenon which was the basis of ancient local legend. He had heard them repeatedly while growing up; of travelers mistaking Tatooine for a third, smaller sun. Its silicate surface reflected the light of its two suns so intensely it appeared nearly as bright as a third star.

The X-wing fighter raced through the upper fringes of Tatooine’s atmosphere, heading toward coordinates Leia had supplied him with. It was the same data her father had entrusted her with, and she in turn had embedded in R2’s memory systems as a command control for seeking out Obi Wan Kenobi. A string of data scrolled along the bottom edge of his nav’ panel display: Southwestern edge of the Dune Sea, Alpha-1733-Mu-9033, First Quadrant.

There was enough of the young farmboy left in him to want to go flying into Anchorhead, land his fighter in the sand outside Tosche Station, and stroll in to show his old friends where fate had taken him. Fortunately, there was also just enough of the fledgling Jedi apprentice not to.

He knew if he was to have any chance at the task that had been handed him; he needed to keep a most serious mind, a focused vision. There was much he needed to discover about himself and about the Force. Above all, patience with his own shortcomings and inexperience was needed as he began the journey toward understanding and enlightenment. He had to avenge his father by facing and defeating Vader. He had to become a Jedi.

Slowly, the details of the surface mountains below rose up from the surrounding sands as he neared the coordinates for a humble knight’s dwelling on the Southwestern edge of the Dune Sea.

* * *

The wind lifted Solo’s hair as he stared silently away into the darkening sky and clouds. Chewbacca stood at the bottom of the ‘Falcon’s boarding ramp behind him as Bria Tharen’s father softly wept at the news of his daughter’s death. Night was fast approaching.

The sun had disappeared below the Corellian horizon. Its brilliant, soft pink and orange glow had lasted but fleeting moments on the now-grey clouds overhead. Renn Tharen tried to regain his composure a bit as his thoughts raced in a million directions. His daughter was dead . . . his lovely Bria, his little girl.

He looked up suddenly as if remembering something, “Would you do something for me, Han?” Solo dropped his stare from the skies and turned to the old man, “Of course.”

“Wait here, I’ll be right back” he said, and hurried away into his home. Han noticed the grass beneath his black boots, now fluttering in the slight wind as memories of Corellia blew through him. This place, the small town of Bela Vistal, nestled in the Corellian Mountains, was a far cry from his darker memories of this planet.

Bela Vistal was quiet and serene with incredibly beautiful views in any direction. He thought of a possible far off future; perhaps settling here someday when he grew too old to play the game any longer. He would load up the contents of his various caches from around the galaxy, sell off what he didn’t need and find a small quiet place here where no one knew him.

He was roused from his thoughts as Renn returned with something in his hand. Bria’s aunt, Yané, gave her this when she was a child.” He held out a delicate gold chain with a small pendant dangling from it. “Bria wore this always and thought of her aunt often. When Bria formed the Red Hand, she left it behind safe with me, planning to once again wear it when her fight was over and reason was returned to the galaxy. Will you please take this to Yané, on Naboo? I know Bria would want her to have it.”

Han took the necklace and lifted his eyes to meet Renn’s, “I’ll make sure I put it in her hand myself.” Renn was visibly relieved, new tears falling from the corners of his eyes.

“Where will I find her on Naboo?”

Renn wiped his face with a soft cloth, “The last I heard from her she was residing in one of the royal lake houses. Yané was handmaiden to several of the Naboo Queens over the years, and when she retired from service to the royals, was allowed to continue living in the lake house.”

Han nodded his head slightly and reached for the other man’s hand. Renn pulled him close, throwing an arm around Han, embracing him. He spoke quietly, looking off into the gathering darkness, “Thank you for having the courage to come here and deliver the difficult news to me. I know this is hard for you too, son.” He released Han and turned away, heading back into his home.

A slight whimpering groan issued from far back in Chewie’s throat as Han walked past him into the ship, “Let’s get outta here.”

As the Falcon rose away from Corellia, Chewbacca’s hands moved over the controls, setting a course on the ‘nav computer. He glanced over at Han, who studied the necklace in his hand, running his thumb over the pendant.

“Naboo, huh?” said Solo to himself.

The Wook howled and pulled back on the throttle, propelling their ship into the slipstream of Hyperspace.

* * *

[Tyranus]

The flickering holoprojector went dim as the recording ended in static. Topolev and Etz glanced over at Holder, who was sitting on the edge of his own bunk now. Rogue turned to 4120, then to me, “Between that recording and the damaged lightsaber hilt we found in the carbon-freezing room, I would have to say . . . welcome to the group, Holder. You are now the newest member of the 104th Moisture Farm Patrol.

Danz nodded in agreement, as Etz sat down on Holder’s bunk, “OK, I’m just going to ask, because I know everyone else is thinking it. What was it like being frozen?” 0600 shook his head, as several others shifted on their feet, but all turned to listen to Holder’s answer.

“Well, I was conscious when I was frozen.” He paused. “I recommend NOT being conscious when you are frozen. The unit was opened and Slicer pulled out what looked like a drawer and forced me to lie down in it at blasterpoint. The drawer was made up of a heavy carbonite base plate and carbonite side plates which contain the hibernation circuitry and monitoring panels. He then slid me into the chamber and complete blackness. I remember feeling a quick blast of smoking, freezing gas sprayed out across my body in the small chamber. My limbs tightened up and my skin froze immediately. As incredibly as it sounds it kept getting colder exponentially as the process continued on.

I couldn’t move, I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t see. My lungs painfully crystallized and the blood in my veins was transformed from fluid to slush to ice in an instant as was my brain. Thankfully I blacked out at that point. I understand though, that once that happens, liquid carbonite is poured out onto the base plate beneath the freezing subject, filling up all around it and solidifying instantly.

When the fill level is reached just below the face, in my case, the filling stops and a thin layer of the metal is finally sprayed over the superfrozen flesh to seal the carbonite cocoon. Once the seal is made complete, the embedded hibernation systems kick in to keep the contained object or person frozen solid beneath the metal exterior. I remember nothing about the duration of my encasement.

When I was released, it was just as painful, but in a reversed, different way. Coming out of the cold, the thin sprayed on metal melts and runs off the still-frozen object beneath. Once the thin carbonite covering melts away, your organs and fluids quick-thaw, which burns terribly, like being scorched and stuck with thousands of vibro-blades all at once. While all this is going on your head is spinning and your stomach feels sick, like you need to vomit. And on top of that you are coming out of it completely blind so you are absolutely at the mercy of those who thaw you or are present when the thaw takes place. It’s not something I’d want to go through twice.”

Etz finally blinked as Holder’s description came to a close.

“But I’m feeling much better now. The seizures and hibernation sickness cramps seem to have stopped, and my memories are beginning to come out of the haze a bit.”

Rogue continued listening, then turned to Topolev and Falker, “You both have been in charge of small groups in your previous assignments. I want you to begin working with Holder on a physical rehabilitation program. His muscles will have atrophied and need reconditioning after such a long encasement.”

He turned to Ddraig and me, “Good work with the ‘droid. It’ll be nice having one around again.” Ddraig shot me a glance of accomplishment as Rogue and 4120 walked away into the front command center.

Holder stood up from his bunk and exchanged glances with Falker and Topolev, “Okay guys, where do we start?”

Topolev cut his eyes away from Holder, across to Falker, “Let’s take him out back in the courtyard and get him going on some physical activity.” Falker nodded, “We’ll start with walking and some basic exercises and stretching, but by the end of the week I want you running, trooper.”

Holder raised his eyebrows, “Yes sir.”

I watched as they made their way to the back room and the loading dock’s door, throwing it open to the courtyard. As the room cleared out, I pulled the tracking unit from my belt and flipped it on. I was anxious to get back out to the Wastes and explore Kenobi’s home, but it would have to wait for now.

* * *

[Tyranus]

The mid afternoon light created crisp shadows that fell across the stone floor of “Alpha-1733-Mu-9033, First Quadrant”. Luke sat quietly in the same space he had used to repair Threepio’s detached arm. It was as if he was now re-visiting that past moment as a third party. Closing his eyes, he could hear echoes of Ben’s voice revealing small glimpses into the man his father had been. The brief words painted a faceless picture in his head of a heroic Jedi warrior pilot from the Old Republic.

He wondered about his mother. Kenobi had made no mention of her. Who had she been, and what role had she played in his father’s life? He knew Vader had murdered his father and now Ben as well, but what happened to her? Had the Dark lord come for her as well?

Anger rose within him as he rolled these thoughts over in his mind. Somewhere inside, though, it occurred to him that anger was probably not a trait the Jedi Order would have taught or embraced, and he calmed his rage as his eyes opened. Vader did not begin this life as an evil person, he rationalized. Something or someone shaped who he became and fostered in him the darkness to do such things.

Luke tried silently to forgive Vader for the sins the fallen Jedi had committed against him and his family. The journey to become a Jedi must be a long and arduous one, he thought, because he could not find the forgiveness he searched for within his heart. More discipline and maturity than he currently possessed would be needed for that. He did, however, seek a place in his heart and mind to move past it for the moment, and focus on finding a way to rein in the darkness that had descended upon the galaxy.

As he looked around, he realized everything was as Ben had left it as they hastily fled to Mos Eisley. Given Ben’s age, he assumed there would have been far more possessions and belongings than he saw as he looked around the room. Was that perhaps another Jedi trait, to live with great purpose, possessing very little? Three small statues sat on the low, round table before him, where he and Ben had watched Leia’s urgent, pleading message.

Leaning forward, he picked one of them up, turning it over in his hands. It was deceivingly heavy for its size, and appeared to be an artful rendering of an exotic bird. The first birds he had ever seen were in the jungles on Yavin IV. They were like smaller, tamer, feathered versions of the scale-covered Skettoes here on Tatooine. He returned the statue to the table and stood up, walking over to the upright chest from which Obi-Wan had pulled his father’s lightsaber. He felt the weight of the weapon on his belt now as he reverently placed his hands on the lid of the chest, pausing slightly, then opening it slowly.

There were several articles of clothing on top. Moving those aside, he uncovered a small set of fine tools wrapped up in a cloth case and tied with a strip of leather. Beside them was a small bag of rough stones. He traced the bottom of the compartment with his hands to make sure there were no more loose articles. When he was sure he had seen everything, he took out the tools and stones and closed the chest.

There must be something here, some information or scrap of flimsy with some type of direction in which he should go. Luke placed the tools and stones on the table beside the statues and made his way toward the rear of Ben’s home where he slept. There was a modest bed of sorts, another small table and a chair. Over the back of the chair was draped a poncho similar to the one Luke had worn when he first met the old Jedi. He ran his hands over it as his eyes swept over the room. Several larger tools hung on the wall here, tools used to prepare and work leather. A small pile of leather and half completed projects lay beneath them on the floor.

Try as he might to discover something, nothing seemed to jump out at him as overly unusual or important. He moved back into the small hallway and was headed toward the main living space when he saw something on the floor sticking out from beneath a rug. He knelt down, flipped the rug back out of the way, exposing a narrow trap door. Slipping his finger into the recessed ring, he lifted the hatch out of his way and stepped down the stone steps into a small room which housed a small power furnace and several large water holding tanks. He ran his hands over the solid stone walls looking for some secret hiding compartment, but nothing was there to find. Frustrated, he climbed the steps back into the house and closed the hatch.

He was feeling very discouraged when he felt a slight tingling in his neck and faintly heard a familiar voice whispering to him, “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.”

[Tyranus]

With the tingling sensation still cascading down his neck, Luke drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly and evenly as he closed his eyes, calming himself. In his mind’s eye, he remembered the journey to Alderaan, and the time spent with Obi-Wan learning basic lightsaber skills aboard the Millennium Falcon.

He remembered the feel of the gridded deckplates beneath his feet, the new lightsaber hilt in his hands, and the smell inside the musty helmet with the blast shield lowered. As he moved ahead through his memories he heard the muffled sound of Ben’s voice calmly speaking from across the room, “Let go your conscious self, and act on instinct. Stretch out with your feelings.”

Suddenly, a calm washed over him and the darkness he saw within his closed eyelids got considerably darker. As this happened, the size and scope of the darkness now stretched on to infinity and it began to feel contoured to him somehow. He felt a sort of invisible recognition of the dark room around him, not unlike the echolocation vision that Mynocks and other sightless, cave-dwelling animals used to navigate in their surroundings.

The nearby areas of the endless darkness now had a feel, a shape, and he could see Ben Kenobi’s hermitage as if his eyes were open wide, with one exception. Now he could see things his eyes had kept hidden from him. “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them” he whispered. Now within the dark terrain around him, there was a faint glow beneath the poncho that lay draped over the chair. The same glow emanated from the three statues on the table and from within the chest he had already inspected.

He opened his eyes slowly and the tingling in his neck subsided. He exhaled, completely in awe of what had just happened. “It penetrates us, and binds us” barely escaped his lips in a whisper as he moved back to the poncho. He lifted it from the chair back, feeling the texture of the fabric in his hands. As he held it, another different voice whispered in his ears, “Feel, don’t think. See things before they happen. Fear not, boy. Obi-Wan was my padawaan.” Then the voice was gone.

The cloak was obviously important to Obi-Wan, although Luke was unsure what a padawaan was. With his eyes still shut, he moved to the chest and again raised the lid. He lifted out the clothing and saw one of the side walls giving off a slight glow. Running his finger over the tooled wood, he pressed ever so slightly and the bottom of the compartment sprung up slightly on one end. He slipped a finger under that end and lifted the false bottom to reveal a small compartment beneath.

From within the small hidden space, he withdrew a small, clear cube with strange symbols and markings on it. As he did, the glow within the chest disappeared. Holding the cube in his hand, he turned toward the last point of light in the room coming from the statues on the table. Their glow had nearly faded completely and as he moved closer clutching the poncho in one hand and the cube in the other, their dim light faded away entirely.

He sat once again in his familiar spot with the newfound items cradled carefully on his lap and opened his eyes. The Tatooine daylight streamed in as he did causing him to squint as his eyes readjusted to the light. The small cube in his hands was made up of several layers of clear cubes within the clear outer cube. All had different patterns of etched markings on their surfaces.

[Tyranus]

WOW! This thread has broken 10,000 viewings! Thanks for reading! <!-- s:) --><!-- s:) -->

Here's some more:

Luke was amazingly relaxed after coming out of his Force vision, and sat motionless as he studied the cube, running his index finger over the detailed surface etchings. Suddenly and silently, a bright light flashed out from inside.

As quickly as it had appeared it was gone, and then he could feel something moving, shifting within the box. The etchings were sliding, rearranging, realigning. As the movement stopped, there was a barely audible click, like a delicate locking mechanism releasing . . . surrendering its protected wealth.

A flickering recording opened, projected upward from the cube, about a half meter into the air. He set the cube on the table beside the statues as the image of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, standing on a Tatooine ridge top appeared and began to speak:

“Hello Luke. If you are viewing this message, I am already gone, and unable to pass on this information to you in person. There is much to be covered, and I know you have questions of me, young one. I will reveal the answers to you in time as your destiny unfolds.” Luke sat mesmerized by the youthful image of his mentor.

“First, the most obvious question I’m sure you have is regarding why you were raised by your Aunt and Uncle and what happened to your parents. Tragically, they both died on the same day and never knew you either. Your mother died in childbirth, shortly after you were delivered.

Your father, my Padawaan, or Jedi learner, grew into a Jedi Knight just as I was . . . am. He was an amazing pilot and a good friend who found himself in the Jedi Temple when it was gutted by the Emperor’s troops in what later became known as the Great Purge. He was betrayed and destroyed, as we all were . . . by a Jedi that had fallen victim to the trappings of the Sith’s lust for power.

Tragically this fallen Jedi, Darth Vader, betrayed and murdered your father on the day of your birth. Anakin’s life was cut short that day, and he was unable to be with his wife when you were born. He wanted children and would have loved you and spent the time with you that I know you craved from a father.

After your mother’s passing, I brought you here to live with your Aunt and Uncle. I tried to watch over you as best I could, but your uncle allowed me little contact which was ultimately cut off entirely. He felt if he could keep you sheltered from the past, he could keep you safe from the forces that took your parents. His methods may have been hard to swallow, but his intentions were always for your safety and well-being.

Your father was a great Jedi. I knew it would be my final assignment to stand guard over you until you could reach an age where with a free will, you might be trained as he was. Anakin was strong in the Force, as are you. It is you and your untapped abilities and skills that are the best hope this galaxy has of ever reversing the malignancy of the Empire. You are the last hope of restoring the freedoms of the Old Republic that were taken from us all.”

Luke was staring, eyes wide, at the recording as Ben continued.

“I know this a lot to take in all at once, but the training that I had anticipated for you was never allowed. You must be strong and trust that I will lead you on a responsible training path. I know your instinct is to be angry at Darth Vader and want revenge for what he took from you. I can not stress this enough, young one; you must let go of those feelings altogether. Anger and fear are the first steps on the path to the Dark side. Release them and it will make you stronger than he could ever hope to be.

The next piece to reveal is a bit of history. I’ll begin with the military forces which were used to implement the Emperor’s twisted power play. In a period of unrest, when many in the temple felt that such a coup might someday transpire, a Jedimaster set out on his own to put in motion a protective measure which ultimately was our undoing.

Master Sifo Dyas, seen here in an archival holo, solicited the creation of a Clone Army which he felt would be a way of assisting the Jedi in protecting the Republic during a struggle for control.”

Unfortunately, his vision of a protective presence was distorted by the Emperor and used to implement martial law throughout the galaxy as his plans to seize control of the Republic were put into motion.

The new Emperor’s strike team, led by Darth Vader and his 501st Legion, stormed the temple killing everyone in their path. It was their intention to completely extinguish the flame of the Jedi Order forever, so that the Sith might rule the galaxy unopposed. As part of their scheme, they sent a beacon from the Temple, recalling all Jedi assigned elsewhere to return to the Temple and their deaths.

My master’s master and I discovered this signal, and returned to the Temple to alter it, warning other Jedi to stay away and hide.

It was on my way to do this that I carefully made my way to the surface of Coruscant, to the only person I knew I could trust. He told me troops had already been in his diner looking for me, and that it wasn’t safe to be there. I said goodbye to him, knowing I would never see him again.

I was working my way through the surface streets on my way to the temple when I came upon the broken and bloodied body of a Jedimaster who lay dying in an alley. He was near death when I came upon him. His arm had been severed by a lightsaber, and the ravages of the Emperor’s Force lightning had robbed him of all but the smallest traces of life, to which he clung fiercely. In his dying breath he told me of several small statues in his private chambers which held embedded information about the Jedi Order.

He made me swear to take them when I reached the Temple. He said it was information he had compiled for just such a catastrophic event that could help rebuild the Order someday. I kept that promise, and if you are viewing this message, you already have the statues. When the time is right, I will reveal to you how to retrieve the information in them.”

Luke glanced from the holo image to the three statues on the table.

“Now I will guide you to my first Tatooine home, a cave among the cliffs where there is still more information hidden there for you . . .”

* * *

[Tyranus]

As the Wookiee descended the lowered entry ramp from within the ‘Falcon, both he and Captain Solo now felt the chest-pounding concussive sound of the twin waterfalls they had seen on approach to the shipping terminal. They had been directed to set down in the center of the huge terminal yard’s landing platform, which was situated at the base of an enormous cliff, over which these twin falls coursed.

The domed buildings of the Royal Palace could be seen through the mist atop the cliffs. Theed, the capitol city of Naboo, was located far above them, on the stony banks of the river which fed the waterfall to their West.

Solo slapped a fully charged erg clip into his blaster and shoved it back in his holster. He walked away from the Wook to speak to the nearest port officer about securing a personal transport to the city above. Chewbacca stood transfixed, staring at the raw power of the incredible falls. He breathed in the smell of the mist that hung in the air and was momentarily reminded of the similar intense beauty of his homeworld, Kashyyyk.

Solo walked up behind, and tapped his co-pilot on the shoulder, “Chewie, I’ve set up a transport that’ll take me up there.” he said pointing to the top of the Western Falls. “There’s a small waterfront area there where I can get a water taxi out to the royal lake house, so I can deliver this.” He opened his palm, revealing the pendant. The necklace was wrapped around his open hand twice.

“I need you to stay here, pal.” He looked away scanning the cliffs above as clouds floated through the expansive, blue afternoon sky. Chewie barked a short response. “I don’t know why. There’s no reason. I’ve just got a bad feeling about it.” The Wook growled a bit in response, raising his furry arms. “I know nobody knows we were coming here, but I want to be ready to get outta here fast if we have to.” Chewie whined softly as he looked back to the powerful waterfalls, then turned to re-enter the ship as he watched Solo walk off toward the small transport.

He knew there would be no time for him to make any real repairs, but he could keep busy running diagnostic scans on the ship. The idea of Solo without someone watching his back was not a comforting one. Chewbacca took his life-debt to the Corellian pilot very seriously. As the huge Wookiee entered the cockpit, he watched as Solo’s transport lifted away. Turning his attention back to his tasks, his fingers moved quickly across the instruments as he initiated a deep system scan.

*

Solo watched the familiar shape of his ship growing smaller below as the transport rose up the steep cliff, headed toward Theed. The transport finally emerged above the stone wall only to find the waterfront area empty and no water taxis in sight. “I’ll take you passengers over closer to the palace. I forgot. The waterfront area is closed this afternoon in observation of our fallen past queens.”

The transport pilot maneuvered the small craft into the courtyard outside the palace grounds, where many had gathered to pay their respects to the lost monarchs. For a place of such amazing beauty, and such a sizeable gathering, there was the inescapable crushing weight of silent reverence, sorrowful reflection and genuine mourning from the masses as they lay wreaths and flowers at the base of the monuments here.

The small transport vehicle continued well past the solemn gathering and beyond more official Royal buildings that encircled the palace before it eventually came to a stop, touching down on the stone street of the lakeside walk and landing. Even here there was a sizeable gathering of people, watching the beauty of the lake and reflecting on those they had lost. Han stepped out quickly, eyes moving across the crowd, one hand hovering above his sidearm as he made his way through the masses toward the stone railing on the far side of the expansive courtyard. He placed a hand on the smooth stone rail that overlooked the magnificent lake and leaned over, peering down to the water’s edge below. Several water taxis stood ready for their next fare. A slight grin crept over his face as he looked left and right, searching for a way down to the lower level.

He moved right, following the gently curving stairs down to the walkway that skirted the water’s edge. As he approached the first taxi, he looked the old oarsman in the eyes, “I need to go to the royal lake house. I have a delivery for one of the royal haindmaidens.” The old man shook his head and blocked Solo from entering his tiny craft. A younger oarsman called to him, and waved him over. “Sorry about that. Some of the old timers take todays’ meaning a bit to extremes. Where did you say you needed to go?”

Solo eyed the younger man carefully as he stepped down into the small boat and sat down, “The Royal lake house.”

“Sorry mate, they’re closed to the public.”

Han grinned, “That’s good to know, but I’m not going as a tourist. I’m making a personal delivery to one of the retired Royal Handmaidens that lives there now. Her name is Yane, and the delivery is from her niece.”

The boy looked up sharply at the name. “If my history is correct, she was handmaiden to Queen Amidala, one of the queens we’re honoring here today. I’ll take you over and announce you. It will be up to the handmaiden whether or not she receives you, today of all days.”

Han nodded as he settled back against the seat, “Fair enough.”

*

[Tyranus]

Here's a bit more that I've been working on.

Yane’s thick hair blew back away from the dark features of her face as she hurried across the veranda. Her feet noiselessly padded along the footpath of half-buried stone slabs as she circled around to the stairs which lazily wound down to the water’s edge.

The delivery announcement was unexpected, but when the voice on the intercom mentioned her niece, Bria, she dropped everything. The warm lake waters lapped rhythmically at the stone retaining walls as she came around the final turn and could see the oarsman standing in the water taxi.

She slowed her pace a bit as she closed the remaining gap between herself and the bottom of the landing, “It’s all right. Let him pass.” The oarsman dropped the arm that held Solo back. Han stepped out of the small boat onto the stone step, eyeing the woman, “Yane?”

She nodded slowly, her eyes locked on his, “Yes, I am Yane. Who are you?”

“Renn Tharen sent me to deliver this.” He extended his hand as Yane opened hers. The necklace and pendant slid from his hand into her palm. The metal was still warm from his grip, but a chill went through her as she realized what it was. Her eyes flew open wide as her gaze darted from the pendant back to Han’s eyes, “Where is she? Is she all right?” She frantically looked to him for an answer as he searched for a delicate, but elusive way to word his devastating message. In the end, he could find no easy way, “I’m sorry . . . Bria is dead.”

A curtain of white, sparkling points of shimmering light abruptly lowered before her eyes, and she almost passed out completely as her legs buckled beneath her at the news. She recovered quickly as Han reached out and grabbed her, steadying her and lowering her slowly to the stone steps. The oarsman jumped over to help, fanning her face a bit.

“How . . . did this happen?” was all she could manage, tears welling in her dark brown eyes as a breeze caught the delicate strands of hair that now fell across her face. Han raised her back to her feet slowly, “Let’s get you to a more comfortable seat, and I’ll tell you all I know.” She nodded slowly and steadied herself as they turned to ascend the steps toward the courtyard and veranda above.

“Let’s go out over there, under the trees.” She said as they passed by the hill that sloped up to the veranda.

“There’s a nice breeze coming off the water this afternoon. We can talk there.” Tears slid down her strikingly beautiful face as the impact of the loss ripped through her again. There was ample shade beneath the canopy of trees, and the veranda sat in a perfect spot overlooking the lake.

Yane stepped away from Han, her feet crunching in the bed of small stones as they approached the intricately carved railing. She reached out, clasping the stone rail with her right hand as her left held up the necklace. She brushed her thumb over it as flashes and images from the day she had placed it around her young niece’s neck surfaced in her thoughts: “Whenever you wear this, Bria, think of me and how much I love you. You’re the daughter I could never have, sweetie. I love you as if you were my own.”

The mental images and memories of the smiling child faded away and the biting pain of reality came crashing down on the royal handmaiden once again. She cupped a hand across her mouth, and tears fell freely as spasms of grief tore through her again and again, shaking her. “How did it happen?”

The sweet smell of the flowers along the rail wafted across them as Han stared out across the laker at the distorted, rippled reflections in the waters. “Have you ever heard of the Red Hand?”

* * *

The small flashing beacon illuminated the tech’s face as he searched the database to identify its origin. The search results splashed across the screen and his eyes grew wide as he reached to depress the comm key, “Lord Vader! Lord Vader!”

*

The comm channel opened and a tone sounded as Vader sat in his private chambers, “Lord Vader! Lord Vader!”

The dark Lord motioned briefly, channeling the Force to activate the comm. “Yes? What is it?”

The tech on the other end of the line cleared his throat and spoke up, “We’re picking up a transponder signal, sir. We have identified the signal as the one assigned to the Millennium Falcon, milord.”

Vader thought a moment, “The strike team on Yavin IV recovered that transponder already. Captain Solo discovered it and left it behind in the Massassi temple. This isn’t news.”

The line went silent for a moment before the reply came, “MiLord, the transponder on the Millennium Falcon was a dual-core twin transponder. Captain Solo may have found the first transmitter, but the secondary unit’s timer mechanism was tripped when the first was removed. It has waited the programmed amount of time to avoid detection, and is now signaling. The scrambled beacon we’re receiving is definitely that of the second twin, planted on the Millennium Falcon. It’s a strong signal, and it’s coming from Naboo.”

Vader leaned close to the comm and replied, “Have the crew of the Intruder prepped. I’m on my way and will be on their bridge within the hour.”

“Yes, milord.”

* * *

[Tyranus]

DUPE POSTING - SORRY

[Tyranus]

My arm was buried up to the elbow, and the part in question was well out of sight. I closed my eyes, heightening the awareness of all sensations in my fingertips. I was absolutely focused on feeling the rotation of the fuel line coupler until the threads on the small part finally caught.

The swoop bike I had picked up at the parts store wasn’t that old, but had been treated roughly and had been in dire need of some basic repairs and maintenance. I tightened the piece down by hand and then reached for the coupler wrench to finish the job. When it was firmly in place, I pulled my arm out of the small space in the engine compartment.

As I wiped off the thick, black lubricants that were smeared across my forearm, Holder came running into the courtyard, closely followed by Falker and Topolev. All three crossed behind the Sentinel and looped back around to the loading dock where I was working.

Winded, and barely able to form the words to speak, Topolev leaned against the dock with his head hung low, gasping in breaths, “Not bad, Holder. You’re showing some improvement.”

“Improvement my ***.” said Holder. “I ran both of you guys until you could barely keep up. I’m fine. I haven’t felt better than this in a long time.”

“Yeah.” wheezed Topolev, “Me too. Never better.”

Falker laughed, his chest heaving also, “I don’t think there’s much more we can do to help you, Holder. It looks like you’re back in pretty decent shape now.” His last words were strained and forced out as his breath ran out. The astromech that had been assisting me with the swoop bike beeped and whistled as it completed the system check on the swoop’s electronic systems.

“Deck, how much more do you have to do to this thing before It’ll work? asked Holder.

I disconnected one end of the data cable from the ‘droid and the other from the bike. “There are still some minor adjustments needed on the thrust bias to smooth it out some, but it should run now. Actually, I guess it’s ready for a test.”

The ‘droid moved away as I stood up and rolled one leg over the saddle. I silently mouthed a phrase about breaking someone’s knees if this didn’t work, and switched the power on with the grip activator. As I did, the displays winked on showing thrust sequencing and power cell readings. The engines stuttered once as the air bubbles in the repaired fuel line worked their way through. When the engine finally kicked in, it kicked in strong and then calmed to a steady and constant whine.

Holder nodded his head approvingly, “Sounds good, man. You going for a test ride?”

I suddenly remembered that I still had the coded directions to Kenobi’s home in the tracking device in my belt pouch. It had been a couple of weeks since I had found the site, but had not been fortunate enough to have the time to return. “Yeah, I might take it out of the city and run it out into the Dune Sea. I can really open it up and see what she’ll do out there.”

“Sounds good. I’ll tell Rogue you’re gone for a while.”

I reached over to the loading dock and grabbed the tools and an extra power cell, tossing them into one of the saddlebags just in case I might need them. I clipped my forearm and hand armor back on and pulled my bucket securely down on my head. With everything in place, I rolled the bike into a slow turn out through the narrow alley into the street out front. Dust and sand sprayed up as I stepped down on the accelerator pedal and headed out across the city in the direction of the Dune Sea.

The little ‘droid had rolled up the loading dock ramp and through the open bay door. Holder grabbed Topolev’s hand and pulled him to a standing position, C’mon, brother, let’s go.”

*

The sand and stone on the floor of the canyon I was in streaked by as I opened up the throttle. I had been able to breathe life back into the damaged bike, and it felt good to get more life out of it. I noted a tall spire of stone atop the right cliff face. I knew I was close to the right area as I approached where it opened out to the edge of the Dunes.

The tracking unit had me located almost on top of the mapped coordinates. I noticed something ahead, so I cut back on my speed, and slowed down considerably. As I drew closer I could see it was a ship draped in very effective sand-colored camouflaging nets. The swoop slid up alongside it as I cut the engines off. The bike coasted to a stop and I dismounted, pulling off my helmet.

The ship had a long, narrow fuselage whose nose protruded from beneath the netting, which had been rolled back by the dry gusting winds. There was a quad-pack of engines clustered in the rear; two on either side of the cockpit. It had a broad wingspan with wingtip cannon armaments. I glanced around quickly as I recognized the fighter. It was one of two preferred fighter craft currently in service by the Alliance. It was the lethal T-65 X-wing fighter, but its pilot was nowhere to be found.

* * *

[Tyranus]

Here's a bit more:

The golden metallic chance cubes dangled at the end of a delicate chain firmly gripped in the Wook’s left hand. He wasn’t sure about Solo’s reasons for not wanting them in the 'Falcon’s cockpit. Maybe the cocky Corellian had a hidden superstitious streak in him. Whatever the reason, he had a definite disliking for them. Chewie draped them over the control lever that jutted from the overhanging bulkhead and grinned with a mischievous woof-woofing that could only have been the Wookiee equivalent of laughter.

He reached back in the leather pouch at his waist pulling out a rag and some small tools for cleaning the bowcaster that lay across the console in front of him. Gripping it underneath and holding it up, he carefully wiped it down and was preparing a small tool for cleaning out the firing mechanism when a warning indicator flashed on the wall panel beside his head. The system scan had uncovered something.

He set the bowcaster down and flipped off the warning. Then he turned, shaking his head, toward the system monitoring display to see what had been detected. The ‘Falcon had so many custom upgrades and modifications that system scan “anomalies” were not always a bad thing.

The data on the screen scrolled past at a dizzying rate until the screen locked onto a highlighted row showing a slight electrical pulse wave in the hyperdrive motivator core. He had spent more than his fair share of time down in the drive pit working on the engines on this ship, and had run countless monitoring sweeps on the drive system until it was tuned to near perfection. This pulse wave didn’t belong.

He stood up sharply and stepped out of the cockpit headed to the rear and the drive engines. The air in the ship was still and quiet. All the systems except the scan had been shut down. The large, furry Wookiee hands gripped the gridded deck plate as strong arms lifted the panel aside, exposing the heart of the ‘Falcon.

Chewie placed his hands on both edges of the pit and suspended himself as he swung his long legs over the edge, groaning slightly. Gently he lowered himself down to the pit floor and let go. The crisscrossed metal rods of the alluvial dampers, hydrospanners and the lower central core of the motivator cluster were still and lifeless and quiet. As he visually scanned the pit, looking over the parts, peering back into the shadowy recesses, he reached into his leather pouch again and withdrew a small handheld sweep scanner.

The tiny screen winked on as he calibrated it for a specific search. Then he initiated the device, which began emitting a popping ping sound as it searched for a detectable electrical pulse pattern. Almost immediately the display indicated a yellow triangle to his right. He moved the scanner in that direction and the yellow triangle centered itself on the screen as he brought it around to the power cable bundles that fed the motivator cluster stack.

Leaning closer, he realized that it wasn’t coming from the stack, as the triangle moved off-center. He pulled back a bit and moved the scanner up a bit to a panel that covered the branching wiring harnesses. He pressed the flush release latch, opening the small durasteel hatch. Inside was a rat’s nest of wires, and nestled in the center, bolted to the bulkhead at the back of the panel was a silver device about the size of a thermal detonator.

Chewie’s eyes narrowed. It was definitely not part of the ship. Solo had removed a device similar to this back in the temple hangar on Yavin IV. He had only heard of twin-core transponders, but had never seen one until now. The Empire was playing for keeps this time, and this was a little too close to home for his liking. The Wookiee's furry lip curled back and Chewbacca growled angrily as his incredibly strong right hand ripped the device from the bulkhead.

With it firmly in his grip, he climbed out of the pit and raced off to the boarding ramp. He was about halfway down to the landing pad when he threw the transponder out to the duracrete and drew his bowcaster up to fire. A double-tap of crimson flashed from the weapon, disintegrating the Imperial tracking device as it tumbled over the ground. A small curl of smoke rose up from what was left of it. Chewie lowered the bowcaster as he turned to head back to the cockpit, not seeing the smoking trails streaking across the sky as Imperial landing craft and deployment pods made their way to the Naboo surface.

He slipped into Solo’s chair and held down the comm key, barking into the microphone in a series of angry howls and throaty hollers.

*

One of the devices clamped onto Solo’s belt buzzed as he looked out over the water from beneath the trees that shaded the courtyard. He put down his drink and reached for it, pulling the comm from its holder and flicking it on. Wookiee howls and barks spewed out as soon as the channel opened. He looked up into the sky noticing rolling clouds as he responded, “Calm down Chewie, slow down. Start over, pal. You know I can’t follow you when you get all worked up talking fast like that.”

The Wook began again, trying to control himself as he relayed his discovery to Solo. Concern washed over the Corellian’s face as his copilot continued. Then as he continued to listen to the howls and groans, his eyes darted back up toward the sky as a chest-crushing, rumbling sound rained from above. The ground was shaking, and across the lake, the rapidly gathering clouds seemed to be spontaneously forming across the skies above Theed. Yane came running from the lake house across the courtyard toward him “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

She ran up to the stone railing beside Solo, looking out across the water as small dark shapes began to emerge, falling out of the rumbling clouds. A few seconds later, the unmistakable scream from the twin ion engines of Imperial TIE fighters reached them. As it did, the frothy clouds parted, revealing the sloping bow of an Imperial Star Destroyer emerging from concealment with another behind it.

As they watched, Imperial all terrain walkers advanced down the main boulevard, terrorizing the masses gathered there to honor their royal dead. Han’s eyes were wide and his mind raced trying to figure a way out of this one, “Chewie, get her fired up and hidden somewhere nearby. Don’t try to get to me. It’s too much of a risk to try and get away twice. You can’t afford to be seen until we’re ready to go. I’m already on my way back.”

He turned to Yane as he secured the comm back on his belt, “I’ve gotta get back to the shipping terminal, what’s the most hidden way?” She was still staring across the water at the horror unfolding before them. “Yane!” She jumped and turned to him, as if startled from a dream, “What do they want?”

Solo stared back at her, “They want me and my ship, for helping the cause that Bria gave her life to support. Right now, I need you to focus and honor her memory. What’s the best way back to the terminal?”

“I . . . I know a way that will hide you from these searching eyes.” she stammered, and began to run toward the upper terrace, Han running after her.

“Hurry, I have an airspeeder. We need to make it to the royal hangar before the troops get there. Beneath it are water tunnels that were once used for power generation. They should be deserted.”

* * *

[Tyranus]

The expansive ceiling of the sparkling blue sky overhead stretched from one horizon to the other, unobstructed by anything but the occasional wisp of thin clouds. Sunlight glittered across the pristine frozen landscape, and the endless snowdrifts of this beautiful but brutally unforgiving place muffled all echoes; swallowed all noise but the bitter, wailing wind. A spray of ice crystals, caught in the swift, frigid breeze, blew in a thin fog just above the ground.

The rebel scout, lying on his belly at the crest of the snow ridge pulled his scarf tighter across his mouth and raised the macrobinoculars to his goggle covered eyes. He was sure there had been movement in the next valley. The electronically enhanced image flickered slightly but showed nothing. He swept the lenses back and forth trying to confirm what he thought he had seen. It appeared there was nothing.

He switched them off and slung them back under his left arm. As he turned his attention away from the valley and back to securing an anchored hook at the mouth of the ice cave he was about to explore, he failed to see an enormous creature covered in frost-white fur rise from its still, crouched position in the valley. It ran in a standing posture, taking huge strides, and quickly disappearing over the crest of the hill on the far side of the valley.

The shaggy animal with the saddle just behind the soldier sniffed at the air and shifted uneasily from one leg to the other. It turned its head sharply to one side, exhaling with a loud, strained whine followed by a shudder that started at its head and worked its way through the rest of the body. The scout glanced back at his ride, and then back to the work at hand. He fed his line through the secured hook, gave an abrupt tug, then dropped his legs over the edge of the opening and lowered himself inside.

Although a cave to be used for the main hangar and base of operations had already been located and was actively being carved out for use, there was still the matter of where to locate the main power generators for the site. This cave was already proving to be very promising for that purpose. He slid down the line a bit, digging the spikes on his boots into the face of the wall just inside the cave mouth and looked around.

This cave was narrow, but would allow most of the power generators to be hidden underground with only the top half revealed for venting purposes. He drew his left forearm up to his face and pressed the comm button, “Echo one to echo base, location confirmed. Send the cutters and engineers to my mark.”

* * *

Flashes of lightning tore through the clouded, darkening sky over Theed as deadly static discharges from the hull of the Destroyer arced to the ground. A strong wind whipped over the speeder, shaking it violently, as cool air rushed in to replace the superheated air boiling up and away from the massive ship’s steaming hull.

Han was eyeing the silenced monitor on the instrument cluster. It showed a live news feed of AT-ATs advancing on the downtown plaza, firing into the crowds. People were running frantically as several of the monuments were destroyed under fire from the mobile cannons. The feed abruptly switched over to the broadcast center showing Stormtroopers swarming into the smoky building. Han reached over to increase the volume.

A reporter was yelling to be heard over the explosions and blaster fire behind him, “I repeat, the Empire has taken control of the palace and all royal hangars. I advise everyone to take immediate cover!” The video feed jumped through several views of the royal plaza and then to a view of the hangars with Stormtroopers pouring in through the open doors, assuming control. As the image flickered and jumped back to the reporter, Stormtroopers had advanced on his position, showing no hesitation in blasting a wide hole through him as he continued his broadcast. He slumped to the floor, and as several troopers took over his position, the monitor suddenly cut to a static test pattern and tone.

Yané raced across both rivers and through groves of huge, lush trees heading for the hangar. “It’s just ahead”, she shouted.

“Can’t go that way” yelled Han pointing at the monitor, “They’re already there.”

She looked at the monitor momentarily and cut her eyes away quickly as she responded, “They’re shutting things down in a hurry. What’d you do?”

Han grinned, remembering the role he had played in reducing the Death Star to a debris field. “I don’t know . . . I might have broken something of theirs.”

Remembering the time she had spent doing research for the queen in the archives, she abruptly changed course, veering to the right and gaining altitude. The airspeeder climbed quickly and was headed straight for a cluster of tall, domed towers that rose up along the banks of the river.

As they came around, Han saw stone bridges connecting the towers and spires reaching up from their domes, with the rushing river water far below. Then he saw the grassy landing pad on the roof of the tower they were heading for.

“This isn’t as direct as going through the hangars, but there’s another connecting entrance to the water tunnels beneath the archives in the bowels of these towers. Let’s just hope they aren’t here yet."

* * *

[Tyranus]

The small holocron, pulling at his insides, had successfully led the young Rebel Commander away from his landing site at Kenobi’s hermitage. Luke’s tendency to doubt was definitely being tested, as the cube had delivered him deeper into the stony cliffs where caves now littered the rock walls. With foresight, he had shed his flight jacket, leaving it with the poncho inside Kenobi’s home, and had now rolled up the sleeves and unfastened the top few buttons of his crisp officer’s shirt.

He climbed carefully over the sharp stone outcroppings further and further up into the deep crevasse, heading toward the summit which overlooked the canyons below. As he approached the top of the ridge, a very large opening, hidden from anyone below this treacherous point came into view as he reached this obscure vantage point. It was a heavily weathered opening, leading into the cool darkness of a large cave.

Beneath this opening was a spillway of small rocks and stone slabs. The lonely calling of the wind was all he heard as he drew closer, kneeling to examine one of them. It had been carefully dumped with all the others to either side of the path leading toward the cave, but did not appear to be a natural deposit of broken stone. The flat surfaces of the slabs were perfectly flat, while their stone edges appeared to have melted, oozing out over the edge before re-solidifying. He ran his fingers over the smooth, rounded mounds of stone along the edges as he looked around at the many similar slabs.

He stood up, wiped his face and carefully headed up the path into the opening ahead. As he stepped into the inky darkness, his vision was suddenly shrouded with a dark green patch where the glaring sunslight outside had temporarily stained his retina. The green color slowly faded away as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could now see that the ceiling of the enormous cave was nearly ten meters above. The lowest level here was small, with the gouged out remains of a stone water collection pool in the floor, most likely fed at one time by Kenobi’s ‘vaporator.

This lowest level had not been opened up as much as the levels above, but was open completely to the roof above. Ben had probably left it in its’ natural state to avoid calling attention to himself. Luke walked to the back wall of the cave. Curving steps had been hewn from the stone here; carved right into the wall. He ascended them, circling around to a second level.

Here, an assortment of small hand tools, electronics and flimsy documents, bound in some type of animal skin leather, sat exactly where they had been left behind on a stone workbench. It too had been carved right into the stone of one of the side walls. He stepped closer, running his hands over the smooth, flat surface of the bench and out to the same melted, oozing edges he had seen on the slabs outside. Obi-Wan must have carved out portions of this cave with his lightsaber, slicing through the stone and leaving smooth, rounded, molten edges behind. He walked away from the bench over to a half wall which provided a view to the level below.

After a brief look down, he turned away, scanning the rest of the room, which was empty. He made his way back to the steps and ascended to the third and final level of the cave home. This was a very small room that had been hollowed out just beneath the top of the ridge line. A small overlook afforded a view to the lower levels of the cave and a narrow slot, also pierced by a lightsaber, allowed an amazing view of the canyons and Dune Sea as well as the path which twisted its’ way up to the cave.

This small space was most likely where Kenobi had slept, protected and able to see anyone or anything approaching. Luke sat down, crossing his legs and closed his eyes, feeling the lingering energy in the stone around him. It clearly resonated, even now, with the undeniable presence of Ben Obi Wan Kenobi. AS he sat with his eyes closed, the small cube began rearranging its’ inner structure once again, ending with a slight click, and the flickering image of Obi Wan appeared again.

“Hello again, young one. If this portion of the recordings have been triggered, you have successfully found my cave. This was my first, temporary home. It was rough, but served its’ purpose well enough. There are a few things I have left behind that you will need to know about, and I will explain them to you but first, I want you to understand a bit more about Jedimaster Sifo Dyas.

My master, Qui Gon Jinn, Sifo Dyas and Count Dooku were all close, lifelong friends and held similar beliefs, especially those regarding the failings of the Republic and the erosion of the Jedi Order. While they were all Jedimasters, each defied the council in their own small ways when they felt the path chosen by the group was leading them astray as individuals.

Qui Gon felt the Jedi were losing touch with the Force, and routinely ignored the council’s wishes if he felt the Force guiding him elsewhere along a different path.

Dooku was obsessed with collecting and studying Sith antiques and artifacts, and kept a private collection of his found treasures.

Sifo Dyas held many thoughts similar to those of Qui Gon, and was a student of lightsaber combat, both Jedi and Sith forms. He allowed himself to second guess the council when he deemed it necessary, but also felt very strongly that the Republic was worth saving and could be reformed.

When the Sith revealed themselves to Qui Gon on the sands of Tatooine, Sifo Dyas sensed the growing power of the elusive Sith Lord, and foresaw a great conflict that would tear the Republic apart. When Qui Gon and I escorted the Naboo queen back to her homeworld, Sifo Dyas and Dooku carefully constructed a view of what they felt was happening, that a Sith lord was manipulating the guilds of the Trade Federation into beginning a war.

Distraught over their conclusions, it was decided that Sifo Dyas would secretly meet with Kaminoan cloners and begin construction of an army that would be totally loyal to the republic and assist the Jedi in turning back this threat. Dooku, with his in-depth knowledge of Sith artifacts, would seek out and hunt down the Sith Lord.

It was the death of my master, Qui Gon, that sent Dooku over the edge. I killed the Sith apprentice, Darth Maul, but the death of his friend boiled over in his emotional search for the Sith Lord. Allowing his emotions to steer his course, he opened himself up to manipulation and control, and was lost to the seductive power of the Dark side, becoming the Sith Lord’s new apprentice.

The first act Dooku performed as a Sith was to return to the Jedi Temple, erase Kamino from the archives and murder Sifo Dyas, thereby erasing all evidence of the army that was being cultivated. Dooku lied to the council, saying that Syfo Dyas’ death had been an accident, caused by a heated argument between them over Qui Gon and the state of the Republic.

Although the exact circumstances of the death were never revealed, Dooku was expelled from the Order.

It is important that you understand what led to the formation of what is now known as the Empire. Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.”

The image of Obi Wan flickered a bit, and he lowered his head, catching his breath and regaining his composure before continuing.

“The tools and stones you found in my home, when combined with the parts and instructions found on my workbench will allow you to create your own lightsaber. Yes, you have your father’s, but part of the Jedi journey is crafting your own, as a final test. You will not need these items now, but should something happen to your father’s blade, these items will take on immense value to you. If you take them with you, you run the risk of them being lost or captured. Leave them here in the cave and no one will find them or bother them here. When you need them, you’ll know just where they are.

This place, along with my home, are yours to do with as you see fit. They will serve you well should you need a temporary home here on Tatooine, far away from the reaches of Vader. You do not need to fear him coming here. He lost something of great value here, and will most likely never return. This holocron will activate when certain triggers are met, when you need me most. May the Force Be With You, young one.” The Jedimaster smiled, and the hologram retracted into the cube, leaving Luke alone in the dark.

* * *

[Tyranus]

Sand crunched on the flat, stony slab beneath my boots as I pushed against the cool metal of the curved handlebars. The swoop slid silently on its repulsor field as I guided it back into the shadows of the low, narrow slot in the stone wall of the canyon. When I felt it was sufficiently hidden, I turned my head to check the line of sight from here, and could not see the X-wing fighter. Propping my helmet on the saddle, I drew my blaster, and walked off with the locater in the other hand to find Kenobi’s home.

The lighted blip on the small screen indicated that I was very close. I watched carefully for the rebel pilot as I climbed the rocks of the hillside, sweeping my blaster back and forth across the terrain. As I drew closer to the top of the ridge, I could see the top of a moisture ‘vaporator sticking up into the cerulean sky. The stone outcroppings I climbed over were blistering from their exposure to the blazing suns’ glare all day.

I felt the small rippling of the capillaries in my body glove opening to accept the cooled fluids from my backpack. Unfortunately, I wore no pack, and had no cool fluids to fill it with. I continued my climb, eventually arriving at a clearing on the hillside. I swept the immediate area for signs of life, both visually and with my scanner, but there were none to be found here.

Placing the deactivated locater back on my belt, I crossed the sandy clearing to a small, time-weathered building situated just beyond the ‘vaporator. It was square in shape with a center dome on top, and had an amazing view in one direction out into the Dune Sea, and down the canyon in the other.

As I entered the cool shade inside, I noticed there was one large room with supporting columns spaced throughout. It was subdivided into small living areas, with only one small hallway to the private bedchambers in the back. Sweat rolled down my face from the blistering heat outside, as I cautiously looked around. The old Jedi had certainly led a sparse existence. A single plate and cup sat neatly arranged near what appeared to be a food preparation area.

I lifted the lid on a chest and rifled through some articles of clothing but found nothing of interest. A sudden wind gust blew open the unlatched front door, slamming it into the stone wall behind. I whirled around, leveling my blaster at the opening, my heart racing. Only the wind entered. I lowered the weapon and looked around a bit more as I moved to close and latch the front door as I had found it.

The rebel could return at any time, I had to be careful. As I thought about that, I decided that I didn’t want to kill him. He could very well uncover valuable information. I was better served by observing him and allowing him to depart thinking Kenobi’s home was both undisturbed and a secure place. I moved into the living space where there were several beautiful statues on a low table. The rebel’s flight jacket lay beside a tan cloak on a nearby bench . . . he would definitely be returning.

I looked around for a place to secrete myself, somewhere out of sight where I could scrutinize him. Memories of a children’s game from my childhood swept over me, along with the very real, very rich smell of the large evergreen tree I used to hide in. It was my best hiding place, they never found me there. I smiled at the vivid recollection as the turned up corner of a small rug caught my eye. I walked over to it and knelt down, pulling the rug back, exposing a hatch of some sort.

Lifting it open revealed a small, dark, stone-walled room with steps leading down to a power generator. I descended into it, lowering the trap door over my head until only a narrow slit remained open; just barely enough for me to see through the fringe edges of the rug on top.

I sat in the darkness for some time, eyes closed, slowing my breathing and waiting for the rebel to return. I focused on being as still and quiet as possible. In the darkness, my eyes flew open at the sound of the opening front door.

* * *

[Tyranus]

Yané ran from the speeder across the tended grass courtyard atop one of the looming towers. She headed for a small, moss and vine-covered stone and block structure ahead that housed the top of the stairwell that would wind them down to the surface. Han raced after her, drawing his weapon to be ready just in case, “Why did you land us up here?”

Her hand wrapped around the cool, metal handle on the door and she pulled hard, leaning her weight back to pull open the heavy entrance, “I could have set us down on the ground, but there is a key that unlocks access to the water tunnels, and another that sets the rotation of the waterway door.”

The Corellian followed as she stepped through the door and hurried down a spiral stone staircase. Bria’s necklace and pendant jumped wildly around her neck as she ran, “The huge circular doors rotate, revealing a cored opening in the door, which allows water to pass through for only three minutes until the rotation is complete, concealing the opening once more, and locking the retaining door again."

"It was designed to rotate open and stay open, diverting water from the river above to generate power. Because the system is now offline and non-functional, the waterway doors have been left in a mode that only allows a single, early-morning rotation per day to maintain the equipment. The key I need in this tower will allow us another rotation.”

Han nodded, glancing out a small window as they raced down the steps. The Naboo countryside was deceptively peaceful. There were no visible signs of troops here . . . yet.

Abruptly, Yané exited the stairs through an archway and raced through a dimly lit maze of tall shelves, each filled with scrolls and ancient texts. As he ran, Han noticed the stale smell of mildew and rotting flimsy, “What’s with all the old papers and books?”

She answered, turning a corner, not looking back to him, “It’s the Royal Archives. Historical papers, texts, treaties, doctrines and agreements from our history are stored and studied here.”

Han raised an eyebrow as he raced after her.

“Up ahead, we’re almost there” she said, approaching a large door. She wrapped her hands around a heavy metal ring that hung from the front of the massive wooden door, “I need your help!”

Han holstered his blaster and grabbed the ring alongside her, pulling as hard as they could. Slowly the door gave way and opened. It was dark inside, but she needed no light. Her memory was amazing, and she pictured the inside of the chamber in her mind from the last time she worked in here. Her hands ran over shadowy stacks of small boxes, containers and flimsy in the blackness until they came to lie on the small metal box she saw so clearly in her head.

She grabbed it and pushed past Han into the light, placing it on a table. Opening the lid revealed several bound stacks of flimsy along with schematics and plans. She lifted these out of the way, revealing two medium sized keys. She lifted them out of the box, “Come on, let’s go. We have to get to the courtyard below and follow the alleyway to the next tower.” She hurried away with Han following.

They raced back through the tall shelves to the stairwell and descended. The clattering of Han’s boots on the stone steps echoed loudly as they finally reached the bottom. Yané led him out of the tower into the grassy courtyard. Stone columns flanked them on both sides, and as they headed along the grassy walkway toward the stone alleyway ahead, blaster fire erupted from across the courtyard, toppling a column to their right, the stone blocks falling to the ground in a pile. Han tried to find the source as he pushed Yané behind the rubble and drew his blaster, returning fire.

Several of his shots hit the top of a small stone wall, behind which he had seen at least one trooper. He saw the dome of the trooper’s head begin to rise up again and discharged another blast, this one searing through the Impervium helmet between the eye lenses, cleaving the trooper’s head inside.

He fell like a stone, sprawled across the top of the wall as another of the Empire’s finest stood and fired a repeating rifle at them. Han fired back, forcing the trooper to cover behind the stone barricade as he grabbed Yané’s arm and ran toward the alley ahead, blasting with each step, covering their movements.

They raced down the narrow stone alley, Han watching behind them as they came to an intersection. The wall before them had a round window at street level and two rectangular ones above, with curved tops.

“The Pilot’s quarters! Those are the Pilot’s quarters.” she said, getting her bearings. “This way! The secondary tunnel is located beneath them. Hurry!” She took off running down the narrow stone path to the right. “We aren’t far from the Royal Hangar.”

Blaster fire erupted once more from behind them, riddling the stone wall where they had been standing, shattering the round window as they turned the corner. The retired handmaiden raced up to a doorway in the stone building and pulled it open as several crimson and cobalt beams seared past them. Han turned and fired off several shots as Yané disappeared inside.

Several troop transports appeared overhead as he jumped up the steps, catching the door, and took out two pursuing troopers before pulling it closed behind him. “Cover your eyes” he yelled, turning his head. A bright red flash erupted in the darkness between his blaster and the door latch, fusing it together. “That oughta hold them for a while. Where’s this tunnel? We’ve gotta get through before the boys in white catch up to us. Have you still got the keys?”

She nodded, holding them up, “Come on, it’s this way”.

*

Outside the ground troops bounded up the stairs, attempting to open the door as one of the transports landed in the alley behind them. “He’s fused the lock. Blow the hinges!”

The troopers stepped back and all took aim at the hinges. “Now!”

They all opened fire simultaneously, blasting through the ancient door pinnings, dropping it from the hinges in a cloud of smoke. They raced over it into the darkness with the new reinforcements joining them now, “This way!”

*

“I can see where Bria got her fire” yelled Han as they stepped off the last of the stairs. Yané smiled as she activated the door controls, sliding open the multiple layers of a blast door, “Her Father taught her to shoot, and both her Mother and I taught her to be strong, the rest was all her.”

She stepped through into a cold, duracrete room. As soon as Solo was through, she activated the door controls. They slid closed behind her as she spoke, “There’s a long corridor over there. It was used as an access tunnel, for getting equipment in and out while the power plant was being built.”

She watched as the last of the multiple layers of the blast door came together, and locked it, “I hope this door holds.” She turned to look across to the tunnel Han was already looking into, “We’ll be exposed with no place to hide or take cover.”

A scowl crossed his face, “We sure will.”

The tunnel was wide enough to fly a snubship through and twice Chewie's height, with a curved ceiling.

He turned and blasted the door controls twice, metal parts from the blown control clanging on the floor, “C’mon. We need to get to the other end of this before they get through or we’re dead.” The pair took off running into the darkness of the passageway.

* * *