Pellaeon stared at him. “Are you suggesting we clone him?

”
“Why not?” Thrawn asked. “Not at Mount Tantiss itself, certainly, given the c
onditions there. Most likely not at the speed which that facility allows, eithe
r - that’s all well and good for techs and TIE fighter pilots, but not a project o
f this delicacy. No, I envision bringing such a clone to childhood and then all
owing it to grow to maturity at a normal pace for its last ten or fifteen years.
Under suitable upbringing conditions, of course.”
“I see,” Pellaeon said. “Where would you set up this other cloning facility?”
“Somewhere absolutely secure,” Thrawn said. “Possibly on one of the worlds in
the Unknown Regions where I once served the Emperor. You’ll instruct Intelligenc
e to begin searching for a suitable location after we’ve crushed the Rebels at Bil
bringi.”
--Timothy Zahn, “The Last Command”

by David Pontier
dpontier@hotmail.com

Chapter 1 “Dawn”
Captain Tallon walked down the spotless, white-walled corridor. His mil
itary-style boots made a loud, echoing clomp as he moved his muscular frame towa
rd the end of the long hallway. The hallway was empty. There were very few peo
ple who knew about this hallway - two to be exact.
In fact there were not too many people who knew of this planet. Located
deep in the core systems, Hastrin was a medium size planet covered with blue oc
eans and rolling plains. Several rich forests dotted the landscape, and mountai
ns rose majestically from the surface. Tallon was in one of the mountains now.
As Tallon reached the end of the hallway he smiled broadly. He had been
waiting for this moment for a long time. He stood straight and tall as he face
d the door at the end of the hall. His voice was full of pride as he spoke his
name and rank into the speaker. As the computer confirmed his voice pattern he
didn’t even notice the two blast cannons mounted on the wall, waiting to vaporize
anyone who the computer didn’t recognize. After a confirmation beep from the lock
system, he bent down and allowed his retina to be scanned. Patiently he waited
for the second confirmation beep. When it came, a small panel opened underneat
h the retina scanner, revealing a crosshatched screen. Tallon placed his hand o
n the screen and watched as a scanning laser went back and forth, up and down, a
nd finally beeped in confirmation.
The door slid open and revealed a second transparent door. Tallon waite
d as the two red-dressed royal Imperial guards confirmed his identity. Tallon c
ould hear the laser cannons power down as one of the guards pressed an unseen bu
tton, opening the last door. The sterile air inside the room was comforting in
comparison to the stuffy air of the hallway. Tallon inhaled deeply as he steppe
d into the room. The guards parted and resumed their posts, one at either side
of the door. The two doors slide closed behind Tallon, and he walked into the m
iddle of the room.
The room, like the entire underground secret section, was totally immacu
late. The walls were of such a clean white and the room so softly lit that the
angles between the walls and the three-meter ceilings were hard to discern. The
computer consoles that covered two of the walls in the five-sided room were so
spotless that they made someone hesitant to use them. The man using the compute
rs now, however, was not in the least way hesitant. His fingers were alive with
action as he moved from screen to screen, checking and double-checking readouts
and figures. The only imperfections in the room were tiny scratches in the flo
or from the computer operator’s chair as he rolled from console to console. Tallo
n frowned at these scratches. Who ever was responsible for choosing this chair
would pay for their lack of concern to small details. The ones who ignored the
small details were usually responsible for the little problems. And everyone kn
ew that it’s the little problems that cause the big problems. When Tallon was a y
oung officer he saw that his superiors would always try to solve the big problem
s by attacking the people associated with the problem instead of tracking it dow
n to the source. The person responsible for a faulty engine was rarely the engi
neer who built it. It was more likely that the janitor who was in charge of cle
aning the engine room played a bigger part in the faulty engine than anyone else
. Now that Tallon was the superior officer, he always made sure that the big pr
oblems were solved before they happened.
Tallon walked over to the room’s other occupant, who had stopped his frant
ic motions and had settled behind one of the main screens. A smaller, weaker ma
n might be intimidated by the cleanliness and quietness of the room and therefor
e make his steps as quiet as possible as to not disturb the perfection of the ro
om. Tallon was not such a man. Although he was obsessed with cleanliness and p
erfection, he didn’t let it impose on his style. He was proud of his almost two-m
eter tall frame; he was proud of his rank; and he wasn’t going to let that pride e
ver be over shadowed by anything else. The other man heard Tallon’s boots clompin
g in the room and turned to face him, as if to recognize his presence for the fi
rst time. “How are events progressing, doctor?”
The doctor didn’t hesitate in his response. “Things are going smoothly. We
should be ready to start the revival process in a few moments.” Tallon nodded in
confirmation and approval. The doctor exhaled the breath that he wasn’t even awa
re he had been holding and returned his gaze to the screen he was working at. T
hings were not going smoothly, and he had to work like crazy to be ready in a fe
w minutes. But if the doctor had learned one thing, it was that Tallon enjoyed
good news and was enraged by bad news. Although Tallon rarely killed anyone for
failure, punishment was still not preferred. Tallon held the idea that if a ma
n made a mistake, killing him wouldn’t solve the mistake and would teach the man n
othing. Often the only person that understood what went wrong was the person wh
o was responsible for the problem. Since he was the only person who knew what w
ent wrong, he would be the best person to be put in charge to make sure it never
happened again. Killing him would only encourage the same mistake from others.
The doctor didn’t intend on making any mistakes.
Tallon watched as the doctor read the confusing computer read-outs. Tal
lon was getting impatient. He chided himself inwardly for his poor behavior. I
t was tough to remain calm, however. He had been waiting for this moment for se
veral years now, and he felt a little perturbed that he still had to wait some m
ore; as if the event would never come, and he would only get closer and closer.
Tallon thought back to when he had been assigned this post. He had been
young and only a lieutenant. Admiral Pellaeon had approached him and had given
him orders.
* * *
“Lieutenant Tallon,” Pellaeon said.
“Yes sir,” Tallon responded.
“I’ve looked over your file and your service to the Empire has been admirabl
e.”
“Thank-you, sir.”
“These next few years will be hard for the Empire. The Rebellion has grow
n in strength, and the remnants of the Empire are scattered, yet strong. We nee
d to become unified and keep that strength to make sure the Empire has a future.
You will play a big part in that future.”
Tallon was taken aback slightly but tried not to let it show. He knew h
e was due for a promotion, and he didn’t want to show the unprofessional excitemen
t that he saw in other young officers. Pellaeon was carrying a small briefcase.
He handed it to Tallon. “In here are instructions for your next assignment.” Tal
lon took the briefcase. “You are hereby promoted to Captain. Congratulations.”
* * *
 Tallon smiled to himself as he looked at the doctor. It had been hard f
or him to control his excitement then. He had been promoted well past the lieut
enant commander he thought he was going to get. The post was out in the distant
core worlds. Tallon was the highest-ranking officer for many light-years in ev
ery direction. The briefcase had contained coordinates to his new post, informa
tion about this secret Empire outpost, and there was a flask that contained a th
ick, darkish-purple fluid. The instructions had been very clear: maintain the I
mperial base until you receive further instructions. He had maintained the base
to the best of his ability, which was to say that the base and all of its facil
ities were more efficient than they had ever been before.
“We are ready,” the doctor stood from his chair and walked over to a wall th
at was covered with wires and pipes. He pressed a few buttons, pulled a few lev
ers, and a small hole opened in the floor. A tall glass cylinder rose up throug
h the hole. Gasses hissed and motors hummed as the cylinder came to a stop. Ta
llon tried to pear through the glass to catch a glimpse of what he knew to be in
there. The glass was fogged up by the gas and the only thing Tallon could see
was a small row of electric lights that flashed on and off as they monitored the
contents of the cylinder. After the doctor operated a few more controls, the d
oor to the cylinder opened with a hiss of released oxygen. A small cloud envelo
ped the cylinder, but Tallon could sense movement from inside the tube.
A man emerged from the fog. He was medium height with a solid build. H
is skin was a slight bluish color that gave him an eerie, alien-like appearance.
He was naked.
Tallon took a step forward and saluted. “Greetings, Grand Admiral Thrawn.
I am Captain Tallon, and this is Dr. Kendel. I will try to bring you up to sp
eed.”
Thrawn returned the salute. His posture was perfect, showing no sign th
at he was uncomfortable with his present clotheless condition. Tallon, despite
his immense physical stature, didn’t think he would be able to be so professional
in such a situation. “I will get you a uniform immediately.”
“That won’t be necessary yet. Simple clothes will be fine. I don’t plan to s
teal command from you just yet. You have been in command for almost twenty-two
years, and you can remain in command for a while till I become familiar with thi
s outpost.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The good doctor has informed me as to our current situation while I was i
n the cloning cylinder, so only a short briefing on current events will be neces
sary. We achieve little standing here. Can we move to a room where I can becom
e more aquatinted with the station?”
“Certainly. If you will follow me . . .” Tallon led the way back into the h
allway, and the two walked side by side up the long corridor, Thrawn a head shor
ter. Tallon was still a little ill at ease with the Grand Admiral’s condition, bu
t tried not to show it. Whether or not Thrawn noticed it, he made no mention to
ward the topic.
Conversation was non-existent. Tallon was a man of action and words ser
ved him little purpose. He assumed Thrawn was the same way, and he didn’t want to
pursue anything except at the will of Thrawn. The hallway seemed shorter on th
e way back. When they reached the door at the opposite end of the hallway, Thra
wn glanced back toward the lab. “Will the good doctor be attending our meeting?”
“He usually stays cooped up down there, sir. But if you wish, I shall cal
l him up to the meeting room.”
Thrawn shook his head, “Let him finish what he needs to. There are just a
few things I wish to discuss with him.”
After Tallon found clothes for Thrawn, the two of them proceeded to Tall
on’s private council room. “I understand that the New Republic has the upper hand n
ow,” Thrawn started the conversation. “Maybe it’s time that Hastrin joined the New Re
public.”
Tallon was confused. “I don’t think I understand you sir.”
Thrawn explained.
* * *
Light of early dawn crept along the tree line, threatening to bathe the
jungle floor in warm solar radiation. The sun moved higher in the sky as the sm
all moon rotated on its axis. The fourth moon of the great gas giant Yavin even
tually rotated far enough to allow the sun of the small system a better angle as
to penetrate through the thick trees. Even with the sun shining directly into
the top of the trees, it was able to find only a few cracks in the thick foliage
where it could penetrate through to the forest floor.
As the line of light moved along the tops of the trees, it came across a
large clearing where it could bathe an entire area in its life giving light. L
ittle known to the sun, the life forms in that clearing were already filled with
an incredible amount of life force. A force that an inanimate object like a st
ar couldn’t possibly understand. Yet at the same time, a life force that an immen
se ball of burning fuel couldn’t help but give off.
“Let the Force flow through you. Allow the light to penetrate your bodies
and fill you with strength. Don’t see it as light, but view it as life.”
The light had momentarily blinded Jaina. She had been ready for it beca
use she knew how strong the sun could be on the jungle moon, especially in the m
orning, but she still couldn’t help but squint as the radiation filled her brown e
yes, shrinking her pupils to the size of pin holes. She listened to Master Skyw
alker and instead of closing her eyes, she opened them to the sun and tried to l
ook past the light. As she did, her eyes seemed to absorb the light, sucking it
in like a sponge. The glare disappeared and was replaced by a soft warm glow t
hat slowly spread throughout her whole body. It wasn’t the same kind of external
warmth that she felt when she would occasionally sun bathe, but it was an intern
al warmth that made her feel full of life.
As the light of the sun gradually got softer and her eyes were able to v
iew her surroundings clearly again, she saw her two brothers standing ten meters
apart in the middle of the clearing with the rest of the students at the Jedi A
cademy surrounding them. Her twin brother Jacen turned his gaze from the sun an
d looked at the group of students around him. His eyes paused their sweeping ga
ze has he made eye contact with his sister. Jaina smiled at him; he smiled back
. She could feel the same warmth in him that she was experiencing. The twins s
hared their inner warmth for a brief moment across the unique connection they po
ssessed. They made each other stronger and more alive. The two of them had gro
wn very strong over the past year as they had explored their unique skill of uni
on. Their uncle and Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker, had told them that all Jedi ha
ve a degree of mental communication, some stronger than others. He had told the
m of the connection he shared with their mother. Luke was able to communicate w
ith their mother, Leia, for a limited duration, depending on the distance separa
ting them. But Luke had never before seen the kind of bond that the twins share
d.
As the twins broke their gaze they noticed that other students were awak
ening from the sun meditation that Master Skywalker had put them through. Jaina
saw her younger brother, Anakin, return his gaze to the rest of the group, and
she smiled at him. She was unable to get a return smile from her emotionless br
other. She frowned at him slightly, still getting no result. She had noticed t
he change in her brother over the last few months. He had been so curious and f
ull of life before. Jaina loved to work with computers and machines, and Anakin
had loved to watch, always giving annoying advice and constantly teasing her wh
en she made mistakes. She usually had to force him to leave her quarters in ord
er for her to get any work done. Usually though, when she finally got him out o
f her room, she would go ahead and follow her brother’s advice with a one hundred
percent success ratio.
Although she was very good with machines, she had had to work hard to be
come so. Anakin however, seemed to pick up complicated mechanical theory as nat
urally as a baby acquires the ability to walk or talk. But in the past few mont
hs he had stopped his curious and out-going attitude and had become much more re
clusive and somber. She had tried to probe his mind for the reason of his emoti
onal change, but Anakin was much stronger in the Force than she was, and he was
able to block her attempts. Luke had simply told her to give him a while to get
over what ever he was struggling with.
Whatever the case emotionally, Anakin didn’t have any problems with the Fo
rce. He was doing extremely well and as a young student of the Academy, he was
already one of the strongest members. His only rival for the top spot in the Ac
ademy was standing ten meters away from him. Jacen, unlike Jaina, spent very li
ttle time with machines, but preferred nature. He had collected many different
kinds of extraordinary pets over his time at the Academy. He spent his time out
side of class strolling the jungle and focusing on the life around him. It was
in these walks that Jacen had found the power of the Force. He was in very good
shape and was incredibly attuned to his body. One time Luke had ventured deep
into the jungle, on his own accord, and found Jacen fighting with a tree thaster
inge, a 1.75 meter tall bear-like creature that lived in only the densest of jun
gles. Luke started to rush in to help, but paused when he saw that Jacen was wi
nning the fight. Luke instead took up a position to watch the fight. After a f
ew moments Jacen was able to pin the thasteringe to the ground in an awkward pos
ition. The thasteringe struggled uselessly against Jacen and soon gave up. Jac
en got up from the animal and helped it up. The two hugged and parted company.
Luke was amazed. Jacen walked over to where his pack and belt were laying and
paused, looking right at Luke’s hiding spot. Luke, knowing he was discovered, ste
pped out from behind a tree, “You fought well, but I don’t understand?”
Jacen, understanding his Master’s confusion, clarified his actions. “Her na
me is Munthy. We fight about twice a week. I don’t always win. It keeps me in s
hape, and she enjoys the company.”
When Jaina had heard the story from her uncle, she could only laugh at h
er brother’s playful attitude with the dangerous animal. She looked at her brothe
rs now and swelled with pride for them. Master Skywalker was talking to the gro
up of students but Jaina wasn’t listening. She knew what he was saying anyway. H
e was introducing her brothers to the rest of the students. There were a few ne
w students, but more than that, Jacen and Anakin were about to duel for the top
spot in the class.
The lightsaber tournament had begun at the beginning of this week, and n
ow only her two brothers remained undefeated. Jacen was expected to win and had
had no problem advancing to the finals, beating Jaina in the semi-finals. No o
ne knew how good Anakin really was because he always played to the level of his
competition. He had barely beaten the first student he had played even though i
t was a student that had just started training with a lightsaber two weeks previ
ous. Yet he was able to beat Lowbacca, the twin’s wookiee friend and nephew to Ch
ewbacca, who was heavily favored over Anakin because of his speed and strength.
Master Skywalker stopped talking to the students and turned his attentio
n to the two combatants. He explained the rules to the brothers, and he told th
em to commence at their leisure.
They nodded toward their uncle and began to circle each other. Anakin u
nhooked his lightsaber from his belt but didn’t ignite it. Jacen’s remained on his
belt. Both of the lightsabers were in reality Jacen’s because Anakin had not yet
built one even though he was old enough. Both of the lightsaber had filters scr
ewed onto the top of them. The filters were an invention of Jaina. They filter
ed out the heat and hard light of the laser swords, reducing the lightsabers to
simple focused flashlights. They would harmlessly pass through anything, but th
ey were electrically charged so they would repel each other. Anakin ignited his
lightsaber but didn’t charge. Jacen finally unhooked his lightsaber from his bel
t and ignited it.
Anakin began to swing his weapon in graceful arcs though the air causing
it to appear as a blue blur. Anakin increased the speed of the arcs and began
to more intricately twirl his weapon around his body. Many of the students were
entranced by the performance, but Jacen simply smiled at his brother’s trick. It
was meant to entrance him - to lull him into a state of unreadiness. It wouldn’t
work on someone of Jacen’s skill, although many of the beginner students were alr
eady lulled into a comatose state. At the same time though Jacen was confused a
t this ploy by his brother. Not only should Anakin have realized that this tric
k would have no affect on Jacen, but he had never tried anything like this in an
y of his previous battles. This simple trick could have easily defeated at leas
t three of his earlier opponents.
Anakin began walking toward his brother, and Jacen met him halfway. The
twin blue blades clashed and slashed against each other. They stood stock-stil
l while their arms were involved in blinding flashes of movement that seemed to
exceed the speed of light. Suddenly they broke off and Jacen did a backflip awa
y from his brother. They walked toward each other again. Jacen held his lights
aber in his left hand away from his body. His other arm was also held wide open
ing his body up to attack. A weaker student might have fallen into this trick,
rushing into attack the apparently unprotected fighter, but Anakin didn’t change h
is style, continuing his steady approach. Jacen took a sudden step forward with
his left foot and brought his sword in with a sweeping attack from the outside.
Anakin swung his weapon down across his body to block the quick attack. Just
before the two blades collided. Jacen flipped his wrist, rotating his blade par
allel to his body and away from Anakin. Anakin had expected to block the blow a
nd his momentum put him slightly off-balanced to his right. Jacen tossed the li
ghtsaber across his body to his empty right hand. His caught it as it swept in
from the right. Anakin’s left side was totally exposed to the attack, and he knew
he had no chance of parrying the swing. In a desperate effort to dodge the wea
pon he leaped into the air off his right foot. Jacen adjusted his swing slightl
y, and his lightsaber passed through Anakin’s right ankle. Anakin continued his j
ump and flipped back three meters, landing facing his brother.
“A leg hit. Two points for Jacen Solo. The score is two to zero, Jacen S
olo is winning,” said Em-Tedee, Lowbacca’s translator droid and official scorekeeper
.
Jacen looked at his brother and saw a pained expression cross his face.
Jacen thought Anakin was upset at his failure to avoid the clever attack, but t
hen he sensed something to his right. Without looking in that direction, Jacen
broke the branch in half with the Force, one half passing in front of his head a
nd the other behind.
“Illegal play. One warning issued to Anakin Solo. The next one will resu
lt in a point for Jacen Solo.”
Jacen glanced at Master Skywalker for his reaction. As soon as he looke
d, he realized that it was a trick meant for him to glance at the Master. He qu
ickly returned his gaze to his opponent. Anakin was only a half a meter away fr
om him, and Jacen was barely able to parry his vicious attacks. The frenzied sw
inging of Anakin was very unorthodox, yet because of the speed of the attack and
because Jacen was caught off guard, Jacen couldn’t attack back. Forced to take u
p a defensive position, Jacen was able to parry each blow, but realized he neede
d to regroup in order to be able to attack back. He flipped back as he parried
one particularly hard blow and landed a few meters away. As he landed he saw th
at his brother had leaped after him. Jacen somersaulted forward underneath his
airborne brother. Anakin landed with his back to Jacen. Jacen swung his lights
aber in a lazy swing. Anakin, obviously expecting the attack, dropped to his ba
ck and swung over his head. Jacen’s swing passed harmlessly over his descending b
rother, but Anakin’s blade cut cleanly through both of Jacen’s legs. Jacen leaped b
ack in vain and cursed himself silently for his mistake. Anakin got up and smil
ed at him.
“Two leg hits. Four points for Anakin Solo. The score is four to two. A
nakin Solo is winning.”
The two walked together. Jacen was cautious, knowing that he was only o
ne point away from defeat. He needed a three point body shot, but Anakin wasn’t g
iving him any openings. They fought now in classical style. Both taking the of
fensive and defensive. Each of them was waiting for the other to make a strateg
ic attack. Anakin was the first to try a move. He swung in from the left at sh
oulder height. Jacen made the textbook parry with his lightsaber vertically pos
itioned at his shoulder. As the lightsabers collided, Anakin, instead of lettin
g his blocked attack float along Jacen’s lightsaber vertically, as the momentum of
 his attack would have carried it, rotated his wrist and let the impact of the b
low deflect his blade downward. He let go with his left hand and spun his light
saber in a complete vertical circle at the side of his body, attacking from abov
e.
Jacen sensed something different when he saw the blade angle down after
the parry. He positioned himself for a low parry, thinking that Anakin would us
e the low deflection for a leg shot. However, when Anakin’s lightsaber rotated ar
ound to the top, Jacen saw how out of position he was. Jacen’s dexterity saved hi
m though, and at the last second he was able to parry the strike inward.
Anakin was now out of position. Jacen swung in a sideways swipe from th
e left. Anakin, with still only one hand on the weapon, tried a desperate backh
and block. As the blades approached each other Jacen deactivated his lightsaber
, and Anakin’s blade flew through the empty space. The unexpected move caught Ana
kin totally by surprise, and the momentum of his backhand plus the weak grip on
his weapon resulted in the lightsaber flying from his hand. Jacen continued his
attack with his deactivated weapon, stopping his swing when the handle pointed
directly at Anakin’s chest. Anakin had both arms spread wide, and he looked down
at the handle pointed toward his heart.
Anakin dropped his arms and looked up at his brother. “Yield?” Jacen asked.
Anakin didn’t say anything, but dropped his head in apparent defeat. Jacen turn
ed from his brother and took a few steps away. Sensing motion behind him, Jacen
whirled back to his brother. He saw a blue flash come streaking toward him fro
m where Anakin’s weapon had fallen. Still holding his deactivated weapon in his r
ight hand, he caught the other one in his left. He ignited his right hand weapo
n, and both custom made blades shrank to two thirds of a meter in length. Befor
e Em-Tedee could call another illegal play against Anakin, Jacen advanced toward
his brother with both blades twirling about him like a Twi’lek dancer with a pair
of ribbons. The blades cut and slashed through Anakin in a varied array of bri
lliant blue flashes. Anakin stood tall under the blinding show of swordsmanship
without flinching. After five long seconds, Jacen flipped both blades into the
air. Both deactivated and fell nicely onto Jacen’s belt. The brothers stood the
re facing each other with expressionless faces.
Em-Tedee broke the silience, “Seventeen arm hits, twelve leg hits, and twe
nty-two body hits. One hundred twenty-four points for Jacen Solo. The score is
one hundred twenty-six to four. Jacen Solo wins.”
Both brothers burst out laughing. They hugged each other, and the group
of students who had been dumbfounded and silent, burst into applause.
Chapter 2 “Rewarding Surprises”
Lando Calrissian shut off the communication intercom. He had just recei
ved clearance to land on Yavin IV. He put the controls of the Lady Luck on auto
pilot and let the craft guide itself in. He’d landed on Yavin IV before, and the
procedure had been no walk in the park. First you had to approach the moon from
the correct side. The immense gravity well caused by the gas giant Yavin, play
ed havoc with a ship’s navigational equipment if you tried to enter the atmosphere
planet-side. Since you were restricted on what side of the planet you could en
ter, you would frequently enter on the wrong side of the moon and had to circle
around to the side containing the Academy. That wasn’t the biggest problem becaus
e after a little research into the moons orbiting pattern, it was easy to time y
our arrival so you could avoid a planet-side landing. The biggest hassle was tr
ying to land a large ship in a heavily forested area with active airborne wildli
fe to throw all of your proximity sensors off. Also there wasn’t very many landin
g spots on the forest moon. It wasn’t a tourist attraction, and nobody stayed lon
g.
Lando put all of that behind him as he kicked up his feet on the edge of
his control panel. This landing would be a lot easier. Lobot, Lando’s long-time
friend, turned and tried to reason out Lando’s actions. He was aware of the trea
cherous landing procedures involved with visits to Yavin IV, and Lando’s actions c
onfused him. “You seem a little relaxed before a tricky landing.”
“This landing is going to be the smoothest thing you’ve ever experienced, bu
ddy. So you can just sit back and relax.”
Lobot was unconvinced. All of the data he had gathered about this moon
said that it wasn’t safe to try to land on autopilot. “I’m confused.”
Lando swung his feet down from their elevated position and turned to fac
e his companion. “I just got off the horn with the flight controller down at the
Academy. They have a new system for receiving incoming ships. All of the incom
ing traffic is requested to put their ships on autopilot, and a few of the stude
nts who are stationed at the landing zone guide the ship in.”
“Guide?”
“Yea, guide. You know, with the Force.”
Lobot frowned slightly. “Isn’t that a little risky, Lando? I mean they are
just students. Wouldn’t it be safer just to land the ship on your own and let th
e students think that they landed it for you?”
Lando chuckled a little at his friend’s skepticism. He and Lobot had been
partners through a lot of adventures and misadventures. Lobot had been able to
handle the numbers of all of Lando’s many ventures. If it hadn’t been for Lobot, t
he Cloud City mining operation would have gone bankrupt long before the Imperial
s showed up. Though this was Lobot’s obvious strength, it was also his subtle wea
kness. If you couldn’t prove it on paper then it was only natural to believe that
it wasn’t feasible. But then Lobot hadn’t been there when Lando had watched Luke d
efeat all of Jaba’s guards and rescue him, Han, and Leia with the Force. Before t
hat, Lando had been a semi-skeptic like Lobot, but now he believed. “Don’t worry, f
riend, I trust them.”
The Lady Luck’s autopilot kept them aloft while a pair of students guided
the craft into an open clearing. As they descended past the tree line, Lando sa
w that they didn’t have more than two meters of clearance on any side. “It’s a close
fit. They must be cramped for space if they’re sticking us in this small landing
spot.”
“Perhaps they are expecting more visitors,” Lobot offered.
“Yea, maybe, but we are here first. What ever happened to first come firs
t serve? Besides who are we, Coruscant sewer rats! I mean I was a general in t
he New Republic for a while.”
Lobot didn’t respond. He closed his eyes and several lights on his Hamari
an interface band started blinking, showing that he was trying to obtain a link
with another computer. A brief while later he opened his eyes. “Tomorrow the Aca
demy is expecting the arrival of Princess Leia, General Solo, and the Queen Moth
er of the Hapes cluster along with her royal guards.”
“Ah, well,” for the first time Lobot could remember Lando was speechless. “Th
is landing spot is okay, I guess,” Lando finally conceded.
After the ship had landed, Lando and Lobot proceeded toward the exit ram
p. The hatch to the outside opened with a hiss, and the ramp lowered slowly to
the ground. Lando stepped out onto the ramp and took a deep breath of the clean
air. This was probably Lando’s favorite atmosphere. He hadn’t been on Yavin IV th
at many times before, but each time he came he wished that he could stay longer
than he had allotted time for. The overwhelming peace of the forest moon had a
unique tranquilizing effect on Lando as it probably had on all visitors. It was
that peacefulness, Lando was sure, that made this the perfect place for Luke to
build an Academy. Lando stepped off the ramp and onto the spongy grass of the
moon. What, he thought, not even a concrete base to land on. Luke would get an
earful from him.
One of the students approached Lando. She was a young woman with long b
lack hair. Her features struck Lando as being incredibly neutral - neither attr
active nor otherwise. “Welcome, my name is Froincy. Master Skywalker has been no
tified of your arrival and is waiting for you in his quarters. Do you know the
way?”
Lando nodded an affirmative, but the student led him toward the temple a
nyway. As they walked through the thin foliage between the landing site and the
Academy, Lando tried to formulate the upcoming conversation with Luke. Recentl
y every conversation he had had with the Jedi Master had started out as friendly
chitchat that had nothing to do with the Force. But the conversations had alwa
ys ended with Luke becoming very serious and grave. Lando wanted to make sure t
o try to keep this conversation away from that kind of a downward spin. Yet he
realized that the request he was going to make would do more to invite Luke’s ster
n manner than anything he could do to prevent it.
The young woman stopped at the entrance to the living quarters and allow
ed Lando and Lobot to enter alone, trusting that Lando did indeed know the way.
The corridors of the stone building seemed very cold and ancient. Lando breath
ed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t in the least way Force sensitive because he did
n’t know if he would be able to live in these kind of quarters. They approached L
uke’s room, and before Lando could knock, Luke’s voice greeted them from within the
room. “Come on in, it’s not locked.”
Lando shrugged and realized that it was definitely getting harder to sne
ak up on Luke. He pushed the door open and walked into Luke’s room. The room its
elf was very different from the man who lived in it. Tapestries were hung over
the wall. Lando didn’t know if this was to hide the hideous stone wall, or becaus
e the vibrant colors of the varied tapestries helped Luke in meditation. The fu
rniture was scarce yet comfortable. Luke obviously never planned on entertainin
g many guests in his room because there were only two chairs to sit on and his b
ed. Lando turned finally to Luke who was sitting on the floor cross-legged with
his eyes closed. “Go ahead and take a seat,” Luke said without opening his eyes.
Lobot and Lando eased into the two chairs and watched as Luke levitated off the
floor. He rose to a height of about one meter and then gracefully floated over
to his bed. He slowly lowered himself to the surface of his bed and finally ope
ned his eyes. He uncrossed his legs and stared at his guests.
Lando paused thinking that Luke was going to say something, but then rea
lized that he should make a sarcastic comment about the landing spot to try to g
et the conversation started on the right foot.
“I hope the landing accommodations weren’t too much trouble. We we’re expecti
ng some very important guests tomorrow, and we are a little pressed for space.”
Lando almost swallowed his tounge trying to hold back the comment he was
about to make which, after what Luke had just said, would be very insulting. L
obot rescued him. “It wasn’t any trouble at all. Your students did a very fine job
.”
Compliment him, Lando thought, that’s a good start. “Yes, it was a very smo
oth landing. It’s about time you thought of a way to make visiting here less of a
chore.” Lando froze after hearing what he had just said. It sounded a little mor
e accusatory and derogatory when he said it out loud than it had in his head.
“It was one of the students who thought of it actually,” Luke said. “Now what
can I do for you. I know how much of a chore it is for you to visit me, so may
be I can help you, and you can be on your way.”
Bad start. Very bad start. Lando tried to ignore everything that had j
ust happened and launched himself into his opening just like he had rehearsed it
. “Could you remind me what exactly this Academy is for?” This time even Lobot see
med startled. Moving from “Visiting this place is a chore” to “Why is it even here” se
emed like a very bad way to get someone to do a favor for you.
Luke didn’t seem too offended by it, and Lando was relieved. “The Academy i
s here to help people who are sensitive to the Force come to a greater realizati
on of the power they posses, teach them how to use that power, and also to teach
them of the great responsibility they have not to abuse that power.” Luke paused
. “Does this cause validate the Academy’s existence?”
Lando wished he could just get up, leave the room, and start this whole
conversation over again. But there was no rewind button on his life that he kne
w of, so he just kept on going. “And after the students are trained in the Force,
then what?”
“They are free to do what ever they please. Many will enter the New Repub
lic and offer their assistance where needed, while others will go on with the re
st of their lives by returning to their home planet. But they will all have the
new responsibility of preserving the peace, protecting the people around them f
rom the evils of the Dark Side and those who wield it.”
Boy this next question was going to sound dumb. “Yes, but how are they goi
ng to eat?”
“Excuse me?” Luke interrupted before Lando could clarify his statement.
“I mean how are they going to make a living? You know. How are they goin
g to make money? You know what I’m talking about. You grew up on Tatooine. The
only way you got food on the table and clothes on your back was if you worked ha
rd and made money.”
Lando paused, seeing how Luke accepted his reasoning. Getting no respon
se he continued. “The few who join the New Republic will live comfortable lives o
n Coruscant, no doubt. But the ones who travel abroad are going to find that li
fe isn’t a bed of Florian sunbuds.”
Lando again paused, waiting for Luke’s rebuttal. Again Luke remained impa
ssive, so Lando launched into his next counter to a comment that Luke didn’t make.
“Sure they might run into a few people who know about the Jedi and respect what
your students are about. They might get a few free meals from a restaurant afte
r they thwart an attempted robbery. But that generosity will eventually run out
, and then do you know where that will leave them?”
Lando pretended that Luke said, “No where?” and continued, “It will leave them
out in the cold - that’s where.” Lando paused to gather his breath and thoughts.
He was growing rather annoyed at Luke. Luke was making Lando fight a battle aga
inst someone who wasn’t even striking back, and the sad part was that Lando was lo
sing.
“Your students will need to find jobs. Jobs where they can earn respect,
friends, and money.” Lando knew that even a blind Calamarian cave bat could see w
here he was going with this conversation.
Luke decided to enter the conversation at this point. “So what’s your new s
cheme?”
“It’s not a scheme. It’s an investment. An old Imperial crystal mine. It’s be
en deserted for a long time now. Ever since we defeated Thrawn and the Imperial
s pulled back into the core systems it’s been vacant. Think about it Luke. The N
ew Republic could use a good source of industrial strength crystals. Their valu
e in weapons is immeasurable and their use in construction is incredible. Those
are the two main goals of the New Republic, aren’t they? Weapons to push back th
e remnants of the Empire and to protect their aligned worlds. And at the same t
ime expansion and construction, rebuilding what the Empire destroyed.”
“It sounds good. But what do you need from me?”
This was the heart of the meeting and Lando wanted to make sure that he
delivered it right. “The mines have been deserted for more than a decade now, but
most of the Imperial defense systems are still operational. My initial evaluat
ion of the mines showed that there are several power systems operating down ther
e that are unaccounted for on the plans we acquired. I think they might be trap
s that the Empire set up before evacuating the mines. None of my people are qua
lified to go down into the mines and disable these unknown traps without major r
isk of setting them off and bringing my whole operation literally crashing down.
“I’m sure that the Imperials designed the place to collapse against any intr
uders, but left a way in so they could return in the future and still use the mi
nes. What I need is a few people who can sense these traps, devices, or whateve
r they might be and be able to disarm them without bringing harm to the valuable
mines below. What I need are Jedi. Of course they will get paid just like all
of my other workers.” Lando decided to wait this time until Luke answered.
“You want to take advantage of their Force skill so you can make some mone
y?”
Lando was ready for this comment, as he had been for many others that Lu
ke hadn’t made. “No more than you would take advantage of an architect’s skills when
you ask him to build you a house, or a chef’s skills when you ask him to make you
a meal. Are you taking advantage of them so you can have a home or food? No.
You are hiring them to do a job that they are qualified for.”
“And if they fail you will use them for cannon fodder.”
“The student is only as good as the teacher.”
Luke paused for a long time. Too long, Lando thought. He felt that Luk
e wasn’t going to comply. “You said yourself that after they graduate they are free
 to do what ever they please,” Lando said desperately.
“I will think about it,” Luke finally said.
To Lando this was a very loud “No.” Lando got up from the chair and started
to leave. “I will be here for another day. Please tell me when you make up your
mind.” Luke didn’t reply, and Lando and Lobot found their own way to the door and
left.
“I don’t think that it went well,” Lobot said after they had walked a bit. “He
beat you quite soundly.” Lando didn’t need Lobot to rub anymore salt into his wound
s, but he had learned from experience that whenever Lobot had something to say,
it was always good to let him say it because his unique approach often led to un
obvious answers. “You went into the conversation confident that you were right.
You were able to make your presentation just as you had rehearsed it, and you ev
en got him to make a few comments that you were ready for. Yet you leave now qu
ite certain of defeat. Quite a dramatic turn around wouldn’t you say? It might p
rove interesting to evaluate the chain of events that brought about such a chang
e.”
Lando thought about this for a while. Lobot was right. He had been abl
e to present his speech exactly as he had planned. Luke didn’t interject as often
as he had hoped for but the few things he did say were exactly what Lando knew
he would say. Why did he lose? It was like going into a test knowing all of th
e answers before hand, yet afterwards feeling like you failed. Had Luke planned
it that way? No. Had he used some kind of Jedi mind trick? Lando was sure th
at Luke would never do anything like that to one of his friends. If Lando still
was one of his friends. Lobot was right. Lando would definitely go over the c
onversation in his mind several times when he got the chance. Being an independ
ent businessman he had no one to fall back on when he made a mistake, so he trie
d to make as few as possible, and he made an extra effort to learn from the ones
he did make.
When Lando and Lobot exited the building, Froincy was standing there. L
ando was a little surprised that she was still waiting for them. “Come with me,” sh
e said, “and I’ll let you meet them.”
“Who? Meet who?” Lando asked puzzled.
It was Froincy’s turn to be confused. “To meet the two students that Master
Skywalker has chosen to go with you.”
Lando was both shocked and confused. “He’s already chosen two people? But
he just told us that he would think about it, and it sounded pretty much like a ‘n
o’ to me.”
Froincy smiled, realizing what had taken place. “Master Skywalker knew of
your potential request two days ago. He made the announcement to a group of gr
aduating students and asked for volunteers. From those who volunteered he picke
d two. Did he not make this clear to you?”
Realization struck Lando like a slap in the face. “No. No he did not,” he
said stressing each word. “But he’ll wish he did.” With that Lando turned on his hee
ls and raced back into the building.
Lobot turned to Froincy. “You’ll have to excuse my associate. I believe a
joke has been made at his expense. Now you’ll have to excuse me, for I fear he wi
ll do something rash.”
Lando burst into Luke’s room to find the Jedi Master laughing uncontrollab
ly. Lando stood there staring at him, knowing full well that Luke knew he was t
here. “I’m sorry Lando,” Luke squeaked between laughs.
“You’ll have to do better than sorry,” Lando said trying to sound mad, though
the humor of the situation was finally getting to him. “The whole thing was a set
up wasn’t it?” Luke nodded his head still not able to talk. “Even the landing site?”
Luke finally managed to control himself. “You can move your ship if you l
ike. We have plenty of better sights.”
“How did you know?” Lando asked finally giving up on his mad act.
“When I heard you were going to visit I wondered why. A little research s
howed me that you had visited the Imperial mines and already hired a few people
and bought some equipment.” Another laugh escaped, and Luke coughed trying to com
pose himself. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I knew I wouldn’t
say no, but I wondered what your reaction would be if I did. You should have se
en the look on your face when I shot down your comment about the landing site.
You looked like a Gamorean who had just been told he couldn’t have seconds at meal
time.” Luke started laughing all over again, and this time Lando joined him.
Lobot walked in on the pair and found to his relief that they were both
in good spirits. After a few laughs they calmed Lobot’s previous fears and got do
wn to business.
“So you’ve already picked out two people for me?”
Luke nodded. “They’re two good students in this year’s graduating class.”
“The best of the class?” Lando asked.
“I’m afraid not. I don’t think Han would look too fondly on having his kids w
orking in a mine after his experience at Kessel.”
“I see. How are the twins?”
“They’re doing fine; but back to the ones who will be going with you. Their
names are Yova and Trince. Yova is from Strotto. I’m not sure if you’re familiar
with that planet or their people. The Strottons are a short humanoid race with
a love of rock. The Strottons have lived most of their lives under ground, and
have only recently come to the surface due to over crowding in the caves. Yova
is very intelligent, which is not a common trait among her people. They were si
mply ignored by most of the galaxy until they surfaced a few decades ago. I was
really interested in her people when she came to the Academy. A race of indivi
duals who live so closely intertwined with their planet must have incredible For
ce potential, however like I said earlier, they do not focus themselves on the m
ental part of life, and most of them don’t have the mental endurance to properly w
ield the Force. Yova, though, was definitely one of quickest learners that I’ve h
ad at the Academy so far, and her experience underground makes her an obvious ch
oice for your project.
“Trince is a human from the Corellian system. And like Han, everyone’s favo
rite Corellian, he is very independent and self-reliant. He relies on the Force
a great deal and had almost come to the point of over use. He isn’t very big as
far as size and muscle, so he used to avoid work as much as he could and let the
Force do everything. For example he would use the Force to tie his boots, or t
o pick up an object rather than getting up to get it. But he is over that now.
In fact he’s found that by using a combination of the Force and his body he is ab
le to achieve more than just the sum of his parts.”
Lando listened closely to Luke’s description of the two students and was p
leased. “Well, thank-you Luke. I really appreciate this.”
“Hey, it’s not me. Like you said, once they graduate they are free to do wh
at ever they want. Besides, I agree with you that they should get jobs rather t
han trying to live off the title of Jedi Knight Sworn Protector of the Galaxy.”
Lando got up, and he and Luke shook hands. Lando had a lot of planing t
o do. He needed supplies, extra food for two more people, and most of all he ha
d to plan how he would get back at Luke.
* * *
Tallon looked around the table at the assembly of all his finest officer
s. There was General Oskiman, commander of the Imperial fleet in this sector an
d second in command to Tallon himself. The title of general was higher than tha
t of captain, but both Tallon and Oskiman knew that Oskiman’s duty was restricted
to that of the military. Oskiman had been promoted to general just to give the
commander of the fleet a respectable title. He was a short squat man with a bus
hy mustache, but what he lacked in physical stature, he made up for in his comma
nding voice. Tallon had seen him chew out men who were twice his size. Men who
, if they had the courage, could have whipped him in a fight. He had seen Oskim
an reduce these men to a mere shriveling piece of flesh with no more than his to
ngue.
Then there was Commander Snotzenexer, a tactical genius. He was a shy m
an and usually hid behind Oskiman, but he was the only person that Oskiman never
yelled at. Snotzenexer had a mind for battle like none Tallon had ever seen.
Serving with Oskiman, he allowed the short General to take most of the credit fo
r his strategic maneuvers, but his prowess had not escaped the all-seeing eyes o
f Tallon.
Next to Snotzenexer sat Salin Frowinger and Dr. Kendel, the Empire’s best
scientist and the Empire’s best doctor. The two of them had been working on the c
loning project, trying to not only improve the process, but to expand it to cove
r a wider range of possibilities. And for the most part they had been very succ
essful.
Lastly there was Thorock and Borock, two Salynoids. They were the only
non-humans in the room, but they were perhaps the two people that Tallon trusted
and respected the most. They were telepaths, and their large bulb-shaped heads
contained minds that were far past anything Tallon had experienced before. He
had tried to get Dr. Kendel to clone them, but to date, the attempt was Kendel’s o
nly failure. The two Salynoids were in charge of weapons technology and they we
re doing so fine a job that Tallon mourned that the Empire had not discovered th
ese fascinating people earlier. If Thorock and Borock had been in charge of bui
lding the Death Star, there is no way that a single fighter would have been able
to take it out.
At the head of the table sat Tallon. They were waiting for one more per
son to arrive, but as Tallon searched the room he saw that there were no more ch
airs. Thrawn entered the room with his calm easy strides, and Tallon got up to
offer the Admiral his seat. “Sit in your chair Captain. I prefer to stand,” Thrawn’s
voice was smooth and calm, yet had an edge to it that made everything sound lik
e a command. Tallon immediately noticed that Thrawn was wearing an Admiral’s unif
orm instead of a Grand Admiral’s. Tallon looked around the room again and placed
his bet on Snotzenexer for the first person who would question Thrawn’s change in
rank. The others would surely notice it, but only Snotzenexer would be able to
recognize the implications of such a demotion if that is what it was. Also he w
ould be the only one, in his reclusive nature, bold enough to question Thrawn.
Thrawn strode to the head of the table and stood next to Tallon, scannin
g the members of the meeting. Tallon knew enough about Thrawn to realize that i
n this quick evaluation of his men he was learning as much about them as Tallon
himself already knew, maybe more. Thrawn paused as he examined the two Salynoid
s. Tallon guessed that it was probably the first time Thrawn had ever seen the
green skinned aliens. Thrawn’s gaze continued to pass over the men seated there.
He paused again when he saw the look on Snotzenexer face. “You wish to ask me so
mething, Commander?”
Snotzenexer didn’t hesitate, “Your rank is incorrect, sir. I am simply curi
ous.”
Thrawn smiled at his direct boldness, “I have demoted myself, Commander.
There is no one ranked higher than me, so I was forced to do the action myself.
There is no room for failure even among the leaders of the Empire.”
“I simply thought that your death would have been punishment enough.”
Tallon was taken aback at Snotzenexer’s casual reference to the event that
he was sure Thrawn was a little bit touchy about. But Thrawn’s smile increased t
enfold. “It might have been enough of a punishment for me, but it was not public
enough for the Empire. We need our people to know that their leaders, though su
perior to them in every way, are not infallible and are still subject to punishm
ent. You will find that your men will be more willing to take orders from you i
f they know that their commanders will take responsibility for the outcome inste
ad of blaming it on them for simply following orders. Also your men will be mor
e willing to take risks that could lead to mistakes if they know that even their
commanding officers make mistakes. And you of course know that if we don’t take
risks we will never make any progress.” Snotzenexer seemed content with the answe
r. Tallon knew that Thrawn’s demotion changed nothing. Thrawn was still the high
est commanding Imperial officer in this sector, and probably this galaxy.
Thrawn finished his evaluation of the men at the table and then nodded t
o Tallon to begin the meeting. Tallon nodded and turned to his notes in front o
f him. “General,” he said turning to Oskiman, “status of the fleet?”
“The fleet grows stronger as we speak. The shipyards are producing the sh
ips with incredible efficiency and we are finding that the quality of these ship
s is outstanding. Presently we have two fully staffed Super Star Destroyers, th
e Dark Fist and the Doomsday Hammer. Both have full compliments of TIE fighters
and bombers and the Dark Fist is fully loaded with ground assault equipment. W
e also have a fleet of forty Imperial class Star Destroyers all fully staffed an
d containing full compliments of TIE’s. We have two hundred Victory class Star De
stroyers also all staffed and equipped. Finally we have twenty Interdiction Cru
isers. All of the crews are highly trained and ready for deployment anywhere to
crush the Rebellion, sir.”
“Very good General, but we-” Tallon started and the General began to frown.
Oskiman was sick of sitting on his hands and waiting; he wanted to do something
.
Thrawn put a hand on Tallon’s shoulder, stopping him in mid sentence. “Prep
are the Dark Fist and several Imperial class Star Destroyers for a ground attack
,” Thrawn said to Oskiman.
“Yes sir,” he replied over enthusiastically. “May I inquire of the target?”
“In good time General.”
Tallon waited to see if Thrawn was finished and moved on to Snotzenexer.
“Commander do you have anything to report?”
“The Admiral had me look into a few things, but I don’t have anything of imp
ortance,” he responded.
“What do you have?” Thrawn asked.
“Well, you asked me to locate some New Republic art, but I was unable to f
ind anything.”
“That’s not what you mean. You found something, but you didn’t think it was a
rt, did you?”
“Well, sir, all I found was that the New Republic decorates all of their b
uildings with live plants, but they don’t have many sculptures or paintings.”
Thrawn smiled again. “What is your definition of art, Commander?”
Snotzenexer paused. “The expression of emotion through the manipulation o
f a tangible physical object.”
“And you don’t think that plants are an expression of emotion?”
“Well . . ., I . . .” but he was at a loss for words.
“I came to the same roadblock as you when I first looked into this until I
realized that the New Republic loves life itself. This is evident in their inv
olvement in the Light Side of the Force. It was this oversight that caused my d
efeat in my earlier campaign. The New Republic’s strength is their association wi
th the Force and those who wield it. This time we will attack them properly.”
Snotzenexer nodded in understanding and Tallon took this to be the end o
f the conversation so he moved on to the next person. “Mr. Frowinger how are you
coming with the cloaking devices?”
“I just about have the cloaking device designed for the Dark Ring, and I a
m sure that with our incredible man-power, once designed it will be only a mater
of days before it is installed.”
“What of the HRD I asked you to design?” Thrawn asked. Tallon looked up at
Thrawn. Had the Admiral met with all of his men already?
“I was able to retrieve the designs from Prince Xizor’s file and believe tha
t with Dr. Kendel’s help I will be able have it operational with the likeness you
requested within the week.”
With a quick glance at Thrawn to see if that was all, Tallon moved onto
the Doctor. “Do you have anything to add, Doctor?”
“All of the cloning cylinders on the Dark Ring are working properly, and,” h
e glanced at Thrawn wanting to address his question before he asked it, “I have fi
nished my work on the special cylinders that you requested, however; as of now t
hey are untested.” He paused. “I do have one question though. With the incredible
energy source made available to us with the Dark Ring and the immense amount of
cloning cylinders, I am finding that we almost have too many personnel. If we
continue to clone at our current rate we will have an over flow of personnel. O
nly so many people can work on a given ship or project, and we don’t have enough r
esources to keep them all occupied.”
 Thrawn nodded in understanding. He had thought that this might be a pro
blem, and he already had a solution. “Have some of your excess men come to this p
lanet,” he said. “Have them start to build a small city where your men can come to
relax. Build several gaming facilities, eating establishments, and the like. W
e will be here for the long haul, so don’t be afraid to splurge.
“Clone an architect and an engineer and put them in charge of the project.
As soon as you have an excess of personal, allow time off. For every six mont
hs worked, they may have two weeks off. That should solve your overcrowding pro
blem on the work force and at the same time it will increase morale and producti
on. You will find that your men will work harder if they know they will get a r
eward when they are done.”
Finally Tallon turned to the Salynoids and merely motioned them to speak
. “We are happy to report that the structural work on the Dark Ring is completed,
and only the inside and living quarters need to still be worked on. This compl
etion is exactly 1.73 years ahead of schedule,” Thorock said. Tallon had never he
ard Borock speak, apparently their unique relationship required only one voice.
Thrawn had not met with them earlier, and he did not have any particular
assignments for them. “When can I see the Dark Ring I have heard so much about?” h
e asked.
“We can take you there anytime at your leisure,” Thorock responded.
Tallon, seeing that the meeting was drawing to a close, stood up. “Well,
gentlemen. We all have work to do, so let’s get busy.”
* * *
Captain Tallon, Admiral Thrawn, the two Salynoids, and a pilot were on a
n Imperial shuttle shooting through hyperspace. The pilot spoke, “Approaching des
tination. Preparing to drop out of hyperspace now.” As he spoke he pushed the hy
perspace throttle forward, and the star lines dropped into single dots. Before
them loomed an incredible darkness - a darkness that blotted out all of the star
s from their forward vision. Thrawn squinted out of the window, trying to get a
better look at what was ahead of them. As they drew closer, he could make out
what looked like an enormous wall of metal that disappeared from view in all dir
ections, appearing to stretch out infinitely. Thrawn was soon able to detect a
slight curvature in the wall and guessed that it was somewhat spherical. Featur
es on the wall band began to become visible the closer they came. Scaffolding s
eemed to cover the entire structure, and Thrawn could see thousands of people cr
awling around on the outside. Thrawn could also see that it was slowly spinning
around an axis. As soon as the magnificent structure came into view Thorock be
gan to spew out facts about it.
“The Dark Ring is shaped like a sphere that is open at the two poles. The
radius of the Dark Ring is slightly over seventy-five million kilometers. At t
he center of the Dark Ring is a class four star named Danzig 359. The inside of
the Dark Ring is covered with solar panels, and it can produce more power in a
second than a Super Star Destroyer can in one hundred years. The ring itself is
more like a very wide band that encompasses the star. The surface height of th
e Dark Ring is one hundred million kilometers. The depth of the Dark Ring is a
little over fifty kilometers. It contains about two hundred million human cloni
ng cylinders and one thousand ysalameri cloning cylinders. Presently the Dark R
ing can contain fifty million personnel, but when completed it will be able to h
ouse close to two hundred fifty million officers and another one billion personn
el. There are one thousand Death Star lasers placed uniformly around the band,
so that no ship can approach the band without being in range of at least three o
f these lasers. It also contains over one billion heavy turbo lasers. The sect
ion of the Dark Ring that is used for a ship yard has a depth of two hundred kil
ometers and can house five Super Star Destroyers at once. Presently one Super S
tar Destroyer, five Imperial class Star Destroyers, and twenty Victory class Sta
r Destroyers are under construction. The construction of this facility is now e
ntering its seventy-seventh year.”
Admiral Thrawn turned to Captain Tallon. “I was not aware that this exist
ed. I knew that there was a cloning facility at this outpost. But this I did n
ot expect.”
“Not many people were aware of it. I am told that this project was kept s
ecret from even Lord Vader. When the Emperor started this eighty years ago, abo
ut fifteen years before the clone wars he didn’t let anyone know about it. When I
arrived almost twenty-three years ago it was about half completed, but under my
supervision and an increased cloning rate due to your discovery of the special
qualities of the ysalamiri, I was able to more than double the rate of construct
ion.”
Thrawn nodded and kept looking at the immense display of power. After T
horock heard that they were finished talking, he jumped back into his string of
statistics. He explained how many hundreds of planets they stripped bare of res
ources; how many oceans they sucked dry and desalted; how many animals are requi
red to feed all of the men; and how much air is produced to fill the station. T
he small speck on the surface of the Dark Ring that they were approaching was sl
owly growing larger. At a distance Thrawn judged that it was simply a small shu
ttle landing bay, but as they neared he saw that this opening was big enough to
hold a Victory class Star Destroyer. Thrawn realized that the Empire was in a b
etter position than he had thought. And he was sure that they were in a much be
tter position then the New Republic could ever imagine.
Chapter 3 “Reunions”
Jacen was busy feeding his animals when his sister popped her head in th
e door. “Mom and Dad are coming, let’s go!”
Jacen looked at her a little annoyed. “I know. I can use the Force too,
you know.” He turned back to his pets. “Just let me finish feeding these guys. Th
ey can land without us.”
Jaina frowned. “No they can’t. Don’t you remember? We were going to ‘Bring Th
em In,’“ she said putting emphasis on the last three words.
A light went on in Jacen’s mind. “Oh yea.” He dropped the small piece of foo
d he was holding and ran out the door after his sister to the landing spot.
* * *
Han flipped on the autopilot and sat back. “What are you doing?” Leia asked
.
“The air controller notified me that all incoming traffic are simply to pu
t their ships on autopilot, and a pair of students will bring us in.” Han still n
oticed a worried look on his wife’s face and Chewie barked a negative comment. “Hey
,” he said, “I’m the pilot and it’s my ship, and I say we let them take us in. Luke’s tra
ined these kids. I’m sure they know what they’re doing. Besides it might the twins
taking us in.” He nudged Chewie in the ribs. “Just relax.”
* * *
Down on the ground Jacen and Jaina looked at each other and winked.
* * *
Han’s feet fell from their propped up position as the Millennium Falcon dr
opped like a stone for about five meters and then stopped itself. “What the-” Han y
elled. Artoo and Threepio raced into the cockpit.
“Master Solo what happened. I nearly-”
“I don’t know Threepio, so shut up and let me find out.” Han quickly did a sy
stems check on the autopilot to make sure it was functioning properly. Suddenly
they dropped again. “It’s the students,” Han said. “Maybe you were right Chewie.” Chew
ie growled something about always being right and another drop came. “That’s it. I’m
flying it in the rest of the way.” Han reached for the manual controls but they
wouldn’t respond. “Who ever it is, is pretty good because they locked me out.”
Leia closed her eyes and concentrated. “It’s the twins,” she confirmed. “You s
hould be proud of their advanced skill.”
Han smirked. “I’m ecstatic.” This time the drop included a full twist.
“I’m sure we’re not in any danger. It’s just their way of saying welcome back.”
* * *
Luke looked at the twins. He couldn’t really scold them too much after wh
at he had done to Lando, but as the teacher he had to draw the line. “Okay guys,” h
e said to the twins, “that’s enough. Bring them in gently the rest of the way.”
The twins shrugged in defeat. “Okay.”
* * *
The Millennium Falcon set down gently on the firm landing spot. The ram
p opened and Han strode purposefully down the ramp. Waiting for him was Luke, L
ando, Lowbacca, Anakin, Jacen, and Jaina. When Han saw his three children all o
f his anger disappeared. He ran over and hugged his children.
“It’s good to see you too Dad,” Jaina said.
“Yea,” he said, “we had a little trouble landing. I must be getting rusty.”
“Must be,” Jacen said.
Leia and Chewie were right behind Han. Leia greeted her children while
Chewie walked over to Lowbacca and gave him a big wookiee hug. After the family
reunion, Han saw Lando. “Hey, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in a wh
ile. What are you up to these days?”
“Hold on,” Lando chuckled, “one question at a time. I came here to ask a favo
r of Luke that’s all.”
Han looked at him suspiciously. “Since when does Luke owe you a favor. H
e’s probably saved your skin more times than you can count.”
Luke jumped in to Lando’s rescue. “He waited to blow up the second Death St
ar until he knew I was out,” Luke said trying to keep a straight face.
“Yea,” Lando said to Han, and then quieter to Luke, “How close was it?”
“Too close,” Luke responded.
Leia went over to her brother and gave him a hug. “When you have the time
, I have something I have to tell you and Han.”
“I’m not busy right now,” Luke answered.
Leia looked over at Han who was talking with the twins. “Okay,” she said, “le
t us get settled here and we’ll met you in your quarters in about a half hour.”
* * *
Luke heard the gentle knock on his door about twenty-five minutes later.
He briefly remembered the levitating display he had done yesterday to unnerve
Lando and smiled. “Come in.” Leia and Han entered the room and took their seats in
the two chairs while Luke remained seated on his bed. “So what’s this all about?”
“You’re not going to like it,” Han said before Leia could speak.
She looked at him. “Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean Luke won’t.” Han
shrugged in a gesture of indifference. Leia turned back to her brother. “Two da
ys ago we received a distress call from a planet in the core systems. They want
ed to join the New Republic. They are aware of Imperial activity in a nearby sy
stem, and they fear for their safety.”
“As far as I know the entire system is full of Imperial bases. It would h
ave been more unusual if they would have said they weren’t aware of Imperial activ
ity,” Luke said.
“That’s what I said,” Han agreed.
Leia shook her head. “Han’s retired and you’re out here so neither of you are
aware of our own military activity in the core systems. We have been pushing t
he remnants of the Empire further and further into the core systems. Along the
way we have found several planets that wanted to join the New Republic, planets
that either were previously controlled by the Empire or somehow remained neutral
. Each planet we add to our Republic increases our power in the core systems an
d decreases the Empire’s. This new planet is near the edge of the border we’ve crea
ted. We don’t have any information about it other than its name, coordinates, and
what they’ve told us about it.”
“What is its name?” Luke asked.
“Hastrin.”
Luke froze momentarily. That name meant something to him. It was like
a weird feeling of de-ja-vu. Had he had a vision? A dream? He couldn’t remember
, but he was sure that Leia was right and that there was Imperial activity aroun
d Hastrin.
Leia seemed not to notice Luke’s reaction but continued her presentation.
“They are a medium sized planet with a population of about seven hundred million.
They said that they were able to remain neutral during the Empire’s rein by givi
ng tribute in the form of natural resources. Now the Empire seems to be regaini
ng power and Hastrin fears that they won’t be able hold off the Imperials this tim
e. The council has decided to accept Hastrin into membership only after we have
sent a delegation there to appraise the situation.”
“So naturally we’re their first choice,” Han said, spoiling the suspense Leia
was trying to build. Luke had already guessed that he and Han would be the ones
going. It was the most logical choice.
“I’m sure that you’ll agree that you two are the most logical choice,” Leia said
, stating Luke’s thoughts. Luke nodded. “A planet that fears its enemy needs reass
urance that the people they are looking to for protection, will indeed be strong
enough to protect them. So naturally the New Republic’s top General-”
“Former General,” Han interrupted.
“. . . and a Jedi Master would ensure the people of Hastrin of our strengt
h, and hopefully, that we can defeat the Empire.”
Han shook his head. “I just don’t like the fact that we have to be the gala
xy’s body guards. I mean where was Hastrin twenty years ago, huh.”
“Han, twenty years ago they were surrounded by the Empire,” Luke said, “and th
ey were scared to so much as breathe, not to say anything about sending a distre
ss call to the Empire’s enemies.” Luke turned to Leia. “So you’re here to ask me to go
with Han?”
Leia cringed a little. “Not really,” she admitted. “I’m more like telling what
the council decided.”
“Oh,” Luke understood. “Well I guess I don’t have a choice then.”
“You can still say no, Luke. It’s just that then you’ll be going against the
wishes of the council, and I think you should know that you’re not a friend of too
many people on the council. There are a lot of new members, and they weren’t aro
und when we gained our independence. They’ve read about the time when the Jedi we
re protectors of the Republic and played an active role in the government. They
see you as a hermit whose kept himself on a forest moon away from the action.” L
eia raised her hand to stop Luke’s forthcoming comment. “I know that you’re here tryi
ng to restore that role of the Jedi, and if it wasn’t for you, there would be no N
ew Republic for the Jedi to protect, but I’m only one of a few people on the counc
il who believes that. If you were to take this mission, you would change a lot
of people’s minds.”
“I’ll go, but you should have told me this earlier. I could have addressed
the council and told them what I was doing.”
“It’s not that important Luke,” Leia reassured him. “They still respect you for
who you are. It’s just that I get a little defensive about my brother.”
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow a ship will arrive. With the ship you’ll get more information, an
d then you’re encouraged to leave as soon as possible.”
“Well,” Luke said, “I can leave the Academy for a few days.” He turned to Han.
“So what do ya say, Han? Feel like going on a little diplomatic mission for the
New Republic?”
“You don’t understand,” Han said. “My decision has already been made by someone
else.” Luke nodded and made a mental note not to get married any time soon.
Leia ignored Han’s comment and continued her speech. “The nearby system tha
t Hastrin identified as containing Imperial activity, is the Danzig system. I’m n
ot sure if you’re familiar with that system. It contains about four hundred small
stars. One of the stars in particular has gained the attention of our astronom
ers back on Coruscant. Danzig 359 has, over the past seventy-five years, gotten
dimmer and dimmer. At first we thought that a nebula or some kind of cloud mig
ht be covering the star. But now that we have confirmation of Imperial activity
in that system we are more concerned.”
“Another Sun Crusher,” Luke said, referring to an Imperial weapon that could
cause a star to collapse on itself to the point of a supernova.
Leia nodded. “It’s possible that seventy-five years ago they tested the dev
ice on Danzig 359. It apparently worked but it took way too long. We’ve seen the
Sun Crusher work before. It causes a nova in a matter of hours. If they’ve reop
ened their base in the Danzig system then they could be building more super nova
weapons. So along with your going to Hastrin, we are sending a small fleet to
inspect the Danzig system. We can only hope that the Imperials haven’t started to
build weapons of massive destruction again.”
“Yes,” Luke agreed, “we can only hope.”
* * *
Tenel Ka sat cross-legged on her bed. Her eyes were closed. She was me
ditating, something that she didn’t due very often. She didn’t like to use the Forc
e. She felt that it was a crutch. She preferred to use her own physical streng
th. In the past year, however, Master Skywalker had been able to make an impres
sion on her. She no longer thought of the Force as a vice for the weak, but she
now saw it as a tool for the strong. She still only used the Force when she ne
eded it, and she was the only student who had came of age, that made it clear th
at she didn’t want to carry a lightsaber.
Feeling more relaxed, Tenel Ka opened her eyes. She knew that her mothe
r, the Queen Mother of the Hapes cluster, was coming to Yavin IV today and she w
anted to be ready. She had just told her friends that she would be leaving to l
ive in Hapes where she would be taught how to be a Princess. She wasn’t proud of
the fact that she was a member of the Hapan royal family. In the female dominan
t society of the Hapes cluster a domineering cruel type of leadership that was o
ften a reflection of a ruthless dictator had always characterized the Queen Moth
er’s reign. But her mother had been different. Her mother, Teneniel Djo, was not
from the Hapes cluster but was formerly one of the witches of Dathomir. She ma
rried her father, Prince Isolder, who was the only descendant of Tenel Ka’s grandm
other, the former Queen. Her father was originally supposed to marry Princess L
eia but Leia had had her heart set on Han. Her father had found more than a sui
table wife in her mother.
Tenel Ka got up from her bed and moved out of her room to the outdoors.
Her parents were coming now. She could feel her mother through the Force. She
moved out to the landing field to find that Han and Leia, the twins, Lowbacca a
nd Chewie, and Master Skywalker were already there waiting. Seeing Leia reminde
d her that the President of the New Republic was going to Hapes with her to visi
t. Tenel Ka walked over to stand next to Master Skywalker.
Luke looked down at her. “Are you ready to bring your parents in.”
Tenel Ka nodded and closed her eyes. She reached out with her mind and
felt the shuttle as it came down through the upper atmosphere. At first she fel
t it weigh a ton, but after she managed to look past the weight and merely view
the ship the same as a simple rock, the weight disappeared and, with Luke’s help,
she was able to bring the shuttle down for a very smooth landing.
The hatch opened and two red suited guards marched down the ramp. They
took a quick look around before placing themselves on opposite sides of the bott
om of the ramp. King Isolder and Queen Djo descended in all of their royal sple
ndor. They weren’t wearing their most royal robes, but they didn’t lack any beauty
because of it. Leia inhaled sharply when she saw Isolder. In twenty-three year
s, he had lost none of his handsome charm. Then she blushed realizing that she
was standing next to Han. “Having second thoughts Princess,” Han whispered. He was
about to lay on some more guilt when his eyes caught those of Teneniel. He had
 first looked at Isolder to see his reaction to Leia and wasn’t disappointed. But
now he saw that Teneniel had managed to keep her rugged beauty while being ador
ned with the jewels and clothes of Hapes. A sharp elbow from Leia brought him o
ut of his trance, yet in greeting, Han walked up to Teneniel and kissed her exte
nded hand, showing more class than Leia had ever seen. She felt left out until
Isolder, not to be out done by his former rival, bestowed the same grace toward
Leia.
The four of them stared into each other’s eyes until Luke broke it up. “Hey
,” he said, “let’s remember who married whom.” This brought a laugh from the group and
they continued their greeting without further incident. Tenel Ka greeted her pa
rents formally, and Jacen, Jaina, Chewie, and Lowbacca tried their best not to l
ook out of place.
The Hapans had not planned on staying long and what had been long ‘hello’s t
urned into quick ‘good-bye’s. Chewie and the droids left with Leia, leaving Han, Lu
ke, the twins, and Lowbacca to say good-bye to the departing ships. Han looked
mournfully at the red glare of the Falcon’s thrusters, wishing that he and Luke co
uld have taken his ship on their mission, but Leia had been quite insistent that
they take an official New Republic shuttle. She said that the Hastrins wouldn’t
think very much of the New Republic’s fleet strength if Han and Luke arrived in th
e Flacon, a ship that looked like it couldn’t survive a head on collision with a g
as nebula. Those had been her exact words: “Couldn’t survive a head on collision w
ith a gas nebula.” Sometimes . . ., Han thought but left it at that.
After the ships had left the atmosphere and there was nothing left to se
e, the small party looked at each other as if suspecting something more to happe
n. The twins and Lowbacca had lost a friend, and they didn’t know when they’d see h
er again. Actually the twins and Lowbacca had graduated and like Tenel Ka, coul
d go anywhere they wanted, but they seemed hesitant to leave the comfort of the
forest moon. Jacen finally initiated conversation by turning to Luke. “You and D
ad are going to leave tomorrow, right?” Luke nodded in confirmation. “Then what ar
e we going to do?”
“That is up to you to decide,” Luke said, his voice changing from the voice
of their uncle and father’s friend to that of a Jedi Master. “Your training is done
. You don’t know everything about the Force, but then I don’t either. A Jedi is co
nstantly learning. You need to pick something to do that will allow you to cont
inue your learning process.”
Jaina smiled. “We could try to make our brother build a lightsaber. That
could be a learning experience.”
“Actually, I’ve sent Lando off on that task. He should be talking to Anakin
right now.”
Han looked incredulous. “Lando is going to teach my son how to build a li
ghtsaber?”
Luke laughed. “Now that would be a learning experience. No Lando is just
going to get him started.”
* * *
Anakin was busy reading some Jedi lore that was assigned to him when he
heard a knock on his door. “It’s not locked,” he said without looking up from his dat
a pad. When he finished the paragraph he was on he looked up to see Lando stand
ing in the doorway. “Oh I’m sorry Lando,” he said. He had learned along time ago tha
t he could call any of his father’s friends by their first name. “Come in.”
Lando stepped into the room and looked around, expecting this room to lo
ok like an average teenager’s room. It was nothing close to average, and well, ne
ither was the person who lived in it. The room was spotless, much cleaner than
Luke’s had been. There was a lot of exotic furniture stuffed into the room and La
ndo had no problem finding a place to sit. Anakin was reading in a hammock that
was strung up over his bed, a bed that Lando could tell never got used. Anakin
dropped the data pad onto the bed beneath him, and he swung his legs down so th
ey were hanging off the hammock and he was sitting upright, leaning slightly aga
inst the wall. “What do you want?” Anakin liked Lando.
 “You know your mom just left for the Hapes cluster,” Lando said, avoiding An
akin’s question.
“Yea, I know. I saw her when she landed.”
Lando looked around the room, noting all of the little trinkets and smal
l statues. “I like what you’ve done with the place. Are all of these things yours?”
“Yea. Hey, I gotta show you something.” Anakin hopped down from his hammoc
k and ran over to one of his many shelves. He grabbed a globe that had a black
rectangular base. It looked like it was filled with water, and had an inch of u
ndissolved colored powder at the base of the globe. Anakin raced back to Lando
and held the globe up in front of Lando’s face. “Watch.” As he spoke, Lando saw the
powder at the base of the globe begin to swirl. The many different colors of th
e powder began to make a dazzling rainbow display. Lando looked at Anakin and c
ould tell that he was concentrating, but unlike other Jedi, he didn’t have his eye
s closed. Lando looked back to the globe and saw that the powder that was swirl
ing in the center of the globe was starting to take shape. Almost magically the
picture of a space ship appeared.
Lando gasped. “It’s the Lady Luck.” The 3D image that floated in the globe w
as undeniably Lando’s pride and joy.
“Wait, let me add some special effects.” The remaining powder in the bottom
of the globe began to swirl again and it formed treetops at the base of the glo
be and a bright sun shining away at the top. It now looked like the Lady Luck w
as skimming over the treetops of Yavin IV. Lando was speechless. The image was
so clear that if he hadn’t seen Anakin create it he would have sworn that it was
a model floating in the globe. Lando didn’t say anything, but Anakin could sense
his question.
“It’s not really water. It’s a thick supersaturated jelly that the powder won’t
dissolve into. The globe has small electrodes in it, so when I want to shape s
omething all I have to do is touch this switch at the base of the globe, and the
jelly heats up, making it easier for the powder to move. I made the globe myse
lf. Another cool thing about it is that I can save a picture. Each particle of
powder is static charged and each color has its own signature so that the globe
can remember where each piece of powder is. I’ll show you.”
Anakin pressed a few different buttons on the base of the globe and then
watched the particles swirl. “I did this one for history class.” Pretty soon Land
o could discern the image of the Millennium Falcon and the second Death Star. T
he image on these pictures were much sharper than the Lady Luck had been and Lan
do realized that Anakin had concentrated harder when he had made these. “That’s not
all,” Anakin said. He pressed another button and the Falcon started to move towa
rd the Death Star. It wound its way through the TIE fighters and plunged into t
he battle station.
Lando was reliving the moment as the Falcon wove its way through the sca
ffolding on the inside of the Death Star, until it came to the power source. Wi
th a few quick shots at the main reactor, the Falcon retreated, just escaping th
e giant fireball. “I wasn’t there of course,” Anakin said when the movie was finished
, “but that’s what I gathered from my data pad and a little imagination.
Lando knew that they had written history when they had defeated the Empi
re at Endor, but he didn’t think that people would already be studying it. “It’s very
nice,” Lando said not being able to find the right words.
“Do you want it?”
Lando was shocked. “I couldn’t,” he started.
Anakin shook his head. “I have three of them and I could build another on
e in a couple days. In fact,” he pointed toward the corner of his room where a gl
ass bowl almost a meter across was laying, “I’m working on a really big one.”
“Thank-you,” was all Lando could muster, then he realized why he was here. “I
have a gift for you too, actually. I understand you haven’t built a lightsaber y
et.”
Anakin frowned slightly. “Did my uncle send you? I told him I wasn’t ready
yet. I just don’t feel it inside.”
Lando put the globe on the chair he had been sitting on and reached into
his pocket. He pulled out a medium sized crystal and held it up in front of An
akin so the light from the window could shine through it. Anakin’s jaw dropped to
the floor. “It’s,” he started, “it’s,” he tried again, “it’s so beautiful.” Its beauty w
only thing entrancing Anakin. He could see the massive power inside the crysta
l. The light inside grew in intensity as it reflected off the inner walls of th
e crystal thousands of times before exiting. “It’s so much more expensive than my g
lobe.”
It was Lando’s turn to shake his head. “I’m not trying to pay for the globe.
This is a gift. Consider it eighteen years worth of birthday presents wrapped
into one. Besides, I have an asteroid full of these things. Most of them much
bigger.”
Anakin took the crystal from Lando, and he could feel the warmth inside.
“I think I’m starting to feel something. Yep, I’m definitely ready to build one. I
always thought that the Force was making me wait. Now I know why. Thank-you v
ery much.”
Lando left the room and let the Jedi student be alone. Besides, he want
ed to go back to his quarters and play with his globe.
Chapter 4 “An old Hope”
Captain Tallon piloted the shuttle into the atmosphere of Hastrin. He a
nd Admiral Thrawn had just finished their tour of the uncompleted Dark Ring. Th
ey had only toured one fourth of it, but it was designed in quadrants so that al
l four of them were identical. Tallon had toured it before but it had been Thra
wn’s first time. Thrawn had expected there to be more room inside of the Dark Rin
g than there had been. One quadrant of the battle station was the equivalent of
about a thousand worlds the size of Hastrin, but there didn’t seem to be near tha
t much room. It is obviously hard to compare sizes when they become that astron
omical but Thrawn prided himself in his ability to accurately judge things. All
had been made clear when the Salynoids had shown him the weapons systems. It w
as a definite flaw in the Empire that fifty percent of everything that it made h
ad to be capable of blowing something up. Even if they had made the station one
-one hundredth of its present size, there wouldn’t be a fleet in the galaxy that c
ould have destroyed it. Now any fleet that attacked would be exposed to anywher
e from three Death Star lasers, depending on the size of the fleet, up to ten.
Each laser was able to fire once every twenty seconds. In one minute the Dark R
ing would be able to decimate a fleet by destroying up to thirty capitol ships.
A smaller battle station could have been just as effective.
The shuttle was approaching the mountain range where the Imperial base w
as located. The headquarters was nestled between two large mountains. A messag
e blinked onto the shuttle’s message screen. Tallon glanced at the message briefl
y and turned to Thrawn. “The Republic has answered our distress call. There is a
full report waiting for us at the base.” Tallon set the shuttle down on a large
flat cliff that was cut out of one of the mountains. Four stormtroopers stood w
aiting. After they had disembarked from the ship, Tallon waived off the stormtr
ooper escort, and he and Thrawn made their way to the side of the mountain where
a turbo lift shaft had been dug down into the rock. The lift whisked them down
several hundred feet to the bowels of the mountain.
They made there way to Tallon’s office so they could receive the message.
Tallon entered his code, and the message was brought up on his screen. He offe
red the screen to the Admiral so he could read it first. “Go ahead Captain Tallon
,” Thrawn said. “I believe I already know what it will say.”
Tallon read the message quickly and turned to Thrawn. “It seems as though
you were right. They are indeed sending Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. But they
are also sending a small fleet to the Danzig system.”
Thrawn frowned. “I had considered this possibility, but I did not think t
hat they would do it. It appears that the enemy has gotten soft over the years.
It is foolish of them to send a fleet into a potential battle without any info
rmation at all. Surely because of what they can see of Danzig 359, they believe
us to have another super nova weapon. They should realize that if this were th
e case, then we would protect such a research project with all we had. A small
fleet, as they put it, then seems far too inadequate. I thought that they would
 have waited for Solo and Skywalker to return before they attempted anything. B
ut since I had considered this possibility, I do have a counter. Tell Oskiman t
hat we are postponing his land invasion, and he is to instead prepare a fleet to
meet the foolish fleet of the New Republic. Tell him that he may use as many s
hips as he wishes but we need ten Interdictor Cruisers, and ten Imperial Star De
stroyers to welcome our New Republic diplomats.”
“Why do we need so many ships to capture one shuttle?”
“I simply want to be sure of the capture. I’ve underestimated Skywalker’s pil
oting skills before, and I’ve heard that Solo is better than he is.” Thrawn paused.
“Tell Frowinger to get one ton of pure lampium.” Thrawn saw Tallon’s confused react
ion to this last odd request and decided to clarify. “Lampium is one of the dense
st metals known and has a relatively low fusion point.”
“I’m sorry Admiral, but chemistry was my one weakness in the Academy.”
Thrawn was impressed with this show of honesty from a high-ranking offic
er with regard to a weakness, and Tallon moved several notches higher in Thrawn’s
respect column. “All materials have a fusion point - the point at which the atoms
are vibrating so fast and contain so much energy that they can no longer hold t
heir molecular bonds together. Normally the fusion point is never reached becau
se before the material can achieve the required temperature, it evaporates, allo
wing all of the molecules to dissipate, and thus reducing the pressure and, ther
efore, eliminating the possibility of attaining the necessary temperature. Howe
ver, the Empire has conducted a series of tests in the past showing that a stron
g enough tractor beam can keep all of the molecules together, thus preventing de
pressurization due to evaporation.”
Tallon nodded at this point to show that he was following. He did not f
eel stupid. He enjoyed learning new things and who better to learn from than th
e master of strategy, Admiral Thrawn. “When the fusion point is reached,” Thrawn co
ntinued, “the material vaporizes into all of its molecules. This reaction, or vap
orization, is displayed as a terrific explosion. When metals undergo a fusion r
eaction, the explosion is an incredibly bright flash, due to metals’ conductive ab
ility. Lampium is interesting because it is so dense and the molecular bonds ar
e strong enough that during a fusion reaction of Lampium, it is not uncommon for
the molecules to rip their respective atoms apart. When this occurs, it incre
ases the size of the explosion one hundred fold.”
Tallon took all of this in. “Wouldn’t conventional weapons be more effectiv
e?”
“Perhaps,” Thrawn admitted, “But this will put on a much better display for th
e people back on Coruscant.” Thrawn paused to change subjects. “When are Solo and
Skywalker supposed to arrive?”
“Eight days, sir.”
“That gives us plenty of time. I’m sure you will inform Oskiman of all the
details. I’ll explain the particular use of the lampium when the time comes. Als
o make sure that the Dark Ring’s cloaking device is fully operational.” With that T
hrawn strode from the room and let Tallon go about his work.
* * *
It was early morning and the sun was just appearing over the treetops of
Yavin IV. Lando and Lobot were loading the Lady Luck with all of his personal
belongings, plus trying to find room for Yova and Trince’s stuff. All packed and
done with their good-byes, the four crystal diggers boarded the Lady Luck and af
ter a quick preflight check took off into the sky. Once the ship had cleared th
e atmosphere, the hyperspace jump had been calculated, entered, and executed, La
ndo spun his chair around to evaluate the two Jedi he had “acquired” from the Academ
y.
He looked them both over and then spoke. “Your Yova,” he said pointing to t
he short stout girl, “and your Trince,” he pointed to the sandy haired boy. Lando c
ouldn’t help thinking that Trince looked like a cross between Han and Luke. He wa
s thin, sandy haired, and Force strong, yet he was at the same time independent,
rugged, and Corellian. Yova on the other hand was like no one he had ever seen
 before. Her face was pretty, and her hair was brown, long, and braided. She w
as about five feet tall and just a little on the round side. “So other than your
names, can you tell me anything about yourself.” Silence. “Okay, I’ll start. My nam
e is Lando Calarisian. I’m from nowhere and everywhere. I was formerly a general
in the New Republic, but now I just move from job to job trying to make a livin
g.” Still silence. Great, thought Lando, Luke gave me a pair of mute students.
“We can talk,” Yova corrected his thought, “we were just thinking to ourselves
what we should tell you.”
“Why not tell me everything?”
“We’d be here for a few days,” Trince said bluntly.
“You gave us the sweetened condensed version of your life in three sentenc
es and your fifty-nine years old. I don’t quite think that you told us everything
,” Yova reasoned. Lando agreed with Luke that she was clever.
“You will probably just want to know our special abilities and talents tha
t can help you get your job done,” Trince added. “I am more into the physical aspec
ts of the Force and Yova is more into the non-physical, for lack of a better wor
d, aspect of the Force.”
Yova jumped in. “I seem to have a better sense of precognition. I can te
ll if danger is imminent, or if a certain action is likely to be proven successf
ul. I also do very well with mind tricks and the like but I doubt that that wou
ld come in handy in a mine.”
Trince continued with his bio. “I enjoy the use of the Force in work. Th
ough anyone strong in the Force can lift a rock, I’ve found that through practice,
I can lift countless objects and command them to do a variety of tasks at the s
ame time. I am also highly skilled in levitation, endurance, and fighting. We
are both good with a lightsaber, I was fourth in the Academy with a lightsaber b
ehind the three Solos.” Lando thought he heard a little animosity in Trince’s voice
when he mentioned Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin.
“There is no animosity between us,” Yova said, proving the afore mentioned m
ind skills. “It’s an inside joke.” Lando would have to be careful what he thought aro
und this one. “Yes you will,” Yova said with a laugh.
* * *
Tenel Ka walked out of her quarters and looked out the window and saw th
e lines of hyperspace whiz by. The shuttle they had left Yavin IV in had docked
inside a Hapan cruiser that had been orbiting the moon, and now they were enrou
t to Hapes. Leia had said that she was sick of flying in the Falcon and let Che
wie fly it with the droids. She realized that upon arrival at Hapes, she would
probably find that Chewie had dismantled Threepio half way through the trip, but
she was willing to take that chance for a little luxury.
Tenel Ka walked into the lounge area of the cruiser and found Leia sitti
ng across the table from Isolder. The two of them were engrossed in a game of F
lamtok, an ancient Hapan strategy game. The game took years to master and Tenel
Ka knew that Isolder had spent some time with it and was pretty good. So she w
as surprised that Leia, who couldn’t have seen the game before, was winning. Tene
l Ka also realized that though the game was difficult for newcomers to do well a
t, it helped if you could read your opponent’s mind.
Tenel Ka reached out to Isolder’s mind just to make sure. Every move that
Isolder thought of, Leia managed to counter, often before he even played it. I
solder must have caught on to what Leia was doing because Tenel Ka found that he
started to think of ridiculous moves. Leia, who knew no better, would counter
them, and then Isolder would make a totally different move. Leia managed to hol
d her own for a little while because in order to fool Leia, Isolder couldn’t think
about his actual move for very long. In the end Isloder won, and Leia congratu
lated him on a good game. Tenel Ka thought that she was congratulating him more
for defeating her mind trick then defeating a novice in a difficult game.
Leia stood and stretched. It was time for a nap. Leia noticed Tenel Ka
standing there and thought that she wanted to ask Leia a question. “Why do you c
arry a lightsaber?” Tenel Ka asked looking at the pearl handled weapon hanging on
Lea’s hip.
“I was thinking of asking you the same question in reverse,” Leia commented
and motioned toward Tenel Ka’s empty belt.
“The New Republic is supposed to promote peace,” Tenel Ka continued ignoring
Lea’s comment, “but doesn’t carrying a weapon create war?”
Leia detached her lightsaber from her belt and held it up to contemplate
its role. She thought of it more as jewelry than anything else. The white han
dle with the inlaid pearls was very beautiful, but Leas also understood where Te
nel Ka was coming from. If it was used the wrong way, it could prove to be dead
ly.
“You’ll have to agree with me that a lightsaber is different from any other
type of weapon because only one kind of people use them. This weapon symbolizes
a Jedi and all that he or she stands for. Right now when most people think of
Jedi, they think of the clone wars and of my brother fighting against the Empire
. But there was a time before all of this when people thought of Jedi as peacek
eepers. A Jedi was someone who would keep them safe from the evils that surroun
ded them.
“My grandfather used to tell me stories of how when he was a little boy an
d he couldn’t get to sleep at night because of nightmares, my great-grandmother wo
uld tell him that nothing would harm him as long as the Jedi were around. My gr
andfather used to say that that was all he needed to hear in order to have a goo
dnight’s sleep. Right now Luke is trying to rebuild that image, but in order for
him to do that we have to first drive away the evil, so we can have a galaxy to
protect. Until the Empire is truly defeated, we can only hope that someday the
Jedi will once again be able to put little boys and girls to sleep by calming th
eir fears. And it’s with that same hope that I wear this lightsaber.” Leia re-atta
ched the weapon to her belt. She left Tenel Ka to think about her words, while
she went to take her nap.
* * *
Han watched as the two ships descended. Luke controlled one but told Ha
n that the other had not put on its autopilot. The ship that Luke controlled wa
s a large diplomatic shuttle named the New Hope. The other ship was a small Pla
net Hopper about half the size of the Falcon. The diplomatic shuttle was just n
estling smoothly onto the ground, when the Planet Hopper lurched violently. Luk
e almost let go of the shuttle to help the Hopper, but caught the diplomatic shi
p before it crashed down. The top rear thrusters and rear repulser lifts of the
Hopper ignited, causing the front of the ship to pitch sharply downward. The H
opper flipped totally over and just before it crashed into the ground, the front
repulsers fired on, straightening the front of the ship, and allowing the ship
to set down almost as gently as Luke had set down the shuttle.
“They should give him a medal for skill, and then take him off somewhere a
nd shoot him so he won’t kill anyone,” Han said after both ships had deactivated.
“From the way I’m sensing the pilot’s emotions he’s disappointed. Probably mean
ing that he didn’t feel that he did the flip very well,” Luke said in reply.
“Which means he lands like that all the time. I’ll shoot him right now.”
The hatch to the Hopper opened first and a very tall youth leaped out.
He was a little over two meters tall, had brown unkempt hair, and was wearing a
flight jacket with the picture of a bat emblazoned across the front. “Jon, Jon Po
ncho’s my name and flying’s my game.”
“I’m Solo, which is how you’ll fly if any potential passengers ever see you la
nd, and this is Skywalker, which is what kind of pilot you are if that landing w
as no fluke,” Han said, appraising his flying style.
Jon shook Han’s hand vigorously, “Pleased to meet you General. I’ve read a lo
t about you.” He turned to Luke. “A real Jedi Master, awesome. Can you levitate m
e off the ground?”
“I’m sorry,” Luke said, “you didn’t put any money in the box.”
Jon looked down at the ground for a box, and noticed that he was floatin
g off the ground. “Hey, I’m flying!” Luke made him do a complete flip and landed him
 on his feet. Off balanced, Jon tumbled to the ground and fell hard on his seat
.
“I like the first landing better,” Han said. “Don’t you?”
“Oh, yes,” Luke agreed. “You’d think it would be easier to land that maneuver o
n your feet than on a ship’s tri-pilons.”
“Life’s full of surprise,” Han concluded.
The bothers-in-law walked toward the New Hope, leaving Jon to scramble t
o his feet and wipe the dust off his butt. The pilot of the shuttle was now mak
ing his way down the ramp. Luke recognized his old friend. “Wedge, what are you
up to these days?”
“Ah, they still got me stuck in a go-nowhere job in the military,” Wedge sai
d. “Look at me. They got me running errands for the diplomats.”
“Shut up Wedge,” Han said. He turned to Luke. “He’s recently been promoted to
Admiral.”
“Admiral Antilles,” Luke said, testing the name.
“It’s only because you and Ackbar retired. They would have promoted you,” Wed
ge said to Han.
“I can’t help it if I know when to quit.”
“Shouldn’t you be with the fleet that’s going to the Danzig system?”
“No, they don’t use us precious Admirals on scouting missions.”
“Man, I can’t believe they left us out of that mission,” Jon walked up behind
Han and Luke, throwing in his credit’s worth into the conversation.
“Who’s your crazy pilot companion?” Han asked.
“This piece of work is Jon Poncho, member of the 185th squadron, and the b
est pilot in the New Republic.”
“I shouldn’t have retired,” Han said.
“You would have lost the top spot,” Jon cut in, “to me.”
Han looked up at the tall pilot. He contemplated asking Luke if he coul
d use his E-wing that was kept on Yavin IV to teach this cocky pilot a lesson or
two. Then he remembered the landing, and he wondered who would do the teaching
. But he couldn’t let Jon’s claim go unanswered. “I could fly you into the ground, a
nd then I’d let Luke finish you off,” Han claimed, not forgetting Luke’s skill as a pi
lot.
Luke examined Jon’s height. “What do you fly. You wouldn’t fit in any X-wing
or E-wing that I know of.”
“The 185th is composed of three custom made W-wings. And we’re the smallest
and the best squadron in the fleet.”
“At only three ships, your kills wouldn’t be able to compare with other squa
drons,” Luke observed.
“Actually,” Wedge corrected, “they’re number one.”
Han spoke up. “I’ve just left the fleet, but I’ve never heard of a W-wing bef
ore. How new is it?”
“There are only the three of them in the fleet,” Wedge explained. “The other
two members of the squadron, Bep Fritz and Vince Trimpo, are the ones who design
ed and built them. Bep is a computer genius and Vince is a superb engineer. Al
l three of them are extremely tall; Jon is the shortest. Because of their heigh
t, each W-wing was custom made, so we don’t have a universal blue print yet. Also
we haven’t mass-produced them yet because it takes an extremely good pilot to fly
one. The ship itself, looks a lot like a ‘W.’ It’s kind of like an X-wing with it’s f
oils down. The cockpit is in the middle with the wings sweeping back and then f
orward on either side. The thing that makes it the best ship in the fleet is th
e fact that it has twin engines in the back, one on each point of the ‘W,’ that are
independent, giving it a zero turning radius with an incredible amount of maneuv
erability.”
“The weapons system that Bep programmed is incredible to,” Jon pointed out.
“And since the guns are positioned directly opposite the engines, you can steal p
ower from the engines without having to go through the main power cell.”
“How long can you stay?” Luke asked, changing subject abruptly and wanting t
o catch up on old times.
“I’m supposed to drop off this ship and then head directly back. I have to
be there when Captain Biggs sends his report back on his findings in the Danzig
system.”
“Biggs is a captain already?” Luke asked. “His dad would have been proud.”
“Well Ackbar will have my hide if I don’t get back, so I got to go.”
“How is that old fish doing?” Luke asked. Boy, he sure was out of the loop
out here. He made a mental note to visit Coruscant when he and Han got back.
“His health’s not the same it used to be. He’s just a military adviser now, b
ut he’s just as feisty. Like a fish out of water.”
They said a final good-bye, Wedge and Jon got on the Hopper, and within
a few minutes, Han and Luke were alone standing in front of the New Hope. “It’s bee
n busy around here lately,” Luke said. He hadn’t realized how few ships ever visite
d his Academy until five ships visited in two days.
“How’s the Academy going to hold up with you gone?” Han asked.
“I can leave Streen and Tionne in charge.”
Han let out a deep sigh. “Well this mission isn’t going to go away all by i
tself, so I guess we better get it over with. I still have all my stuff in a pi
le in my room, so I’m ready to go.”
“How long is this trip in hyperspace?” Luke asked, wondering how much he sho
uld pack.
“About a week.”
“That’s not too long.”
“Maybe not for you. You can just put yourself in a meditation for the who
le trip, and it won’t seem any longer than a short nap, but I’ve actually got to be
conscious the whole time.”
“I could put you in a trance,” Luke offered.
“No, that’s okay, I’ve got a lot of reading I have to do. Leia wants me to ad
dress a bunch of school kids a week after we get back.”
“Are you going on a lecture tour or something?” Luke chided him.
“No, I’m not. The schools on Coruscant are going through a program where th
ey explain to all of the little kiddies all of the many choices for careers in o
ur galaxy. The program is called COFOC, Career Opportunities for Our Children.
They present all of the careers in either a positive or a negative light, depen
ding on how the New Republic views each career. I’m supposed to portray the life
of a smuggler in a negative light. I’ve down-loaded the Falcon’s log onto a data pa
d, so now I have to read it and try to remember what I actually did. It was alm
ost thirty years ago, my memory isn’t what it used to be.”
“Look on the bright side, Han,” Luke said. “You’ll be talking to a whole genera
tion of kids who’ve never heard how fast you can do the Kessel run.”
“Very funny.”
“The tittle of your speech can be called: ‘Never Cross a Hut.’“
“Har, har. I think you’re the worst thing I ever smuggled.”
“Part two of your speech can be: “How to Put the Moves on High Ranking Wome
n of Important Governments.”
“Yea, well, I hear that the three weeks after my speech, they’re studying ho
w to be a fighter pilot, a Jedi Master, and a moister farmer. Gee, it looks lik
e your month is booked.” They both laughed and Luke gave up.
Luke went off to pack and to tell Streen and Tionne, the two other teach
ers at the Academy, that he would be leaving for about three weeks. Han went of
f to say good-bye to his children. He spent a little extra time with Anakin to
make sure Lando hadn’t had an adverse affect on him. After seeing the crystal, Ha
n decided that he would visit Lando’s mine as soon as he got the chance. Thirty m
inutes later, with Han and Luke aboard, the New Hope took off from Yavin IV and
blasted into hyperspace toward Hastrin.
Chapter 5 “Endor”
Anakin really wanted to build his lightsaber, but he realized that he ha
d to finish his reading first. In history class they always covered each battle
or event in two ways. First they would lay down the series of events exactly a
s they had happened. Then they would study what part the Force had played in th
ose events. They were now on the Force related aspects of the Battle of Endor.
 Anakin was engrossed in reading about how his uncle managed to turn Dart
h Vader and defeat the Emperor. Anakin had never visited Endor and he really wa
nted to see his grandfather’s grave. What peaked Anakin’s curiosity the most though
, was the Dark Side. He had no intentions of studying it like some other waywar
d students had, but Anakin was curious as to why the Dark Side of the Force was
stronger than the Light Side. All of his teachers always told him that they wer
e equal, but Anakin couldn’t believe it. If they were equal then why did the Ligh
t Side always loose.
He had already studied about Yoda, and how when they went to Dathomir th
e Dark witches defeated him and other Jedi. He had studied about how all of the
Jedi had been hunted down and killed by the Emperor and Darth Vader. He had ju
st read about how helpless Luke had been against the Emperor. Although they had
not studied past the Battle of Endor, Anakin had heard all of the stories. The
story of how when Luke faced off against the leader of the Dark witches on Dath
omir, she had defeated him easily. He knew that it had taken three Force strong
people and his father to defeat C’boath. He also knew that when the Academy was
just started the mere spirit of Exar Cuun had nearly killed Luke, and it had tak
en all of the students at the Academy at once to defeat Exar Cuun.
If the Light Side and the Dark Side were equal then why did the Dark Sid
e always seem stronger? Though the Dark Side never won the final battle, the ed
ge was always with the Dark Side. Anakin believed that the reason the Dark Side
never won the final battles is because the Force wouldn’t let them. In the end g
ood had to win, it was just the way it had to be. Anakin was just concerned bec
ause even the victorious army, suffers a few casualties.
It was late and Anakin decided to let this train of thought wait until m
orning.
* * *
“Anakin.” Anakin sat upright in bed. “Anakin Solo.” Anakin could not see the
source of the voice. He searched his room with the Force to see if his siblings
were playing a trick on him. He found no one. “Anakin.” Through his doorway walk
ed a figure. He was encased in a soft glowing light and his body was semi-trans
parent. The stranger’s appearance isn’t what startled Anakin most though, it was th
e fact that this man, or whatever he was, had just walked through his doorway, b
ut the door was still closed. Uncle Luke had told him about the times Ben Kenob
i had visited him after he had died, and Anakin knew that a dead Jedi was visiti
ng him.
Anakin searched with the Force, trying to identify his visitor. “Grandfat
her, is that you.”
“Yes, it is me.”
“Should I get my-” Anakin started.
“No, let them sleep. I am here to see you. You will become a great Jedi.”
Anakin’s hopes sank a little. He had thought that his long dead grandfath
er was visiting him for a special purpose, but he had heard this speech many tim
es before from his uncle. “Yes, I’ve been told that someday-”
“That someday is very soon, my grandson,” the older Anakin interrupted. “You
are asking all of the right questions, but are frustrated that you are not getti
ng the right answers.”
“What is the right answer? Which is stronger, the Light or the Dark?”
“You will find that what my son has been teaching you is correct, they are
both equal.”
“But why-”
“You are at the same position I was many years ago. I was confronted with
the same question. I came to the conclusion that the Dark Side was stronger.
I had no intention of practicing the Dark Side, like you, but since I believed t
hat the Dark Side was stronger, when Palpatine came to me I fell away quickly an
d easily. It is important that you discover the truth.”
“Can you tell me?”
“You must find it on you own. You must go to Endor. Your teachers will s
ay no, and so will your brother and sister, so I would not tell them. You are t
he strongest person in the Force in many centuries. You will have some very big
responsibilities in the future. So it is very important that you find this tru
th. You must be careful however. The Force echoes of the fight that took place
there twenty-seven years ago between your uncle, the Emperor, and myself are st
ill strong, and you must be sure not to let the Emperor’s spirit over come you.”
“Will you help me?”
“I cannot help you. I have saved up my energy for many years so I could p
roject myself to you, knowing that this time would come, and now I feel my stren
gth fading.” The elder’s image to was starting to fade and flicker a little. “May th
e Force be with you young Anakin,” he said, and his image evaporated.
For some odd reason Anakin couldn’t get any sleep that night.
* * *
The next day Anakin was all fidgety in his classes. He knew that he had
to wait until nighttime. There was only one ship at the Academy - Luke’s E-wing.
Anakin had never flown it before, but he knew that he could. He had had a mag
ical touch ever since he was a kid and he had operated a planetary repulser that
had baffled the best New Republic computer scientists. Jacen had noticed Anaki
n’s odd behavior and his uncharacteristic energy. He was suspicious about his you
nger brother and went to talk to him.
The door was locked and Anakin wouldn’t answer Jacen’s knocks. It would tak
e a lot more than a locked door to keep Jacen out, however. A quick prodding of
the locking mechanism with the Force proved successful, and the door swung open
. “The door was locked for a reason Jacen,” Anakin said without looking up from his
work.
Jacen walked in anyway to see what his brother was working on. Anakin w
as finishing his large picture globe. Jacen had seen the globes before; in fact
Anakin had made Jaina and him one for their birthday. “You’ve seemed awful anxious
today,” Jacen commented. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” Anakin still had not looked up from his work. Anakin didn’t wan
t Jacen to see the strain on his face from keeping up the mind block. Anakin kn
ew that he was stronger, but just like in the lightsaber battle, Jacen had more
training. “Now could you please leave. I’m busy.”
Jacen realized that Anakin was hiding something from him, and he couldn’t
break through his mind block. If it was really important, Jacen was sure that h
e would eventually find out. Besides, he could try tomorrow with Jaina. No mat
ter how strong Anakin was, there was no way that he could keep out both of them.
When Jacen had left, Anakin mentally relocked the door and hoped for no
more interruptions. He was going to leave tonight and it was getting late. He
was almost finished with the picture globe. He would have to leave a note telli
ng everyone where he went. They wouldn’t be able to follow him. He would be taki
ng the only ship off of the moon, and if they called Coruscant, the soonest they
could get another ship would be a few days.
When night fell, Anakin gathered up a few things to put in his pack. He
packed some food, a few extra sets of clothes, and all of the equipment he’d gath
ered for building his lightsaber. He walked over to the window and climbed out.
He didn’t want to leave through his door, because he would have had to walk past
his sister and brother’s room, and he was afraid they would notice him. He jumpe
d out of the window and floated gently to the ground. He crept off toward the h
anger where his Uncle kept the E-wing, glad that it was in the opposite directio
n of the rest of the dormitories.
It would have been tough to sneak past Jaina and Jacen’s rooms, but to hav
e to sneak past Streen’s or Tionne’s, would have been impossible. Anakin knew that
there was a guard on duty. He had looked at the schedule and saw that it was a
first year student. Anakin knew from experience that the student guards were al
ways tired. When Anakin came to the guard post, he reached out carefully to tou
ch the student’s mind. He found that he was already asleep, Anakin smiled to hims
elf and wondered if his grandfather was helping him. Anakin concentrated a litt
le harder, sending the student into a deep sleep that he wouldn’t wake from until
someone roused him.
The hanger was a hundred yards from the guardhouse, and Anakin covered t
he distance quickly. Once inside, Anakin removed the large cloth covering the s
hip. Instantly the astromech droid came to life. “Shhhhh!” Anakin half yelled. An
akin had met the droid before when he had been sneaking around the hangar a coup
le of months ago. His Uncle had caught him then and introduced Anakin to the dr
oid. R7-T1 was kept in stand by until Luke needed to use his ship. R7-T1 immed
iately recognized that Anakin was not Luke and refused to obey him.
Although Anakin was good with computers, he didn’t know any Jedi mind tric
ks he could use to get one to calm down. He did, however, know the purpose of a
n astromech droid in a space ship such as this one, and he was sure that he coul
d get by without R7-T1’s help. He climbed into the cockpit and did a quick pre-fl
ight check. This pre-flight check was different than any he had done before. I
nstead of checking to make sure everything was working properly, Anakin had to f
ind out what everything did. His hands flowed over the control panel and over a
ll of the switches. As he passed over each control, he instinctively knew what
they did. After he was confident he understood what he was doing, he mentally c
hecked that R7-T1, who was still beeping away, was secure.
Anakin began to sweat. He knew that as soon as he started the engine he
would have precious little time to get away. The noise, if not the massive rip
ple in the Force, would wake Streen and Tionne and probably others. Anakin also
knew that together, they might be able to keep him from leaving. Anakin swallo
wed his fears, remembering that his grandfather had told him to do this, and for
that reason alone, he was sure he would succeed.
He started the engine and quickly activated the repulser lifts. Somethi
ng wasn’t working. The ship wasn’t rising. His hands flew over all the switches, m
entally rechecking each of their functions. Confident he wasn’t making a mechanic
al error he looked out of the cockpit at the floor and saw that the ship was tie
d down with steel cables. He closed his eyes and concentrated all of his mental
strength together and pitted it against the strength of the cables. The cables
were no match, and soon the E-wing was floating two meters off the ground. He
pulled the throttle back and eased the nose of the ship up as he shot out of the
hanger, breaking the tranquillity of the night. Anakin was overwhelmed by the
terrific speed available to him, and he spared none of it. As he shot through t
he atmosphere. He prepared the ship for the hyperspace jump.
Anakin knew ahead of time that there wouldn’t be time to wait the thirty s
econds to a minute that it would take to calculate the jump. Anakin also, howev
er, had studied the star charts of the systems between Yavin IV and Endor. He h
ad a photographic memory, and using the Force in a way that it had never been us
ed before, except by Anakin, he mentally calculated the jump, entered it into th
e flight computer, and disappeared into hyperspace.
* * *
Streen got up from bed and moved to his window. He watched as the red l
ight of the E-wing’s engines disappeared into space. He reached out to the pilot
to confirm his guess on his identity, but the ship was gone into hyperspace. He
had noticed Anakin acting a little strange, and now this pre-calculated jump pr
oved to him that it was Master Skywalker’s nephew. There were no computers at the
Academy capable of calculating a hyperspace jump. There had never been the nee
d. Streen knew of only one person capable of the mental calculation. He grabbe
d a robe and moved out into the hallway.
Tionne was just leaving her room. “Anakin.”
“I know,” Streen replied. “Go back to bed. I will check it out. He walked d
own the long hallway and up to the third floor where the Solos’ rooms were. He pa
ssed Jaina and Jacen’s rooms and mentally told them to go back to sleep.
The door to Anakin’s room was locked, and for the second time that day it
was picked with the Force. Sitting in the middle of Anakin’s bed was his finished
picture globe. In it was a picture of Endor.
* * *
The Lady Luck dropped out of hyperspace a few hundred kilometers away fr
om the asteroid. Trince looked out of the window at the hunk of rock where he a
nd Yova would be working for a few days. It was big enough to call a moon, exce
pt that it didn’t orbit around a planet. This system was void of planets. The lo
ne star was a small one, and it had a belt of similar asteroids and meteorites c
loser in orbit than this lone asteroid. Lando theorized that long ago a comet h
ad streaked into this system and collided with one of the asteroids in the belt,
knocking it out into a more distant orbit.
Yova, more knowledgeable of the behavior of rocks, said that it was more
likely that the comet had been crushed in between two asteroids. The momentum
of the comet had then carried the satellite into a greater orbital pattern. How
ever it had happened, Lando was only concerned with the remains of the crystalli
zed comet.
They approached the air shield, and Trince could make out some structure
s on the surface of the asteroid. He could see two large oxygen generators, som
e large digging equipment, a communications tower, the mouth of a cave, and some
other shacks that could be for housing. After passing through the air shield,
they landed and disembarked.
The visible population of the mine seemed minuscule. Other than themsel
ves, Lobot, and Lando, and the two Jedi could only see three people coming out t
o meet them, and they could sense another two people inside. Lando walked ahead
to greet the three miners and then came back to introduce them to Yova and Trin
ce.
“Yova and Trince meet Dexter, Jim, and Mansenchin,” Lando introduced them. “D
exter is our geologist, Jim is our mechanic, and Mansenchin is just here for the
manual labor aspect of the job, though he is a pretty good cook.
The two Jedi shook hands with the three men and mentally sized them up.
Mansenchin was the most physically imposing of the three, standing half a head
under two meters and weighing close to 100 kilograms. Jim was a bit on the thin
side and wore glasses, not a common practice. There were many medical procedur
es that could eliminate the need for such a bothersome piece of attire. Dexter
was a handsome dark-skinned man who looked a lot like Lando. Trince thought abo
ut asking if they were related but decided to pass on the question.
“Are you the only female here?” Trince asked Yova mentally.
“No,” she replied in the same telepathic manner. “I sense another woman insid
e one of those buildings.”
Lando turned back to the students. “I’ll take you inside and you can meet J
alence and Herta.”
Lando moved toward the communication tower. The Jedi followed him and t
hey entered a small building at the base of the tower. Inside two people were h
unkered over a panel of about fifty different switches. “Herta and Jalence are ma
rried and they are our communications and computer specialists. Herta turned aw
ay from her job and smiled at the Jedi.
With introductions out of the way, Lando thought that he should show Tri
nce and Yova the mining sight. The Jedi agreed, and they started toward the mou
th of a cave Trince had seen when they landed. There was a small wooden shed at
the entrance to the cave, and Lando disappeared inside briefly. He emerged car
rying three flashlights.
“What do we need those for?” Trince asked.
“So you can see what the problems are down there,” Lando replied as if it we
re obvious.
“If the problems were visible to the eye, then you wouldn’t need us, would y
ou?” Yova reasoned, but she took a flashlight for Lando’s sake.
Trince still refused, but he unhooked his lightsaber from his belt and i
gnited it. The three of them of them moved ahead into the cave, Trince and Yova
walking side by side at point, with Lando pulling up the rear.
They walked at a steady pace for about ten minutes when Yova pulled up s
uddenly. Lando had been pointing his flashlight in the other direction and almo
st ran into the short Strotton. “What is it?” Lando asked excitedly.
A pause. “We don’t know,” said Trince. “The flashlights won’t tell us.”
Another pause. “We will come back here later.” Yova brushed some of her ha
ir away from her face. She was straining as if to hear a quiet sound. “I do sens
e something, though. A signal.”
“A signal?” Lando asked. “From what to whom?”
“From here,” Trince said, finding the signal too. “To anywhere.”
Yova blinked her self out of her trance. “It is some sort of radio beacon
. Your people should try to find it on their instruments. They should probably
record it and try to discern some kind of repetitive pattern.”
Trince who was still sensing it spoke up. “It definitely repeats itself.”
Lando was confused. “What is it for?”
Trince broke himself away from his trance and turned to face Lando. “Who
ever set up these traps, has them sending a signal. When the signal stops, the
Empire knows that someone has either broken in, or brought the mine down. Eithe
r way it will tell the Empire that we are here, and if there is important enough
information down there for them to set up these kind of traps, then they’ll come
running.”
Lando understood now. “But if we record the signal, jam this signal, and
loop the recording, then the Empire will never know that we’re here.”
“Yea,” Yova agreed, “something like that.”
“I’ll have my people start on it as soon as we get back.”
With that, the troop turned around and headed back to the surface.
Chapter 6 “A Need for Concern”
The Hapan shuttle descended smoothly from the sky and came to rest gentl
y on the concrete landing pad. A large group of citizens were crowded around th
e landing area, and were held back by velvet ropes. Several of the Hapan dignit
aries were present. When the King and Queen of the Hapes government descended f
rom the ship, everyone became silent and went to their knees. Next out came Lei
a, and she was also greeted with great respect. None, though, got the respect t
hat Tenel Ka received as she exited the ship. Streamers flew into the air and s
houts of “The princess has come back home to stay” rang out from everyone present.
One of the dignitaries carried a beautiful robe and put it on Tenel Ka. Afterwa
rds he took a knee in front of her, keeping his eyes averted from her face. Ten
el Ka granted him pardon, and he rose and walked behind Tenel Ka as she moved th
rough the procession.
The entire display was one of wealth, with gifts being distributed freel
y to all of the arrivals. Anyone who was watching couldn’t help feel a sense of a
we at the whole display, almost anyone that is. On the hillside next to the lan
ding site someone watched the entire display impassively. If someone had seen h
er there they would have noticed something unusual about her eyes. As they focu
sed on the party two hundred meters away, they made a slight whirring noise. An
d if anyone could have looked through those eyes they would have noticed immedia
tely that they were no ordinary eyes. The micro-binocular effect of the eyes al
lowed the impassive observer to count the number of eyelashes on each of the peo
ple below. Also if anyone had seen her they would not help but notice that the
observer looked remarkably like one of those people below. In fact that person
would undoubtably confuse the two people.
Unfortunately for the observer someone had seen her. From further up th
e hill a man called out. “Hey, you! You can’t be here.” The guard hopped down the s
lope of the steep hill to the still unmoving trespasser. With the arrival of Pr
incess Tenel Ka, security was tight, and they couldn’t afford any terrorism. As t
he guard stood directly over the unknown person, she turned to face him. “Uh, I’m s
orry Princess Leia, “ he stuttered. “I thought you were down there with,” his eyes lo
oked down toward the procession. That was all she was waiting for. With one qu
ick motion the human replica droid’s hand shot up and broke the unsuspecting guard’s
neck before he even knew he was in danger. The HRD hid the body in the grass.
Laya was pleased that the guard had been so completely fooled by her app
earance. She was told that Dr. Kendel was good; now she knew how good. The tra
nsmitter on the guard’s belt chirped. “Number #2, report. Have you confronted the
trespasser yet?”
Laya reached for the transmitter. “Negative sir,” Laya replied in a perfect
mimic of the guard’s voice. “I was mistaken. There is no trespasser here.”
“Then what did you see?”
Laya glanced around and saw a fox scamper through the tall grass. “It was
a fox, sir.”
The voice on the other end seemed to contemplate this for a while. “It mu
st have been a big fox.”
“It was sir.”
“Okay, but be more careful.”
“Sorry sir. It won’t happen again.” Laya looked at the dead guard’s nametag. “Dr
umand out.”
Laya quickly went off after the fox. The fox looked up from the sent it
was tracking. It saw Laya coming in fast, but it was too late. One chop to th
e neck from Laya’s powerful arm rendered the fox lifeless. She took the fox back
to where the fallen guard lay. Laya ripped apart the fox’s jaw and placed the low
er and upper halves on opposite sides of Drumand’s neck. She pressed them togethe
r hard and twisted. She pulled the mangled maw away from Drumand’s neck. Huge fa
ng marks were visible and the ripping twist she had made could easily account fo
r the guard’s broken neck.
“A very big fox,” Laya said to herself. She used some of the fox’s blood to m
essy up the scene a little. Then she went off to hide the fox. After she had b
uried the remains of the dead animal, she visited a nearby stream to wash off th
e blood. She paused over the smooth flowing water to examine her reflection. H
er face was an identical copy of Lea’s. Laya had awoken just a week previous in D
r. Kendel’s lab. Admiral Thrawn had been there, and he had given her implicit ins
tructions. Her ship had only arrived yesterday and she had not yet begun her wo
rk, but now that her inferior counter part had arrived, the fun could begin.
* * *
The sun rose to illuminate the Academy, finding that some of its occupan
ts were already awake.
“Where did he go?” Jacen asked anxiously.
Streen had not let anyone else into the room because he didn’t want to dis
turb all of the emotional echoes that remained there. “He went to Endor.”
“Endor?!” Jaina screamed. “Uncle Lu-, uh Master Skywalker said never to go th
ere, at least not until we were ready.”
“Anakin isn’t ready,” Jacen pronounced. “He hasn’t even built a lightsaber yet.”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge your brother,” Streen admonished him.
“Why did he go to Endor?” Jaina asked, her original concern still present.
“I do not know, though I do believe that there is more involved here than
the simple whim of a teenage boy. Tionne and I will meditate on it.”
“Jaina and I can do it,” Jacen claimed.
Streen looked at him, feeling a lesson needed to be taught. “Jacen you ha
ve to learn humility. Your are the Academy’s best swordsman. You have advanced t
he furthest in your studies, and are probably the overall most qualified Jedi Kn
ight, but you have to learn that you are not the infallible person you think you
are. You are not invincible. I would not care to pit my lightsaber skills aga
inst yours, but I fear that someday you will walk into something that you are no
t ready for.
“Tionne and I will meditate in Anakin’s room and will try to discern his rea
son for fleeing. If we cannot find it then you will not try. Is that understoo
d?”
Jacen nodded though his over eagerness was not fully quelled.
* * *
 Tionne and Streen walked into Anakin’s room, and Streen sealed the room wi
th the Force.
“Do you think that you were a little hard on him?” Tionne asked.
“No. I think it had to be done, but I’m afraid it won’t do any good until he
fails. And I am afraid that that failure will come soon.” They sat on Anakin’s bed
with the globe of Endor between them. “When you feel a revelation, say it out lo
ud so the other person can feed off of the observation.”
They both closed their eyes and thought of Anakin. Almost immediately T
ionne spoke. “He had a vision. Two nights ago.”
“Not a vision, but a visitor,” Streen corrected. “Concentrate on that visitor
.”
They sat unmoving for half an hour. “I can only gather that a visitor cam
e through Anakin’s emotion, I can feel nothing from the visitor,” Tionne said half g
iving up.
“I agree that the visitor’s image comes from Anakin. He has not thought of
the visitor’s name on purpose so that we could not identify him. Search how Anaki
n feels about this visitor.”
An hour passed. “Love!” screamed Tionne, jolting both of them out of their
trance. “He loved his visitor.”
“The strongest of all emotions,” Streen observed. “If this visitor influenced
Anakin’s trip, then I do not fear for Anakin’s safety.”
They got up from the bed and for the first time realized how long they h
ad been meditating. “Why could we not feel the presence of his visitor?” Tionne ask
ed. “Does that mean that his visitor had no Force strength?”
Streen shrugged. “Either no Force strength, or he possessed Force strengt
h great enough to mask his presence. I cannot be sure. I have never encountere
d that phenomenon before.”
The two teachers left the room to be immediately pounced on by the twins
.
“He is safe,” Streen said, and he walked past them. Tionne said nothing.
* * *
Jacen and Jaina were walking through the woods. Neither of them spoke b
ut they both knew where their walk would eventually take them. After an hour of
plodding they came to a small clearing where a spaceship almost as big as the M
illennium Falcon stood. It was shaped a lot like a disk. The back of the disk
was flat and covered with thrusters. The front curved around to form a circular
disk, but in the exact middle of the front, the cockpit protruded, ruining the
smooth curve. There were laser cannons mounted on both sides of the ship and gu
nnery spots on both the top and bottom of the center of the disk. There were to
rpedo tubes located underneath and in back of the cockpit.
Upon closer inspection, one could tell that the outside part of the disk
looked suspiciously like a collection of TIE fighter and TIE bomber pods cut in
half and welded together. Also the top and bottom of the disk resembled an ass
ortment of S-foils and solar panels. The cockpit looked like two A-wing cockpit
s welded together. The torpedo tubes definitely looked like they belonged on a
Y-wing. And the laser cannons seemed like they’d be more comfortable at the tips
of the wings of an X-wing. Jacen and Jaina liked where all the pieces were thou
gh, and they could only apologize to the long dead pilots of the previous ships
for cannibalizing the parts.
After the twins had stumbled on a crashed TIE fighter many years ago and
Jaina had gotten it to fly, the twins had always wondered if there might be mor
e wreckage on the moon from the battle against the first Death Star. They were
hesitant at first, fearing that they might find more Imperial pilots as well as
ships. When they had found that first TIE fighter it had come fully loaded with
a pilot. But soon their fear of finding another enemy pilot was overcome by th
e possibility of finding a friendly one.
Jacen, Jaina, and Lowbacca searched the moon for many kilometers in each
direction. They found no more pilots, living at least, but they did find a tre
asure-trobe of ships. Lowbacca’s love for working with computers and machines was
rivaled only by Jaina’s love for the same. Together the two of them began to con
struct a makeshift spacecraft. Jacen, who knew little of computers, was designa
ted the part finder. Jaina, and Lowbacca occasionally looked for parts, but it
was mainly Jacen’s job. Cries of “I need another solar panel” or “I’m out of power coupli
ngs,” sent Jacen into action.
His ability to communicate with animals proved very useful. If it was a
large piece, Jacen would ask a large bird to keep its eyes open for it. If how
ever, the bird came back to say that it found it, it would be Jacen’s job to go ge
t it. Jacen didn’t want to take advantage of the animals and use them for physica
l labor, especially when he had the Force and could move large objects with ease
. Over the course of the last seven years they had gathered parts, but only in
the last few had the ship they were building began to take shape. It had been J
acen’s job to give the craft a name, and he had appropriately named it the Scaveng
er.
As the twins approached the ship they wondered what their dad would thin
k of it. Their father always took grief about his ship, the Falcon. People sai
d that it looked like a piece of junk, but next to this ship it would probably l
ook like a work of art. A loud banging noise came from within the ship. Jaina
raced toward it to identify the intruder, but Jacen held back. “It’s Lowbacca,” he sa
id to calm his sister.
Jaina stopped. She hadn’t even considered using the Force to identify Low
bacca. That, she knew, was the big difference between them. Jacen followed his
sister to the ship, knowing that she worked off aggression and anxiety by fussi
ng with the Scavenger. Jacen figured that with the current situation involving
Anakin, Jaina would be down here for a couple weeks.
The ship had flown already and was pretty fast. They had even tested th
e hyperdrive successfully. Jacen hadn’t doubted that the ship would fly. Everyth
ing that Jaina and Lowbacca built always worked. Jacen chalked this up as anoth
er victory for the Force. They worked with the Force, and it was never wrong.
Some how they had managed to keep this ship a secret from the rest of th
e Academy except Tenel Ka. They had even, to their belief, kept Master Skywalke
r in the dark.
Jacen and Jaina had initially thought to go after their brother, but the
y realized that they would simply be breaking a trust with Streen if they left.
Also they knew that it was a test for them to accept Streen’s words that Anakin w
ould be safe. For now they would just half to wait.
Chapter 7 “First Strike”
“How’s the speech coming.” Luke walked out of his room into the main lounge a
rea of the large shuttle.
Han glanced at his watch and saw that it was ten minutes until they drop
ped out of hyperspace and arrived at Hastrin. “I’ve decided to give my speech to Th
reepio and have him read it. No one will ever want to be a smuggler again.”
Luke laughed. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Have you ever heard some of
Threepio’s sound effects? Kids really go in for that kind of stuff. He might cr
eate a new breed of Solo wanna-be smugglers.”
The two of them went into the cockpit to watch the hyperspace count down
. As the ticker got under a minute Han spoke up. “So what kind of escort do you
think we’ll get?” Luke didn’t answer but stared straight ahead. “Hey, kid,” Han said usi
ng a term he knew Luke hated. “I asked what kind of escort do you think we’ll get?”
“They’re waiting for us,” Luke said gravely.
“Of course they are. We told them when we’d be coming.” But Han had caught L
uke’s tone of voice. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Luke added, remaining vague and stealing
Han’s line.
“What do you want me to do?” The hyperspace count down had reached ten seco
nds. “We either pull out now or plow through Hastrin in hyperspace, and I know I
have a bad feeling about that.” Receiving no advice from Luke, Han eased the hype
rspace throttle forward. The starlines disappeared, but instead of Hastrin fill
ing their forward view, they were staring down the turbo lasers of ten Imperial
star destroyers. “Well,” Han gulped, “I think this confirms your feeling.”
“Escape?”
“I’m sorry,” Han said as he looked down at the ship’s sensor display. “I count ab
out ten interdictor cruisers moving into position behind us.”
“Well Han, it’s been fun.”
“Hey, don’t go giving up on me already. They haven’t shot us down yet, maybe
they just want to chat.”
Luke gave Han a ridiculous look. Han ignored the look and flipped on th
e shuttle’s communicator. “Excuse me, big scary looking Imperial Star Destroyers, b
ut we have an appointment on Hastrin, and you are detaining us.”
“Perhaps you would allow us to take you down personally,” a voice responded.
“Who am I talking to?” Han asked the faceless voice.
“This is Commander Snotzenexer, and I believe you are General Solo.”
“Now that we have those tedious introductions out of the way, will you let
us pass.”
“They’ve locked a tractor beam on us,” Luke said, interrupting Han’s conversatio
n.
“And Snotzenexer had seemed like such a nice guy for a while,” Han said with
sarcastic remorse. “Do you know any tricks to get us free from the tractor beam?”
“Several,” Luke said. “I can get us free from this tractor beam in a flash, b
ut then you have to out-fly the ten Star Destroyers and all of their TIE squadro
ns in a diplomatic shuttle that has, may I remind you, no weapons.”
“So we let them real us in?”
“They could have blown us right out of the sky as soon as we left hyperspa
ce. They obviously want us taken alive.”
“Good,” Han said, “I always did prefer a public execution over getting atomize
d in space.”
The tractor beam didn’t pull them toward the ship but sent them toward the
planet. Once they got within Hastrin’s atmosphere, Luke felt the tractor beam le
t go. “We’re free. They let go.” The ship shuddered. “Never mind. Now the planet ha
s us.”
The New Hope was pulled toward a mountain range. As they neared, Han an
d Luke could make out their destination. A landing spot was cut out of the side
of the mountain and was covered with storm troopers. “I had a streak going of ab
out seven years without seeing that awful white armor,” Han said. “I hate breaking
that record.”
The ship settled down on the ramp. “Can you put them all to sleep or some
thing?” Han asked hopefully.
“Yes, but after the first five people started nodding off, I’m sure the othe
r fifty-five would come in firing. I don’t have a way to knock them all out at on
ce.”
“Couldn’t you get real mad and shoot lightning at them?”
Luke frowned. “Don’t even joke about it Han. I say we just go with the flo
w. If we try to escape we’ll get shot down and probably killed, but if we go with
them, it appears that they want to keep us alive.”
Han shrugged and activated the exit ramp. As they approached the outsid
e, Han reached for his blaster. Luke put a hand on his arm. “Let’s not come out sh
ooting. A gun in the holster is twice as dangerous as a gun in the hand. When
you have it in your hand, all your cards are on the table.”
They walked slowly down the ramp. When their feet became visible to the
storm troopers, all of the trooper’s rifles came up ready. Han and Luke were soo
n standing in front of about sixty armed rifles. “Can you tell what setting they’re
on?” Han asked under his breath.
“Maximum stun,” Luke replied mentally.
A turbo lift binged, and the doors opened. Captain Tallon appeared with
five other stormtroopers. He walked to the edge of the ring of stormtroopers.
He smiled as he looked at the hopelessly outnumbered Rebels. “Disarm and cuff th
em,” Tallon ordered.
Four storm troopers got up and moved toward the pair. “Don’t move,” Luke said
 again mentally. “I’ll handle this.” The first two men came up with large wrist shac
kles. They locked them over Han and Luke’s wrists. As they stepped away. Both p
air of cuffs unlocked and fell off.
Knowing what Luke did, Han smiled. “You have some pretty incompetent stor
m troopers here, Captain. They teach cuffing in the first year of the academy.”
Not to be made fools of, the two storm troopers hastily retrieved the fa
llen cuffs and reattached them. They were soon on the ground again. “We remain u
ncuffed,” Luke said mater-of-factly.
The next two storm troopers tried to remove Han’s blaster, and Luke’s lights
aber. Each stormtrooper grabbed onto his respective weapon and pulled, but neit
her weapon would budge. “Pull really hard,” Han mocked, “I think it’s stuck.”
Suddenly both weapons came free and the storm troopers went flying backw
ards. As soon as the storm troopers hit the ground, the weapons came free from
their hands and back to their appropriate owner. “We also remain armed.”
Tallon’s look had turned to one of disgust. “Stun them!”
Five storm troopers fired. A flash of light came from Luke as he drew h
is lightsaber, deflected the bolts back at the storm troopers, and replaced his
lightsaber on his belt, deactivated. The five storm troopers who had fired lay
motionless on the ground. “We remain conscious.”
Tallon had to at least smirk at Luke’s defiance. “Okay, but you must come w
ith me, because I do not think that you will be able to deflect sixty bolts at o
nce.”
Han and Luke moved toward the Captain, Luke remaining alert and Han rela
xing, trusting his friend. They entered the turbo lift with the Captain and fiv
e other storm troopers. It was a big turbo lift. “Where are we going?” Han asked a
s the lift whisked them down.
“You will see,” Tallon said secretively.
“You wouldn’t by any chance be taking us to see the Hastrin representatives?”
Han asked hopefully. “We’re here on a purely diplomatic mission.”
Tallon smirked, but didn’t respond.
Suddenly Luke stiffened. A sense of darkness was creeping over him. “No!”
he yelled. His lightsaber leapt into his hand, and with a snap-hiss, his blade
cut a hole in the top of the lift. He bent at the knees and used what little Fo
rce he could still feel to propel him upward as he jumped.
The move from Luke was fast and unexpected, but Tallon had lightening qu
ick reflexes and managed to grab Luke’s ankle as it past through the hole in the l
ift. Luke’s momentum carried Tallon up into the remaining ceiling of the lift, bu
t Tallon held on. Luke’s upward momentum was destroyed and he felt a popping soun
d in his hip. He came crashing back down into the lift. As soon as he hit the
floor, two troopers pined him down. Tallon used his height to retrieve the ligh
tsaber from the top of the lift where Luke had dropped it. Luke tried to call t
he lightsaber to his hand but the darkness was complete. Luke looked over towar
d Han and saw that he was pinned up against the side of the lift by the remainin
g three storm troopers.
Tallon deactivated Luke’s weapon and leaned down into Luke’s face. “Ysalamiri
are wonderful creatures, don’t you think?” Luke realized what had happened, but ha
d little time to contemplate it. He felt a sharp prick in the side of his neck,
and was soon greeted with an entirely different type of darkness. A few moment
s later Han too joined Luke in darkness.
* * *
Captain Biggs paced the deck of his Calamarian Cruiser methodically. He
was unsure of what he’d find in the Danzig system. He didn’t like jumping into sit
uations he was uninformed about. He checked his fleet status again to try to gi
ve himself some measure of confidence. His small fleet consisted of two other C
alamarian Cruisers, four Assault Frigates, and three Carriers containing six squ
adrons, four X-wing and two E-wing. It wasn’t a huge fleet but it should be able
to stand up to anything that the Empire had. That is if their information was a
ccurate.
 Biggs checked the hyperspace chronometer again. Still another thirty mi
nutes. They were scheduled to drop out of hyperspace on the far side of the sys
tem on the idea that any base would probably be far away from the unstable Danzi
g 359. Biggs didn’t want his men to see him this anxious, but he couldn’t help it.
In all of his other missions he had served under a General or an Admiral. This
was sort of his initiation mission. The one in which is prowess would be teste
d, and the one that future promotions would depend on.
Biggs was starting to go back to his cabin to wait out the rest of the f
light when the entire ship shuddered violently. Biggs was almost thrown to the
floor. “What was that?” he shouted at the nearest officer. Biggs could here the no
ise of the hyperdrive engines whining under stress. Suddenly the hyperdrive eng
ines copped out completely.
“Sir, I believe that we just ran into an interdiction field,” a young office
r said from his post.
“What about our Bakuran Interdiction Breakers?”
“The BIB’s appear to have failed, sir. I believe that this interdiction fie
ld is too strong. All of the other ships have now left hyperspace too.”
“Where are . . .” Biggs’ voice trailed off as he looked out the window to answ
er his own question. They were approaching the Dark Ring.
* * *
Commander Skeener looked out of window at the pitifully small fleet in f
ront of him. He loved being in command of the invincible Dark Ring. He could n
ever fail. To fail meant to die. Lack of failure not only helped ones life exp
ectancy, but it usually meant promotion when the people above you failed. “Commen
ce strategy Nova,” he ordered his officer’s. This was going to be fun to watch.
* * *
“General,” a lieutenant approached Oskiman. “The New Republic fleet has arriv
ed, and Commander Skeener has started Nova.”
Oskiman nodded, and the lieutenant scurried off to his duties. The gene
ral’s fleet was on the other side of the Dark Ring, waiting. Waiting to crush the
New Republic.
* * *
In the bowels of Coruscant Wedge received the information from a junior
officer. “Admiral, we just lost contact with Biggs’ fleet.”
“Where?”
“They were on schedule to pass by Danzig 359, when their signal disappeare
d.”
Wedge ran over to a communicator. He punched in a number and waited for
a response. “What is the status of Danzig 359?”
On the other end of the line Ransig, a senior science officer complied b
y punching up the star on his computer. Out in space on a New Republic satellit
e, a powerful telescope whirred and groaned as it turned toward its assigned tar
get and began to focus. Ransig heard of the status of the fleet from the Admira
l, and a few seconds later a dim blur appeared on his screen. He tried to prete
nd that he could see each tiny ship. Then he realized that their closest satell
ite was a little over two days away at light speed. This satellite picture told
him nothing of the stars present condition.
“What could cause us to lose contact with the fleet?” Wedge asked.
Ransig thought for a while. “If the star has progressed in its decay furt
her than we had thought, then it’s possible that the supper dense star could be pr
oducing a natural interdiction field and be jamming their signal. If that’s the c
ase, then all they’ll have to do is turn around and change course. We should be r
egaining contact with them in within the hour.”
* * *
Biggs stared at the monstrosity in front of him. “Someone tell me what we’r
e looking at.”
“Unknown sir,” someone finally managed to muster. “It seems to be a huge wall
in space.”
“Is it jamming us?”
“Affirmative sir.”
“They’re firing!”
* * *
Commander Skeener watched as the beam of intense heat lanced away from t
he Dark Ring and connected with the lump of lampium. The metal turned to liquid
almost immediately. The tractor beam was holding it in place nicely. “Increase
power to tractor beam and be ready to raise the cloaking device on my command.” T
he temperature readings on the lampium were approaching astronomical levels, whi
ch was exactly where they had to be. All of the solar panels on the inside of t
he Dark Ring had flipped and had become reflecting mirrors. They were all adjus
ted to reflect the sun’s energy to one point on the inside of the Dark Ring. The
massive energy was then focused through a huge crystal and aimed toward the lamp
ium.
Skeener poised the command on his lips as he watched the temperature rea
ding. The increase was becoming larger and larger as the pressure grew exponent
ially. “Engage cloaking device,” he said, “and cover your eyes.” The Dark Ring became
transparent and a fraction of a second later the lampium exploded.
* * *
In front of him the Dark Ring disappeared, which was the signal that Osk
iman had been waiting. From his position on the Doomsday Hammer, General Oskima
n gave the command for his fleet of twenty Imperial class Star Destroyers and on
e hundred Victory class Star Destroyers to race around the star to crush the New
Republic.
* * *
The incredible flash of vaporized lampium temporarily blinded all of the
New Republic officers. “Sir we have lost all shields. What ever that flash was,
it did an awful lot of damage.”
Biggs wished he could pull back. Just turn away and run. That’s when he
saw the ships coming.
* * *
“Report,” Skeener barked.
“All of the New Republic ships’ shields are down, sir. Our power is almost
fully drained. Unless we flip the mirrors back to solar panels we won’t be able t
o fire.”
“Decloak, and flip the mirrors. Don’t worry about firing. That’s what the Ge
neral’s fleet is for.”
* * *
Oskiman’s Super Star Destroyer was the first one around the star, and it w
asted no time getting in range of the first Assault Frigate. The Assault Frigat
e had no shields and exploded in a matter of seconds. Oskiman realized that the
size of his fleet was over kill, but better over kill than underkill.
An Imperial Star Destroyer took out a Carrier before it unloaded its fig
hters. The other two Carriers quickly unloaded and were then promptly blown to
pieces. Thousands of TIE’s were launched at once and the remaining four squadrons
of New Republic fighters were snuffed out before all of them could even make ra
dio contact with one another.
* * *
Biggs watched it all unfold before him. There was nothing he could do.
There was no battle maneuver, he was aware of, that a Calamarian Cruiser, with
her shields down, could perform against a Super Star Destroyer. He looked aroun
d at his crew and wished he could have gotten to know them better. He knew that
they trusted him, and he knew that none of them blamed him for this. He also k
new that the story that every officer dreams of dying in battle, was a lie. He
had never dreamed of this, and this was certainly no battle. To his knowledge,
not one of the New Republic ships had fired a shot. He would have kept on think
ing these thoughts, but about then the Doomsday Hammer decided to recognize the
cruiser’s existence by ending it.
Chapter 8 “Second Strike”
Lando, Trince, and Yova stood in the same place they had the day previou
s. This time only Lando had a flashlight, and he was fast realizing its useless
ness. Trince again had his lightsaber out, and Lando saw that the dim glow of t
he Jedi weapon was doing more to aid the search than all five hundred watts of h
is flashlight. Lando would have turned it off if it wasn’t for the fact that he d
idn’t care to stub his toe on the occasional rock. They were still hesitating at
the same point when Lando spoke. “Can you sense anything different than before?”
Yova answered by cautiously walking forward. Trince knew that this was
Yova’s strength and he fell in line behind her. Lando realized that he was far to
o impatient for this slow plodding along, and he took up the rear.
The group rounded a corner, and the gradual slope downward evened off.
As they completed the turn, Yova held up. “What is it?” Lando asked eagerly. He lo
oked ahead to see why she had stopped. They were standing in front of a low arc
hway about the size of a double door. Beyond the doorway was a large cavern. T
he open room was a square of about fifteen meters on each side. The ceiling was
three meters high. It looked artificial, but Lando couldn’t see any traps. “I sti
ll don’t see-” he started.
Yova bent over and grabbed a hand full of the powdery dirt at their feet
. She tossed it into the room and used the Force to stir it up. About one hund
red different red trip beams zigzagged across the entire expanse of the room. “It
will take us weeks to find a safe route through that mess,” Lando complained.
The dust was starting to settle and Trince mixed it up again so they cou
ld see every inch of every beam. While Trince was studying the array of red, Yo
va was studying the archway. She reached up the side of the doorway. Her hand
moved as if it were following some hidden track. Trince saw what she was doing
and backed up to give her room. Her hand stopped at about eye-level. She struc
k the rock sharply with the heel of her palm, and a section of the rock slid awa
y revealing a keypad.
Yova paused with her hand over the numbers. “Have your people found the s
ignal coming from down here yet?”
Lando nodded. “Found, recorded, jammed, and being resent.”
Yova closed her eyes, her hand hovering over the keypad. She suddenly o
pened her eyes and pressed a flurry of numbers, paused, and then pressed some mo
re. When she was finished she stepped back. Lando watched as red beams flickere
d off one by one.
“I’d love to see what was projecting those beams out of solid rock.” Lando pu
shed past the two Jedi and rushed into the room.
“Lando, no!” Yova yelled, but it was too late. Lando stepped on the cavern
floor and found to his utter surprise that the floor wasn’t there. He screamed as
he plummeted down. As he flipped in the air, he could see that the bottom of t
he pit was covered with stalagmites. He rushed toward them with terrific speed,
and then suddenly stopped, only centimeters from the tallest spike.
 “I’ve got you!” Trince screamed. “Are you okay?”
Lando’s voice finally came back to him and he squeaked a “yes.”
“Don’t make any sudden movements and you should be all right.” Lando started
to slowly rise. The deadly spikes got further and further away, and Lando reali
zed just how far he had fallen and how little of a chance he would have had to s
urvive the fall if Trince hadn’t caught him. He glanced up and saw he was right u
nderneath the false ceiling of the deadly pit. He passed right through the ceil
ing and found himself back in the room he had intended on entering.
Trince floated him over to the hard ground, and Lando saw Yova pressing
more buttons. The holo floor of the cavern disappeared as she pressed the last
button. There was still a narrow ledge that worked its way around the room, but
Lando gestured for one of the Jedi to go first. Trince walked out on to the na
rrow ledge and moved to the first spot that a beam had come from. He reached hi
s hand into the wall, and it passed through just like Lando had through the floo
r. He felt cold metal and his hand probed further. It seemed to be a small glo
be about the size of his head. He found a pressure point, and he was able to re
move the globe from the wall. As it passed through the fake wall, it began beep
ing furiously.
Trince prodded it on all sides with the Force and felt a slot open at th
e bottom. He flipped the globe over in his hands, saw a digital display change
from nine to eight, and knew he was in trouble. “Move!” he shouted and flung the gl
obe back down the tunnel they had come. Lando and Yova dove to the side as the
globe shot by through the spot that they had just occupied. Trince grabbed hold
of the globe with the Force and increased its speed. He could sense the timer:
six, five, . . . He filled himself as full as he knew how with the Force and f
unneled that power into the small sphere. The silver projectile rocketed up the
corridor, sparking of the walls as Trince guided it around curves. Three, two,
. . . It shot out of the cave like a ball from a cannon, and in the last two s
econds, it flew four kilometers up before turning into an enormous yellow flower
of fire.
Trince relaxed and all of his muscles went limp from the release of stra
in. He sat down on the ledge and let his feet hang over the edge of the pit. T
his task would not be as easy as he had thought.
* * *
Leia let the water run through her hair. The warm shower was just what
the doctor had ordered. Leia could feel the cramps from the days in hyperspace
ease out of her limbs as the steam caressed her body. She turned off the water,
and as she reached out of the stall for a towel, she yawned deeply. She was mo
re tired from the trip than she had thought. As she scrubbed her wet hair with
the towel she almost fell forward, catching herself at the last second and yawni
ng again. She needed a strong cup of tea. She had been invited to a dinner ton
ight to honor Tenel Ka’s return, and she planned on attending.
After tying her hair up in the towel and putting a robe on, she moved to
the kitchen of the luxury suite she had been given. Chewie and the droids had
been given another room right next to hers. When she reached the kitchen, she f
ound that she had walked half of the trip with her eyes closed. She opened them
and shook her head trying to rattle the sleep out. She used the Force to make
herself alert, and that helped a little. She got a mug and held it under the ho
t water dispenser. As the water overflowed from the mug and burned her hand she
was startled awake. She pulled the cup out of the dispenser, automatically tur
ning off the water. She brought the mug up to her mouth and burned herself agai
n.
What was she doing, she scolded herself. This water’s to hot, plus there’s
no tea in it. She was definitely in no shape for the dinner tonight. She used
the Force to keep her semi awake while she sent an apology to Tenel Ka for her a
bsence. She managed to make it to her room conscious, but she collapsed onto he
r bed and fell fast asleep before she could change.
* * *
Tenel Ka frowned slightly when she read the message. She didn’t know Leia
very well, but she knew that she was an exceptional diplomat and very familiar
with other races cultures. Tenel Ka tried to trust Lea’s judgment. She guessed t
hat it was better for Leia to be absent than for her to fall asleep in a plate f
ull of steamed framguad.
* * *
Laya smiled slightly when she read the message. She was glad the knock
out potion had worked so well. She was afraid that putting it in the shower pip
es would dilute it too much, but it had worked fine. It wouldn’t have been good i
f Leia had simply fainted in the shower. Then suspicions of foul play would ari
se. This was perfect.
Laya moved away from her computer. Her line tapping skills had also bee
n perfect. The Hapan security department didn’t have a clue that she had broken i
n and had access to all of the rooms in the hotel.
Laya got dressed in something she had seen Leia wear yesterday and had t
hen stolen. She picked up the lightsaber from the table and put it on. The wea
pon was designed to match Lea’s exactly. She moved out of her space ship that was
hidden well in a small forest.
Laya soon walked into town. She was wearing a hooded cloak and a veil,
a common practice among Hapan women. Even if she walked around unveiled, she wo
uldn’t get any strange looks. Men tended not to look women in the face, and other
women didn’t talk to strangers. Plus Leia was well known and the few women who n
oticed her would not think that her presence would be that odd. She walked to t
he far side of city, where there wasn’t much traffic.
There were many unmarked, classified buildings in this section of the ci
ty. Laya knew which building she wanted and she made her toward it. Not having
the Force skills that her twin had, she had to be extra cautious not to be noti
ced now. She moved to one of the outside doors. It was locked, but the lock wa
s not designed to stand up against the strength of an HRD. She entered through
the broken door and closed it quietly behind her.
Laya made her way up the stairs to the third floor. She noticed the pan
ning security cameras and made sure to keep out of their view. She glanced arou
nd the corner and saw her destination. A steel door. A lone armed guard stood
in front of it. If Laya was a living organism, she would have taken a deep brea
th before she marched around the corner; she wasn’t, so she didn’t.
“Hey you there st-” was all the surprised guard was able to say as Laya stro
de quickly up to him. His voice gurgled over with blood when Laya reached him.
She withdrew her hand from inside his chest after she was quite sure he was dea
d. She examined her steel fingernails, and praised her makers for such a magnif
icent weapon.
The steel door ahead of her was quite past the level of her strength. S
he detached the lightsaber from her belt and ignited it. She had the programmin
g of many great sword fighters, but she didn’t need any of that knowledge now. Sh
e hacked at the door, cutting away a large hole. She deactivated the weapon and
returned it to her belt.
Laya knew that somewhere alarms were going off and she had to be quick.
She threw a small canister in through the door and waited for the vault to fill
with smoke. Satisfied, she ran in through the hole. She was surrounded by bea
utiful jewelry in glass cases. Picking a few of the more valuable items, she br
oke the glass and ripped them away from their respective cases.
Time was running short. She only had a few minutes left before this pla
ce was swarming with guards. Confident that she had left enough clues for the s
low-witted Hapans, yet at the same time confident that she had not been too obvi
ous, she ran out of the vault through the hole in the door. She raced back thro
ugh the building with faster than human speed. She left through the same door s
he had entered and quietly slipped off into the night.
* * *
Chief Sangrine looked at the dead body and then at the door. Who had do
ne this? The door had been made of high-grade steel, yet it looked like it had
been cut through like soft bread. The dead guard at his feet had been killed be
fore he could even draw his weapon. The wound in his chest looked like it could
have come from a large knife.
“Sir, you better look at this,” another officer called him away from the gri
zzly scene to look at a computer screen. “This is the recording that our cameras
were able to capture of the robbery.” An image of an undamaged vault appeared on
the screen. “The intruder threw some kind of smoke bomb in to attempt to thwart o
ur cameras.” The smoke that still lingered around the scene told Sangrine that mu
ch. Soon the screen showed a figure moving within the vault. The smoke allowed
for only a hazy outline of the felon. The gender was not even discernible. So
mething caught Sangrine’s eye as the intruder turned suddenly inside the vault.
“Replay those last few seconds,” he ordered. The image on the screen fuzzed
as it rewound, then cleared as it began to play again. “Pause it right there.” As
the intruder turned, their cloak flew outward and something else became horizon
tal due to the centrifugal force. “What is that?” he asked pointing at the cylindri
cal object that hung from the criminal’s belt. It was about thirty centimeters lo
ng and not very wide.
The other officer shrugged and called another officer over to have a loo
k. “What do you make of that?” he said, pointing toward it.
“Yea,” he said as though a memory popped into his head, “I saw something that
looked like that yesterday when the Princess came home. One of the women she wa
s with was wearing one.”
“What is it?” asked Sangrine angrily. He didn’t like to repeat himself.
“I think someone called it a lightsaber.”
* * *
Leia woke up and stretched. That nap had been very refreshing. She gla
nced at her chronometer and saw that it was morning. She had been tired. She g
ot up and noticed that she was still in a bathrobe. She tried to remember the p
revious night but it was all a blur. She moved to her closet to find some cloth
es to wear.
There was a loud knock on the door. Leia was not dressed for visitors,
but she expected that it was Chewie coming to find out where she had been last n
ight. Chewie was the only one that Leia knew of who would knock that hard. She
walked to the door. Before she could reach it, the door crashed down and armed
men stormed in.
Leia was taken totally by surprise. She tried to race over to communica
tor to call security, but she realized that these men were from security. “What’s g
oing on?” she managed as they swarmed around her.
“Your under arrest Leia Organa Solo.”
“Arrest?” Leia wondered if she was still asleep and dreaming.
“You will remain silent.” Rough hands grabbed her and cuffed her. She trie
d to speak but somebody had slapped some kind of collar on her and she couldn’t ge
t her voice box to function properly.
Mentally she called out to Chewie. Moments later her hairy protector bu
rst into the room. Chewie took one look at Leia, cuffed and in her bathrobe, an
d went berserk. Security men were thrown left and right. “Stun him! Stun him!” F
inally someone managed to shock Chewie into unconsciousness.
Bound and captured, Leia was escorted out of her room and down the hallw
ay. Threepio stuck his head out of the door to see what all the commotion was.
“Oh, dear. What has the Princess done?” he asked.
“Leia Organa Solo is under arrest for suspected murder and robbery.”
“Oh my. This is bad.”
* * *
Ransig, Wedge and several other officers stood in front of the computer
screen. It had been two days since they had lost contact with Biggs’ fleet, and t
hey had not regained contact. They now stood there transfixed, determined to ge
t an answer. They were just about to leave when it happened. Danzig 359 grew t
o its original brightness and then burst into a flare so bright that the compute
r screen turned off momentarily to protect itself from burnout. When it flipped
back on, Ransig and the others were still seeing spots but they could make out
the last few embers of the sun, and then it disappeared completely.
“Admiral,” Ransig said gravely, “Two days ago Danzig 359 went nova. Anything
that was within five hundred million kilometers is now gone. If the fleet got r
ipped out of hyperspace it would have killed their hyperspace engines. They wou
ldn’t have been able to reenter hyperspace for at least an hour afterwards. It is
also possible that they were flying by when the sun blew, either way, the outco
me is still the same.”
Wedge didn’t need Ransig to spell it out for him. He knew that Biggs and
a lot of good soldiers were never coming home.
Chapter 9 “Reaching out”
The E-wing dropped out of hyperspace with an acute bang and drifted slow
ly toward the forested globe. Anakin was eagerly looking at the planet that he
had heard so much about, totally unprepared for the emotional onslaught that bef
ell him moments later.
The Darkness pressed in on him. The long dead spirit of the Emperor hun
g around the planet like the stench from a dead animal. Anakin was caught off g
uard, but he was no novice and was able to push back the strong feelings of hate
and fear. When he was comfortable again, he continued the approach to Endor.
He broke through the atmosphere and was struck by the similarity to Yavi
n IV. If it hadn’t been for the Emperor’s spirit hanging around the moon, Anakin th
ought that Endor might have been a good spot for an Academy. Besides, Yavin IV
had had the spirit of Exar Cuun, a spirit of much more power than the Emperor’s.
Exar Cuun’s spirit had been unknown at the time Luke had started the Academy, or e
lse he might have given Endor more of a look.
Mentally Anakin searched for the spot were his uncle had burned the rema
ins of his grandfather. Sensing it about ten kilometers to the east, Anakin tur
ned the craft in that direction and punched the atmospheric thrusters. He skimm
ed over a small tree village. The ewoks looked like little wookiees, and Anakin
smiled to himself when he saw their hyperactive reaction to his ship. He proba
bly wouldn’t see them again, but it would be nice to visit their village sometime.
He had heard stories of how when his father and uncle had dropped in uninvited
, they were almost cooked alive for dinner. Anakin knew that now, however, the
little fur-balls were more acceptant of humans. The idea of his father tied ups
ide down to a pole, screaming at Uncle Luke to do something always brought a smi
le to Anakin.
Up ahead Anakin could see a tall tree in the middle of a small clearing.
Knowing that this was his destination, he headed toward it. There was a small
area to the left of the tree, and Anakin set the E-wing down there. He deactiv
ated the engines and carefully climbed out of the cockpit. His legs were sore f
rom the long trip in hyperspace. He had spent the majority of the journey in a
meditative trance, so he was not overly hungry or tired. Anakin got all of the
tools and equipment for his lightsaber out of the cockpit and sat down in front
of the tree. He calmed himself, trying to remove all of the distractions of lif
e from his mind and began to assemble his lightsaber.
* * *
Jaina woke suddenly. The images from her dream were flashing around mad
ly in her head. Her father and uncle were in some kind of trouble. She was pan
icked but tried to calm herself. She closed her eyes again and reached out with
 the Force to try to grab hold the fleeting images. The door to her room burst
open, and her brother rushed in, breaking her concentration. “What’s wrong!” he said
in a frantic voice.
Jaina blinked and shrugged off her brother’s intrusion. She tried to rega
in the images, but they were gone. She looked up from her sitting position and
stared into the worried eyes of her brother. “Dad and Uncle Luke are in danger.”
Jacen looked incredulous. “They just went on a simple diplomatic mission.
Dad and Uncle Luke are more than capable of taking care of themselves.” The loo
k in Jaina’s eyes was telling Jacen an entirely different story.
“I can’t feel Uncle Luke. Like he’s not there. I don’t feel that he’s dead, just
some how out of the Force.” Jaina was obviously struggling with the memory of th
e flickering images, but try as she might, she could not get a solid grasp on an
y one of them. All she could get was an overall picture of doom.
Jaina stood up from her bed, with her mind made up. “Get dressed Jacen.
We’re going to Hastrin.”
“Wait just a minute, sis,” Jacen held up his hands to slow down his sister.
He paused, taking a good look at the grief in her eyes. “I’ll get my stuff togethe
r and meet you down by the Scavenger.”
Thirty short minutes later, the twins emerged from the forest into the c
learing containing their ship. They both hurried into the ship and made their w
ay through the narrow corridors of the ship to the living quarters. They threw
their packs on the floor and were about to leave for the cockpit, when a groan c
ame from the corner of the room. Jacen stopped in his tracks and starred into t
he dark, where he knew there to be a bed.
A familiar hairy figure sat up in bed and grunted a question. “Master Low
bac . .”
“We’re leaving, Lowie,” Jacen said before Em-Tedee could translate. “Our father
and Master Skywalker are in trouble. We’re going to Hastrin to see what the trou
ble is. You don’t have to come.”
Lowbacca quickly put in his concern for his friend’s rash decision, but he
also, as Jacen knew he would, agreed to go along. Em-Tedee was getting frustra
ted that he was getting ignored as a translator, and shut himself off. Over the
years Jacen had been able to use the Force to understand his large friend. Jac
en had found that his abilities to communicate with animals had often allowed hi
m to bridge the gap between languages. He had used this skill for his mother a
few times when she was supposed to meet with worlds that wanted to join the Repu
blic but didn’t speak Basic.
Jaina had left for the cockpit, while her brother and Lowbacca had been
talking. She didn’t find it unusual for their friend to be sleeping in the ship;
he worked late and slept here often. Jaina had inwardly hoped that he would, in
fact, be here. Although she didn’t relish the idea of sending her friends into d
anger, she knew that Lowbacca was an incredible asset, and she feared that they
were going to need all the help they could get.
Jacen and Lowbacca appeared in the cockpit just as the Scavenger was lif
ting off. The Scavenger rose into the air and wasted no time leaving Yavin’s atmo
sphere. A few moments later the ship burst into hyperspace, and the only eviden
ce that it had left was a clearing that had three deep indentations shaped like
landing pilons.
* * *
Streen looked out his window, and for the second time this week, watched
a ship leave Yavin IV. “Will they come back?” Tionne asked from behind him, rememb
ering what Streen had said about Jacen failing.
“I hope so.”
* * *
Captain Tallon walked down the spotless white-walled corridor. His mili
tary-style boots made a loud, echoing clomp as he moved his muscular frame towar
d the end of the long hallway. The hallway was empty. There were very few peop
le who knew about this hallway - three to be exact.
Tallon approached the door at the end of the hallway. He went through t
he complex routine of taking the security tests and passed them with his usual e
fficiency. Tallon entered the lab and, what had become in the last few months,
Dr. Kendel’s residence. Tallon was surprised to find that Dr. Kendel was not alon
e and that Admiral Thrawn had beat Tallon to the lab. The Captian nodded toward
the Admiral, remembering Thrawn’s request that the formalities involved with thei
r rank and employment be neglected unless they were amongst other lower ranking
officers. After all, the charade of the formalities was only in place to teach
respect to the lower officers, not to encumber the higher ones with unneeded res
ponsibilities.
Tallon walked into the middle of the room and for the first time saw the
operation table in the corner of the five-sided room, and on it, the reason he
was called down. Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, lay quite sedated on the table.
He was needlessly strapped down, and a fourth of his head was shaved. Tallon co
uld only see the slightest of scars on the bald section of Skywalker’s head and wa
s reminded once again of Dr. Kendel’s skill. Dr. Kendel had just finished putting
away the last of his instruments, and Tallon realized that Thrawn had been ther
e early to watch the procedure. Tallon had only been informed the operation was
going to take place the previous day when Skywalker and Solo had been captured.
Tallon was sure that Thrawn had seen far enough into the future though, and ha
d probably been formulating his plan as his body had been maturing in the clonin
g cylinder.
Tallon had at many times tried to figure out Thrawn’s mind, but had come t
o the final conclusion that Thrawn’s ability to plan ahead and strategize was not
only unexplainable, but unmatched. Thrawn’s ability to plan a strategy for a batt
le before the reason for the battle had even taken place, was so amazing that Ta
llon doubted even the best military minds would be able to come up with better,
more thought out plans, if they worked at the time of the battle, not to mention
trying to organize a plan three months previous.
Tallon studied Skywalker’s prostrate form on the table, another one of Thr
awn’s plans, Tallon was sure. Tallon had a rough knowledge of what the operation
entailed, but he was no medic, and he was waiting for the report that he knew Ke
ndel was formulating in his mind right now.
Kendel cleared his throat, disrupting the silence that had invaded the r
oom since Tallon’s arrival, and turned to look at the Captain. “Captain, as you kno
w, I have been studying ysalamiri at the request of the Admiral, to find out mor
e about their unique Force talents. After much research I have found that their
brains, though not sentient and mostly confined to base instincts, are differen
t from ours in a more unique way.” He paused to take a breath and formulate the n
ext part of his speech. “There is a small node in the left lobe of the brain in m
ost animals and all sentient life. Scientists and doctors have never been able
to discern what this node is for. Since most life forms use only a small percen
tage of their brains in the first place, this type of node is not that uncommon.
I have found that ysalamiri also have this node, however unlike any other life
form that I am aware of, their node is orientated opposite of all other life fo
rms. As scientists, we are able to trace a large part of the brain’s activity by
following the trails of electrical stimuli. We can tell which direction the sti
muli is flowing through certain parts of the brain, and the ysalamiri have this
particular node ‘wired’ backwards.”
Kendel paused to make sure that Tallon was absorbing all of this. The C
aptain nodded in confirmation, and Kendel continued. “The Force is known to be he
reditary, and no one who has looked has been able to find anything different, ph
ysically, with Force strong people as compared to everyone else. I theorized th
at this node in question has something to do with the Force, since the only thin
g of any substance about it is that it is ‘wired’ backwards in ysalamiri, and they p
roject a negative Force field.
“I experimented with a few ysalamiri by ‘rewiring’ their brains. The differen
ce between the new ysalamiri and the old was very distinct. The new ysalamiri d
isliked being near the old ysalamiri immensely. From this I gathered that the n
ew ysalamiri were now Force strong, and the Forceless bubble projected by the ol
d ysalamiri was adversely affecting the new ysalamiri. Finally, what I’ve done wi
th Skywalker is ‘rewire’ his brain so that he will project a Forceless bubble just l
ike ysalamiri.”
Tallon looked at Luke Skywalker. Tallon was definitely impressed with t
his procedure. Keeping someone who was as strong in the Force and as well train
ed as Skywalker would have been very difficult and risky. It would have been ea
sier to just kill him, but Tallon knew that Thrawn wanted him alive, for now. T
allon wondered what Luke would think when he woke up. Tallon noticed Luke stirr
ing ever so gently and realized that his question would soon be answered.
Luke was slowly filled with the feeling of consciousness as he aroused f
rom the sedating drugs. He awoke to darkness. He opened his eyes, but the dark
ness remained. The darkness clouded his mind. He tried to sit up but was held
back by unseen restraints. He looked around, his eyes focusing finally on his s
urroundings. His vision cleared, and he saw three people standing around him.
Luke recognized Tallon immediately and the memories of his capture came flooding
back to him. Luke saw Thrawn as well, but Luke had never seen him before, and
so he didn’t fully understand what a dire situation not only he was in, but the wh
ole New Republic. Luke looked at Dr. Kendel without a hint of recognition. Luk
e had to free himself from these bonds. He tried to use the Force, but it wasn’t
there. Luke was momentarily shocked. He had been in a Forceless bubble before,
but this was something totally different. Before Luke had always been able to
sense the Force in himself just not in the things surrounding him, giving him no
thing to draw on for power. Now it was like the Force wasn’t even there. Normall
y he could reach out with his arm and grasp the Force. In an ysalamiri bubble h
e could still reach out, but he wouldn’t find anything. Now it was like his arm h
ad been removed, and he couldn’t even reach.
Tallon enjoyed the look he was seeing on Luke’s Force. “I’m sorry to disappoi
nt you,” he said, breaking the stillness in the room, “but your days of fighting aga
inst the Empire are numbered, and your days of wielding the Force are over.”
Luke didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. He could feel a small ti
ngle on the side of his head, and the cool breeze of air conditioning against th
at portion of his scalp told him that that section of his head had been shaved.
Luke also recognized the garb of the third person in the room to be consistent
with that of a medical officer. Had they performed a medical procedure that had
removed his Force talent? Impossible! The Force wasn’t a physical attribute, wa
s it? Everything Luke had learned from Yoda and Ben told him that the Force was
something totally indescribable, but it was definitely closer to the spiritual
aspect of a person than the physical aspect. If you could simply perform an ope
ration to remove Force talent, was there an operation that could give someone ta
lent? This would totally re-value the gift of Force sensitivity. Could the Emp
ire create an entire army of Force strong soldiers? Luke shuddered at the thoug
ht of thousands of Dark Jedi. With cloning cylinders they could make millions o
f Jedi. Luke had managed to only find about twenty-five people over the course
of twenty years. The Empire could produce at least one hundred times that many
in about a week. Luke looked back towards Tallon for more information. “What hav
e you done?”
Tallon smiled a smile that told Luke it might possibly be worst than he
had thought. “The good Doctor has merely removed that awesome burden that you hav
e been carrying around for your life. It must have been terrible. All of the r
esponsibilities involved with being the galaxy’s only Jedi Master must have been i
ncredible. I’m sure you’ll agree that your life has been made much simpler now.”
Luke failed to feel relieved. Yet in the midst of his dilemma there see
med hope. The Empire wouldn’t go through the trouble of this operation if they di
dn’t plan on keeping Luke alive. Also Luke had learned to never give up hope. It
was necessary to believe that what ever they had done to him, the New Republic
doctors would be able to undo it.
Tallon nodded to Kendel. “That’s enough Doctor, I think he is ready for his
cell.” Without responding vocally, Kendel walked over to Luke, bearing a syringe
. As the Doctor inserted the needle into Luke’s upper arm, Luke tried to fight ag
ainst the knock-out medicine. His futile attempt reminded him of his Forceless
condition just as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter 10 “Illegal Procedure”
Tenel Ka stormed into Chief Sangrine’s office with Artoo and Threepio trai
ling behind her. She stood there, her anger simmering over as the Chief of Secu
rity sat behind his desk, having not even looked up yet. “You didn’t knock,” he comme
nted, still looking at the unorganized arrangement of scattered papers that cove
red his desk.
“No I did not!” Each of Tenel Ka’s words were stressed heavily.
Sangrine’s head popped up from his desk so quickly that he nearly fell bac
kward on his chair. He had thought that his unannounced guest was simply anothe
r security officer. “Princess,” he finally managed to stammer, “I didn’t know that it w
as you. I’m sorry.”
Tenel Ka ignored his insubordinance and launched into her complaint. “Why
are Princess Leia and Chewbacca in custody?”
“Princess Leia is charged with first degree murder and grand theft. The w
ookiee is being held on counts of assaulting security officers and as a possible
accomplice to the theft.”
Tenel was shocked. She had heard Threepio’s report on what he had found o
ut from a brief conversation with some guards at the time of Lea’s arrest, but it
she hadn’t wanted to believe it. Now that she had confirmation of Threepio’s story,
she could feel all of the surprise that she had held back. “What proof do you ha
ve?”
“The thief got into the building through a back alley-way door. The lock
was broken cleanly without any trace of a cutting device. Either the thief was
incredibly strong or they had a special device or ability. When they arrived at
the vault, they made a quick precision kill, one that was definitely done by so
meone who was more than familiar with their weapon. The door to the vault was t
hought to be indestructible, but the thief cut through the door with considerabl
e ease. In the video we have of the robbery, an unidentified cylinder is visibl
e hanging from the thief’s waist line. The cylinder and the door together led us
to believe that the thief used a lightsaber. The lock in the alley could have b
een broken by the Force. Finally our scientists have been able to get a rough e
stimate of the height and weight of the thief from their outline in the video, a
nd Leia matches the height and weight determined.”
“Lea’s average as far as height and weight go,” Tenel Ka pointed out. “There ar
e probably thousands of people who could fit the bill. And if you’re looking for
someone who is strong in the Force and owns a lightsaber, why didn’t you arrest me
. Besides if I was a thief and I had to get through that door, a lightsaber, wh
ether I was a Jedi or not, would be the perfect tool. I’m sure that they’re not tha
t hard to get a hold of.”
“That might be true Princess, but other than yourself we know of only one
person who has a lightsaber, and until we find a better suspect, we will continu
e to hold Leia responsible.”
“This is outrageous,” Tenel Ka said. “What’s her motive? Surely you know of Le
ia and the New Republic’s wealth. What purpose would she have for stealing a few
jewels and risk putting her future in jeopardy?”
“If there is one thing I’ve discovered Princess, it is that rich people have
the best motive for robbery. What is the point of being rich, unless you can g
et richer?”
“Have you found the jewels yet?”
Sangrine frowned slightly. “No we haven’t. My people are still looking for
them.”
“Until you find the jewels, I demand that Leia is to be released.”
“I’m sorry Princess, but I can’t do that.”
“I give my word as the next ruler of the Hapes Cluster that she will not l
eave the city.”
Sangrine stuttered. He couldn’t very well refute the Princess’ word. He st
arted to make a reply but Tenel Ka cut him off.
“Or perhaps you would like to have my mother come down here. I understand
that she and Leia became good friends on Dathomir.”
Sangrine was shocked. He had been Chief of Security for twenty-three ye
ars, but a run in with the Queen would put an immediate end to his job. “We’ll see
what we can do.”
Twenty minutes later Leia, Chewie, Tenel Ka, and the droids left the sec
urity building. Two security guards had been detached to look over the paroled
prisoners, and they traveled behind them at a safe distance. One of them was st
ill nursing a bruise the wookiee had given him.
When the group reached Tenel Ka’s luxurious royal mansion, Tenel Ka and Le
ia finally managed to talk. Leia had been allowed a set of prison clothes to re
place the robe she had been arrested in, and she wore it now.
“I’m sorry about this whole affair,” Leia lamented. She cradled a cup of hot
tea in her hands that one of Tenel Ka’s male servants had given her. She sipped t
he tea in an effort to wash away the events of the morning. “I can’t help but feel
that this whole ordeal is my fault.”
“Nonsense,” Tenel Ka rebuked her. “I don’t believe for a second that you would
commit such a heinous crime. Surely you have an alibi for last night?” As soon a
s Tenel Ka asked the question, she remembered that Leia had unexpectedly cancele
d her reservation for the dinner last night.
“Yea, I have a pretty solid alibi. I was asleep alone in my apartment. I
also agree with the Chief that I am the most likely suspect.” Leia took another
long sip from the delicious gourmet tea. “The real problem is that I’m not certain
that I didn’t commit the crime.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last night I was feeling unnaturally tired. I mean I was more than tired
. I was barely able to send you that message before I passed out. Now that I h
ave had time to look back on the event, I’m almost sure that I was in some way dru
gged.”
“If you think that you could have done the deed in your sleep, I can tell
you that I’ve seen the video of the crime, and the thief was not wearing a bathrob
e.”
“I’m sure that if I was hypnotized or drugged that I would have changed my c
lothes before and after.” Leia paused. “I’m just not sure what happened.”
“Don’t worry, Leia,” Tenel Ka consoled. “We’ll find out who did this.”
* * *
Laya moved silently. More quietly than anyone would have guessed possib
le for her four hundred pound mechanical frame. She crept amongst the trees at
the edge of a private landing zone. She left three separate stunned guards in h
er wake. They would wake up with no recollection of who attacked them, because
Laya had struck from behind. The large outline of the Millennium Falcon was bec
oming visible through the thin foliage that she was traveling through. She saw
two guards stationed at the entrance to the landing pad. They were standing on
opposite sides of the gate to the fence that surrounded the pad with their backs
to the Falcon. She walked up to the three meter tall gate, careful not to trip
the motion sensors she was sure surrounded the gate. She looked around for a t
all sturdy tree that was close to the gate. Finding one, she quickly scaled it
and moved to a branch that was four and a half meters off the ground and close t
o the gate. Laya gracefully leaped from the branch, did a flip in the air for f
un, and landed noiselessly inside the gate.
Laya crept quietly up to the raised landing platform, keeping a careful
eye on the two guards who still stood with their backs to the Falcon. She leape
d straight up onto the platform, her soft shoes cushioning against her metal fee
t. She crept carefully and cautiously toward the ship. Laya was disappointed t
hat the gangway was not open on the Falcon. She decided quickly to dispose of b
oth guards rather than risk either of them hearing her enter the ship. Laya dre
w a small pistol and fired two quick shots, one at each guard. The darts were a
imed true, and neither of them made a noise as they flew through the air, and li
ke-wise, both guards remained silent as they slumped to the ground.
Getting the gangway open was no problem, and Laya was in and out of the
Falcon in a few seconds, taking time to stash the jewels under one of the mattre
sses in the bunk rooms. Before she could leave, she had to account for all of t
he unconscious guards. Laya reached into her small pack and pulled out a mask.
She put on the mask, transforming her face into a black stocking with two eyes.
She was dressed in a nondescript green outfit that blended beautifully with th
e forest. She wasn’t wearing the lightsaber she had used earlier, but had the dar
t gun strapped to her side.
Laya crept toward the building at the edge of the landing pad. The door
s slid open and she walked into a short hallway. The hallway ended in a small r
oom that was elaborately decorated. There was a table with several comfortable
chairs and an expensive centerpiece had been placed in the center of the table.
Laya decided that the landing pad was often used for important guests, and this
was a meeting room to accept them. There wasn’t anything of great value in the r
oom, and there wasn’t anyone here to see her steal it.
There were two doors that left the room, other than the one she had used
to enter. She moved to the door opposite the hallway, and put her ears up agai
nst it. Laya turned up the volume on her sound receptors, but could hear nothin
g through the door. It was an old fashioned door and had a doorknob. She teste
d the knob to find it unlocked, and she turned it, opening the door. There was
another, much bigger room on the other side of the room. Laya could see that th
e other door in the meeting room also led into this room. The room was large.
The carpet consisted of colorful, concentric circles with a large chandelier han
ging four meters above the center of the circles. It looked like a large lobby.
There was a desk up against the wall and in-between the two doors that led int
o the meeting room. The desk was on Laya’s left, and on her right there was large
glass display cases exhibiting ornament bowls and artifacts. Past the display
cases was a large stairway curving up and out of view. Directly in front of Lay
a was large glass double doors that led outside, and on the far left wall were a
few small, insignificant doors.
Laya was just about to give up when she heard a small flushing noise and
the sound of running water. She spun to her left and saw a security guard comi
ng out of one of the doors wiping his hands on his pants. He began to return to
his post behind the desk when his eyes locked onto Laya. “Hey what are you doing
?” The guard drew his weapon and Laya bolted back through the door, hearing glass
shattering behind her as the guard’s shot missed. She heard him open the other d
oor into the meeting room, and she raced down the hallway, hearing another shot
whiz by her face and splatter into the wall ahead of her. She raced back onto t
he landing pad and made for the nearest fence. The guard raced out into the ope
n after her, but paused when he saw the fallen guards. Laya leaped onto one of
the fences, and alarms went off. She quickly scaled the fence and raced away on
the other side. A couple distant shots missed by a few meters, and she was saf
e.
Laya slowed her pace and headed back into the forest. She glanced about
to see if anyone was following her and smiled inwardly. Another job done, she
headed back to her ship.
* * *
Lando, Yova, Trince, Mansenchin, and Herta were sitting around a large t
able eating breakfast. Yova and Trince had been there almost a week, and Lando
felt that their progress was a little slow. After the big scare with the false
floor and explosives a few days ago, they had found only one other such trap. I
t had been a locked door that had a combination attached. Yova had been able to
crack the code easily and the door slid open without blowing anything up. Land
o or Mansenchin had gone down with the Jedi each of the past few days. Each tri
p down after the big day in the booby trapped cavern had been pretty much the sa
me. Yova and Trince would travel down the tunnels until they had reached new te
rritory. They would then creep cautiously forward. Their trip would contain nu
merous long stops in which they would simply stand there and concentrate. Neith
er of them ever talked, and Lando or Mansenchin were forced to stand there patie
ntly until the Jedi were done. After covering a few hundred meters of new terri
tory, Yova or Trince would declare that that was as far as they were going to go
that day. There were some days when they only gained two hundred meters. Land
o was getting frustrated. If Yova and Trince had been anybody other than Jedi,
he would have thought that they were simply trying to increase their pay by incr
easing their hours.
The group was just finishing the meal when Herta broke the silence. “How
far have you guys gotten?”
Lando looked up at her. “We’ve uncovered about two point five kilometers.”
Herta looked surprised. “But didn’t we estimate that there was almost ten k
ilometers worth of tunnels before the actual mines? It’s been almost a week and y
ou’ve only gained a little over a kilometer from our original position.”
Lando didn’t want to speak out his criticism of Trince’s and Yova’s performanc
e in front of the group. “Going has been slower than expected.”
“We’ve ran into a few traps and the like,” Mansenchin put in.
Herta looked a little concerned. She had heard the explosion a few days
ago and the explanation that followed, but she had heard of nothing since. “What
kind of traps?”
Lando was about to jump in and say that they hadn’t really seen anything e
lse, and that they were just being careful, but Trince jumped in before Lando co
uld open his mouth. “Since the false floor, we’ve encountered two cave-ins, poisono
us gas, and small group of venomous cave spiders.”
Everyone except Yova looked surprised at what Trince had said. Herta wa
s amazed that so much had been going on, while Lando and Mansenchin were looking
at each other wondering if they had kept information from each other about thei
r respective treks down into the caves. After they decided that neither of them
knew what Trince was talking they confronted him.
“What are you talking about?” Lando and Mansenchin said in unison.
Yova shrugged. “None of those events actually happened because Trince and
I prevented them.”
“For example,” Trince explained, “yesterday we tripped an undetected motion se
nsor that triggered a cave-in. I caught the weight of the rocks as soon as I fe
lt that we had tripped the motion sensor. Together with Yova’s help, we were able
to re-secure the trap and solidify the roof of the cavern.”
“What about the other things you mentioned? Cave spiders?”
“They were all similar instances,” Yova answered. “We either sensed the traps
ahead of time and tried to disarm them or we accidentally set them off and then
had to try to stop them. The cave spiders were placed in hibernation, and they
awoke when our body heat warmed a certain section of the cavern. It took all o
f our combined strength to put them back into a hibernation that wasn’t as sensiti
ve to our heat.”
“So all those times that you two stop, your actually countering a trap tha
t you just set off?”
“Not always,” Trince responded. “Most of the time we are just searching ahead
for any potential danger. All of our long stops, though, are usually the resul
t of us either disarming a trap or our efforts to contain something that we just
set off. The reason that we aren’t traveling very fast is because each trap that
we have to disarm or prevent takes a lot out of us physically, and we don’t want
to continue into uncharted waters unless we are in peak condition.”
Lando nodded in both understanding and in agreement. “And here I thought
that you guys were just stalling.” Lando’s opinion of both of them leaped astronomi
cally. He remembered back to the time when he found the asteroid mine. He orig
inally had thought to just take a scout team into the caves and try to absorb wh
at was thrown at them. Lando now realized that the scout team wouldn’t have gotte
n past the first trap.
Yova pushed away her finished plate and looked up at Lando. “We should be
able to cover a few kilometers today. Trince and I went down alone last night
and searched ahead with the Force. We couldn’t find any more traps.”
Lando nodded happily. They were in the cavern early that day. When Lan
do heard that they would be able to gain extra ground today, he was eager to sta
rt. This time down, Lando and Mansenchin both accompanied the two Jedi. As the
y walked through the old caves, Trince would point out the locations of the prev
ious traps. The cave-in locations were invisible to the naked eye, and Lando an
d Mansenchin had to take it on faith the that the ceiling of the sections Trince
pointed out, were indeed as fragile as he said. Lando was especially intrigued
at the fake wall that the spiders were sleeping behind. Lando was more than fa
miliar with the illusion of solid stone that the Empire had been using to mask t
heir traps. He had nearly tumbled to his death because of one. The tank of gas
was similarly hidden behind false walls. When they arrived at the place that t
hey had stopped at the day before, Yova and Trince slowed the pace a little and
continued ahead cautiously.
Yova had been right, and they traveled three kilometers before they stop
ped. “What is it?” Lando asked eagerly.
“We are just scanning further ahead,” Trince answered. “However, on any futur
e stops please don’t say anything. Any distractions might hinder us from being ab
le to safely disable a trap.”
Lando nodded and allowed them to finish their scan without further inter
ruptions. After a few minutes they continued down the cave. The group went ano
ther three kilometers before stopping again. According to Lando’s original estima
tions of the underground system of caves, they were just about at the end. Afte
r the brief stop, they once again set off down the cave. After only about two h
undred meters, both Jedi stopped abruptly.
“Oh, my,” Trince said under his breath. Yova’s shock was equal to Trince’s, but
she said nothing. Trince turned to Lando and Mansenchin. “We have a bit of a pr
oblem.” Lando waited for Trince to explain. “There is a giant cave worm at the end
of the tunnel.”
“How big?” Mansenchin asked.
Yova snapped out of her initial shock. “No, the question you should be as
king is, ‘How huge?’“
Lando remembered the story that Han had told him about the giant cave wo
rm that he had landed the Falcon in, mistaking it for a cave. The Falcon had ba
rely gotten out of that ‘cave’ ahead of the chomping jaws of the huge beast. “Can you
kill it?”
“I don’t know, Lando,” Trince responded. “The first thing we usually do when we
encounter a new life form, isn’t to decide how we are going to kill it.”
“What ever we do,” Yova said, “we’re not going to do it today.”
Trince nodded in agreement, and the troop turned around and trekked back
to the surface.
Chapter 11 “Premium Information”
All of the officers were sitting around the large table again, and this
time Tallon had made sure that there were enough chairs. Tallon was pleased wit
h the progress he and his men had made in the short time since Thrawn had woken
up. They had drawn quite a lot of attention to themselves though. The entire t
ime that Tallon had spent on Hastrin had been relatively quiet. They had had no
skirmishes outside of simulated battle. There had been no sign that anyone els
e had even been aware of their existence. Now they had obliterated a small flee
t of New Republic ships and had captured two of its most prominent figures. Alt
hough they had been careful not to let too much information leak out as to what
had actually taken place during the two instances, Tallon was sure that their ex
istence wouldn’t remain a secret for too much longer.
Seated beside Tallon, Thrawn cleared his throat. Tallon collected his t
houghts and put himself in the frame of mind that was necessary to participate i
n the meeting. “We have moved forward well, and it is now time to take the next s
tep toward the annihilation of the enemy.”
Tallon watched as General Oskiman grinned wickedly. Tallon and his men
had not engaged in battle before, and Tallon was experiencing his officer’s reacti
on to warfare for the first time. Tallon had guessed that Oskiman’s response woul
d be something along the lines of pure enjoyment, and was happy to see his guess
es confirmed.
Tallon was also not disappointed by Commander Snotzenexer’s reaction. The
Commander remained as impassive as ever. Tallon had often thought that Snotzen
exer was an android, emotionless with an incredible calculating mind. Tallon ha
d not yet given into his temptation’s to have Dr. Kendel scan him, but he might in
the future if Snotzenexer continued to remain emotionless, especially after the
y crushed the New Republic.
Dr. Kendel and Frowinger didn’t play any major roles in battle, but he cou
ld sense that they were pleased with the progress and performance of their creat
ions. Kendel was still bubbling over with success from the operation he had per
formed on Luke Skywalker. He had studied the ysalamiri for several weeks and wa
s glad to see that it had not been in vain. Frowinger was pleased that the firs
t report in from Laya, his personal creation, had been a positive one.
Tallon was not able to tell anything from the two Salynoids. Borock and
Thorock simply conveyed facts and information, paying no heed to emotional or m
orale matters. Tallon appreciated this kind of efficiency. He knew that no mat
ter the situation, those two would always perform their duties to best of their
abilities without getting caught up in the surrounding mood, whether it be good
or bad.
“Step one included catching the New Republic off guard. They had not susp
ected any kind of attack what-so-ever. As we speak, they are likely holding a s
imilar meeting to decide what to do next. The difference between their meeting
and ours, is that we have all of the facts, and they can only make speculations.
“Step two will involve letting the Rebels know who they have to thank for
their recent losses by giving them more losses. This time we will not take care
in hiding our identity or location. Through a series of hit and run attacks, w
e will put the New Republic off balance and scrambling to assemble an offensive
counter strike. A strike that will surely fail.”
Thrawn paused for the first time and turned to the General. “You will nee
d to assemble five medium sized fleets. I would recommend that they not contain
either of the Super Star Destroyers. I have carefully selected ten targets. T
hese planets, or in some cases outposts, were chosen because of their insecurity
with the New Republic. Quick, destructive attacks should turn that insecurity
into outright distrust. I recommend that you choose four officers and yourself
to command the fleets.”
Thrawn turned to Snotzenexer. Tallon knew that Thrawn liked the command
er. Tallon thought that this was because Thrawn saw a reflection of his own str
ategic mind in the appealingly shy officer. “Commander, you will not go with the
fleets, but will wait until the New Republic is effectively dispersed before you
enter the battle. You will be executing a vital ground attack. I believe that
you know the target. You would do well to review the events concerning the las
t attempted attack on this target and why it failed.”
Thrawn nodded toward Tallon, telling the Captain that he was finished. “A
re there any reports that anyone wishes to make?” Tallon asked the collection of o
fficers. Tallon scanned the faces of his men and paused when his gaze crossed F
rowinger’s hesitant expression.
“Speak Mr. Frowinger,” Thrawn said before Tallon could say likewise. “There a
re very few things in this wide galaxy that are unimportant.”
Frowinger smiled. “You might change your opinion when you hear what I hav
e to report, sir. One of our outposts,” he paused and looked down to his notes, “on
the edge of the core systems and nearest to the Flansping system, has recently
changed the strength of its signal.”
“Explain,” Tallon prompted.
“Well the signal from the asteroid base had always been very faint, but a
few days ago the signal suddenly strengthened in power. The other scientists ar
e blaming it on a bad battery that is experiencing a power surge.”
Tallon quickly scrolled through his mental star charts, but could not re
member any base in that area. He looked over at the Admiral, knowing that Thraw
n was the veteran officer, and it was more likely that Thrawn knew of the base.
Tallon could picture the brain waves flowing through Thrawn’s head as the Admiral’s
usually emotionless face registered recognition and then concern.
“I suggest that you personally go check out the base,” Thrawn finally said.
“Take with you no less than thirty elite storm troopers.”
Frowinger’s face registered shock, but seeing that Thrawn was not going to
explain himself further, he decided wisely, not to question Thrawn’s decision in
front of the other officers. Frowinger would meet with Thrawn later to see if h
e could get more information from him. No, he corrected himself. He would chec
k into this mysterious base first to see if he couldn’t come to the same conclusio
n that Thrawn had come to. If after an investigation, he still could not discer
n the reason for the Admiral’s concern, then he would approach him.
Tallon was not that patient, and as the meeting dismissed, he motioned t
o Thrawn that he wished to talk. The two highest ranking officers in the Empire
walked side by side down the hall toward Tallon’s office.
Tallon entered his office first and took his seat behind his desk, while
Thrawn sat across him in one of the two other chairs in the small office. “The n
ame of the outpost is Cryst 32,” Thrawn said knowing Tallon’s question.
Tallon had expected this and had already turned his desk computer on. A
fter entering the name and waiting a few nanoseconds for the name to register, T
allon had the Imperial file on the outpost in front of him.
Thrawn saw the flash from the screen on Tallon’s face and continued. “Cryst
32 is a industrial crystal mine that the Empire discovered during the clone war
s. It was one of three such mines, and the Empire relied on it heavily for weap
on crystals. Because of its ideal location on the edge of the Core Systems, the
Empire also used it to house weapon technology and prototypes.
“It was abandoned many years ago because of the New Republic’s intrusion int
o the Core Systems. The Empire retreated from the position with the optimistic
view that they would return and that the New Republic would pay very little atte
ntion to a meager asteroid in orbit around a planetless system. They did rig th
e asteroid with multiple traps and security devices designed to not only prevent
unauthorized invasion into the mines, but also to destroy all of the weapon tec
hnology stored there.
“I am aware of all of this because I have studied the outpost myself in pr
eparation for the time in which we can repossess it. I will not bore you with t
he statistics of it because I’m sure that you have them in front of you now.”
Indeed Tallon was scanning the information that was flashing in front of
him and becoming more excited by the second. This had indeed been a rich mine,
and Tallon wondered if they could move ahead in the agenda to take back the min
e sooner.
“The signal coming from the asteroid is being used as a silent alarm.” Tall
on didn’t need Thrawn to spell it out for him and was glad that Thrawn didn’t. Tall
on knew that the first step in attempting to take the mine would be to jam all o
ut going signals and replace them with signals of your own.
“From what I’m reading here,” Tallon pointed out, “The mine looks impenetrable,
unless you had a complete schematic and all the codes. I highly doubt that the
New Republic would be able to obtain such plans.”
“As do I.”
“Then don’t you think that thirty storm troopers is going a little overboard
?”
Thrawn smiled, something he’d been doing a lot of lately. “I agree that a n
ormal group of miners would be overmatched to such an extent that concern for th
e mine and the secrets it holds would be a waste of time. It is that same think
ing, however, that was the reason for my defeat in my previous campaign. How ma
ny of the traps that you see there are Force-proof. I think that if we assume t
hat are enemies are not complete idiots, we will come to the conclusion that it
is more than likely that they would employ the use of Jedi to excavate such a pr
otected mine. Also the mere fact that the new signal is still transmitting, mea
ns that the security of the mine is in jeopardy.. You can see that several of t
hose traps are capable of destroying the entire asteroid. Since the signal is s
till transmitting we can assume that the group on our asteroid has either gotten
past those traps safely or are so cautious that they have not yet attempted the
m. Either assumption tells us that they know more about the asteroid than they
should.”
Tallon understood completely. “Then thirty storm troopers seems far to fe
w. Send a hundred.”
“Again I agree. I also hope that Frowinger, after careful review of the a
steroid and all of the possibilities, will come to the same conclusion.”
Tallon smiled and hoped that Frowinger would pass the test. “There is one
more question I have. What is the target that Commander Snotzenexer is respons
ible for?”
Thrawn cocked his head in curious wonderment. “What other target is there
? Yavin IV, of course.”
* * *
Wedge looked across the table at the small group gathered around the tab
le. Ackbar, Senator Bislin sitting in for Leia, Admiral Drimil the head of the
NRI, and Ransig were seated with Wedge. The situation they were looking at was
grim.
“Let’s start first with a clear description of what we’re facing,” Bislin said.
Leia would have been in charge of this meeting if it weren’t for her absence, and
so the senator who was replacing her for the time being was in charge. “Leia cou
ld not be reached,” he continued. “It appears that she is in a bit of trouble herse
lf and has been placed under arrest.” This was only news to Ransig, so the shock
was minimal. “Although that is a problem, it is not the problem we are here to di
scus. Admiral Drimil could you please present us with all of the information yo
u have on the recent activity in the Danzig system and surrounding areas.”
The Admiral nodded and consulted his notes. “The small fleet that was sen
t into the Danzig system to inspect reported Imperial activity has not reported
back since entering the system about a week ago. It is believed that the super
nova of Danzig 359 destroyed the fleet. Whether this explosion was natural or i
nduced by the Empire is still unknown. All sensor probes in the area are being
in some way jammed or blocked. The extent of Imperial activity, or even the exi
stence of any activity is unknown.”
“I think we should closely examine this second idea on the actual existenc
e of Imperial activity,” Wedge spoke up. “We have only the word of Hastrin that suc
h activity exists.”
“Why would the Hastrins lie to us?” Bislin queried.
“It is possible that they are an Imperial world and they simple planned on
luring us into a trap,” Wedge explained. “They obviously new of the stars conditio
n, and they perhaps planned to use it against us.”
“That may be,” Drimil started, “but how easy is it to predict the explosion of
a star?” Drimil turned to Ransig, for he was at this meeting for a reason. “Mr. R
ansig, is it possible to accurately predict a nova?”
“Yes,” Ransig said after a moment’s thought, “it is possible to predict the expl
osion of a star to within a couple hours as much as a month in advance. I feel
that I should point out though, that it is much harder to predict the arrival of
a fleet.”
“I agree,” Ackbar spoke up for the first time. “The Hastrins might have known
of the time of the explosion, but we told them nothing of the arrival time of o
ur fleet, only that there would be one.”
“This whole line of reasoning depends on the treachery of Hastrin,” Bislin p
iped in. “We must not rule out the possibility that there might very well be Impe
rial activity in the Danzig system.”
“Point well taken, Senator,” Drimil conceded, “but we must also consider this
whole affair in light of what happened to Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. We lost
contact with them around the same time that we lost contact with the fleet.”
“It is possible that the Empire intercepted Hastrin’s distress call and deci
ded not to leave Hastrin alone anymore,” Wedge reasoned. “They could have been wait
ing for Solo and Skywalker at the planet. If that is the case we have no reason
to believe that they experienced a fate any different to that of the fleet.”
“It is also possible that Hastrin was Imperial controlled from the start a
nd played us for the sucker,” Ackbar added.
“So our final conclusion is that there is indeed Imperial activity in some
way or another,” Bislin said. “Now, what are we going to do about it. It is clear
that we cannot ignore such an obvious attack against the New Republic.”
“I believe that we should wait,” Ackbar advised. “I have never known the Empi
re to be laid back. They will make another advance against us and we must be re
ady for it.”
“I agree,” Wedge put in. “We don’t know enough, if anything at all, about the I
mperials. Such lack of knowledge already cost the lives of an entire fleet and
probably those of two of the New Republic’s most prominent figures.”
“I’m not so sure that Solo and Skywalker are dead,” Drimil countered. “Men of s
uch prominence as those two, would certainly be more valuable to the Empire aliv
e.”
Everyone at the table nodded in understanding. “So our final decision is
one of no action?” Bislin asked.
“On the contrary,” Ackbar corrected, “We should mobilize the fleet and put the
m on patrol on our borders. We should alert all of the worlds near the core sys
tem to be sensitive towards Imperial activity. And we should attempt deeper and
more powerful sensor probes of the Danzig system.”
Again everyone nodded in agreement. “That line of action shouldn’t be too h
ard to get the Senate to agree with,” Bislin said. “I just hope it will be enough.”
“We can only hope.”
* * *
Anakin held his finished lightsaber up in the air examining it. It was
a fine lightsaber, he knew. Better than any he had seen before. He had expecte
d it to be excellent when he had started, but this far exceeded his expectations
. He ignited it and watched in silent awe as the white blade cut effortlessly b
ack and forth, humming through the air. The blade itself was so intense he was
worried that his sister’s filters would prove useless on the weapon. The crystal
that Lando had given him was definitely the most superior focusing device that h
e had ever seen.
Anakin deactivated the weapon and attached it to his belt. He knew what
he had to do. The questions about the Dark Side that had been bombarding him f
or the past few weeks had to be answered.
Anakin sat down in front of the great tree that had sprouted from his fa
ther’s grave and closed his eyes. He reached out with his mind, not certain of wh
at he was looking for, but sure that he would find it. His mind drifted away fr
om the tree and ventured out into a more broad area of awareness. He immediatel
y contacted the dead spirit of the Emperor. He felt confident in his strength i
n the Force and allowed himself to probe deeper into the Dark echo.
Anakin was pulled back in time to the manifestation of the Emperor. Ana
kin’s senses started to become aware of a change in the surroundings. He began to
see images of the inside of a space ship. No, a space station. The Death Star
. He began to hear voices. They were familiar voices. Luke. Anakin looked ab
out and saw his uncle and Darth Vader standing in front of the Emperor. Anakin
also became aware of another feeling. Emotions. He could not only see the trio’s
reflected light and hear they emitted sound compressions, but he could feel the
ir deep emotions.
The Emperor and Luke were the easiest to feel. The Emperor had an overw
helming feeling of contempt and control. Contempt at the fleet that was present
ly attacking his “invincible” battle station, but also in Luke’s apparent boldness. L
uke was feeling both confidence and resigned defeat. He felt confidence in his
ability to stand up to the Emperor’s temptations and to Darth Vader’s will, but also
defeat in his ability to survive the confrontation. Luke seemed resigned to di
e, but confident that he would do so instead of turning to the Dark Side.
 Vader was full of confused emotions. He was still struggling against th
e words Luke had spoken to him earlier about there still being some good in him,
and with the will of the Emperor. He was feeling loyalty to the Emperor, but a
lso a feeling of concern for the well-being of his son. His feeling of uneasine
ss told Anakin that the real battle that would take place wasn’t between Luke and
the Emperor, or even between Luke and Darth Vader, but between Anakin Skywalker
and the Lord of the Sith.
The Emperor and Luke began talking, but Anakin tried to disregard their
words and instead focused on their feelings. The Emperor spoke with boastful un
founded statements of ultimate victory both with regard to the space battle and
that battle which would occur between him and Luke. Luke responded with his con
fident denial of ever turning toward the Dark Side. Vader was both taken aback
at Luke’s boldness in talking back to his master, yet was also proud of his son.
Luke moved over to the window and was allowed to view the space battle.
Anakin could feel Luke’s feelings shift from that of confidence to despair and an
ger. Fueled by the Emperor’s words, the anger in Luke grew until it exploded into
a direct attack against the Emperor. Luke’s anger was easily deflected by Vader’s
feelings of protection and concern for the well-being of his master. The first
battle of emotions had been fought. Both sides being equal (Luke and Vader had
the same strength in the Force, disregarding training), the feeling of protectio
n and devotion had won over anger.
Luke and Vader began to duel. Neither of them had any prominent emotion
s, and neither of them gained an advantage. Finally, Luke, not wanting to fight
his father, broke off the attack and hid. Luke began to think of everything at
stake and of everything that the out come of this confrontation would effect.
His mind drifted toward Leia, and Vader pounced on the thought. Vader pressed h
is point with a false sense of confidence that Leia would turn to the Dark Side
as well.
Luke’s emotion exploded into one over riding feeling. Love. Love for his
sister and for all that she meant to him. His overwhelming feeling of protecti
on for her was expressed in a sudden flurry of action against the source of Lea’s
potential danger. Vader still clinging to the false pretense of confidence was
over powered immediately. The Emperor watched and smiled inwardly, mistaking Lu
ke’s emotion for that of anger.
Luke stood over his defeated foe, and his love shifted from Leia to his
father. With the threat against Leia neutralized, he now showed concern for his
father. Luke heard the Emperor’s voice tempting him onward. Luke felt no anger
toward his father, or even toward the Emperor. He deactivated his lightsaber an
d tossed it aside without even contemplating the Emperor’s suggestion.
Luke turned to the Emperor and set up a barrier against him fueled by hi
s love for his father and sister. The Emperor’s determination was no match for Lu
ke’s barrier. The Emperor quickly shifted his feelings from confidence to anger.
Luke’s feeling of despair came once again. Instead of feeding off of the love th
at he had used successfully against Vader, he feel back in fear as the Emperor a
ttacked.
Vader’s feelings were once again in a jumble. Anakin felt love for his so
n and the Sith Lord felt anger for his missing hand and recent defeat. When Luk
e was on the brink of death, he cried out to his father. Anakin won, hurling th
e Sith Lord away into oblivion. The Emperor was totally unprepared for the two
arms that heaved him into the air, and a few seconds later, into an elevator sha
ft.
Anakin Solo watched and felt the whole event unfold in front of him. Th
e explosion of power that the Emperor emitted, blinded him and woke him from his
trance. Still in a semi-meditative state, Anakin contemplated what he had just
witnessed. He understood that the Force was funneled through a Jedi’s emotions a
nd that the feelings of anger and hatred belonged to the Dark Side. These were
strong emotions, and they gave the Dark Side its power. Always in the past the
Dark Side had proved stronger than the Light Side, but in reality the Force was
a single energy source, and it would be impossible for it to be stronger than it
self. The Dark Side of the Force was the same Force as the Light Side was, it w
as only used in a different way.
The battle between the two sides could better be described as the battle
between negative emotions and positive emotions. The Jedi had always been taug
ht to maintain a passive attitude, not to be the aggressor. When facing an enem
y, a Jedi should only attack if it was in defense. If a life had to be taken to
protect the innocent or the good, then it was acceptable. Never should a Jedi
strike out at an enemy, even if it was an evil enemy deserving death, unless the
re was an immediate threat. It had been thought that striking out against an en
emy for any other reason was a sign of the Dark Side.
Anakin now understood why the Jedi had always been over powered and out
matched in the past. They had been fighting aggressive emotions with passive on
es. You can’t defeat anger with hesitance. Reluctance doesn’t stand a chance again
st fear. You have to fight fire with fire. Instead of anger, love. Instead of
fear, confidence. Instead of revenge, justice. Instead of hostility, compassi
on. Instead of arrogance, affection. Instead of rivalry, friendship. Instead o
f war, peace.
Anakin opened his eyes and looked around. He had the feeling that more
time had passed than the few minutes that the trance had seemed to have taken.
He became aware that he was very hungry. The feeling that days had passed becam
e more real to him. He looked around at what he had first thought were bushes,
but now he realized that he was surrounded by ewoks.
Seeing that he was awake, one of the ewoks approached Anakin with a piec
e of meat on the end of a long stick. Anakin knew of Jacen’s skill with communica
ting with animals and like everything Anakin tried with the Force, had been able
to duplicate this skill. Anakin took the meat and thanked the ewoks. After he
had eaten, Anakin followed the ewoks to their village. He agreed to stay with
them for a while, and the ewoks were more than eager to hear stories of the New
Republic. The small furry creatures took pride in the fact that they had helped
bring down the evil Empire and were anxious to find out if the Empire had been
fully defeated yet.
Anakin found that he was quite exhausted from his meditation and he appr
eciated the hospitality the ewoks showed him. He would just stay there for a wh
ile and relax.
* * *
“Does it hurt?” Han and Luke had been in custody for almost a week, and Han
had finally gotten enough courage to ask his friend about his bald spot. Luke
had immediately told Han what it was when he had come back from the surgery five
days ago, but he hadn’t elaborated.
Luke rubbed the bald spot. He could feel the prickling of the short hai
rs that had already started to grow back. “It doesn’t hurt physically, but it hurts
emotionally more than you can possibly imagine. I have come to rely on the For
ce quite heavily in the past decade and have always had it with me ever since I
ran into the ysalamiri of Thrawn and C’boath. I guess I could have learned a less
on from Tenel Ka about over-dependence on the Force, but I had thought that it w
ould always be with me.”
“What is it like to have the Force?” Han asked again. He had come along way
from his original outlook of the Force as a hokey religion. He had a wife, thr
ee kids, and a good friend who used it, and he couldn’t very well deny its existen
ce anymore.
“It is a feeling of life and power. Not so much a feeling of self power,
but an awareness of the power around you. It’s like having a protective guardian
always looking over your shoulder. The feeling that you’re not alone, and anythin
g you do in its will, you will be supported.”
Han looked at his friend and could see that the strain of the situation
was taking its toll on Luke. Luke had over the past thirty years aged maybe fiv
e years. Han had chalked this up to the Force, and now his hunch was being prov
ed correct. Luke had made up for his lack of aging, by aging almost a decade in
the past few days. His hair was slowly turning gray and for the first time Han
 could see facial hair on Luke. “Do you feel older?”
Luke didn’t have a mirror, but knew what Han was talking about. He could
feel his own face his limbs actually felt weaker with age. He had always used t
he Force to revitalize himself. He had stunted his hair growth, saving him the
trouble of shaving or getting a hair cut. “Yoda once said ‘When nine hundred years
you reach, look as good you will not.’ At the time I thought he was just trying t
o be humorous, but over the past few years I realized that there was some truth
to that statement. I won’t live for a thousand years, or even five hundred, but t
he Force will probably keep me alive for quite a while. Or it would have anyway
.”
“Don’t worry, Luke,” Han consoled. “If it’s just a medical procedure, then I’m sur
that our New Republic doctors will be able to undue it when we escape.”
Luke didn’t smile at Han’s casual reference to an escape that seemed impossi
ble. “But that’s the whole point. If the Force is something that you can simply tu
rn on and off with a medical procedure, then it ruins everything.”
Han sobered a little when he heard the strain in Luke’s voice. “It’s my turn
to ask you a question,” Luke said, breaking the tension he had created.
“Fire away.”
“How does an interdiction field work?”
“Wow, talk about changing directions.” Han was initially taken aback by Luk
e’s question, but he realized that Luke probably wanted to change topics as quickl
y as he could. “I thought you knew all about machines and such.”
Luke shook his head. “I only know what I’ve had experience with and what pe
ople have taught me. I’ve never been around an interdiction field long enough to
take it apart.”
“OK,” Han said, accepting reason. “First, do you know how ships travel throug
h hyperspace?”
“If it will make it easier to explain, let’s assume I don’t.”
“OK. Space is made up of an infinite number of points. When I say points
in space, I don’t mean Coruscant or Yavin, I mean infinitesimal points.” Han held
up is index finger and thumb and tried to illustrate a tiny particle. “When we mo
ve we are constantly passing through these points. It is impossible to get from
point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ without passing through all of the points in-between.
“When we travel through hyperspace, however, we jump from one point to ano
ther. In essence we jump from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ without wasting time in-between.
Since it is impossible to miss all of the points, when we skip, we are actually
at every point in-between ‘A’ and ‘B’ at the same time. This is why the stars appear as
lines when traveling through hyperspace. We are seeing the stars from an infin
ite series of points at the same time. It would be like exposing film to a ligh
t and then walking in a straight line while keeping the film exposed. When you
look at the developed picture, you see the light from all of the different angle
s along the path you walked.
“Each of these points in space, as I said before, are infinitely small and
have a corresponding infinitely small mass. As you know everything that has a
mass has a gravitational field surrounding it. What an interdiction field does
is increase each point’s gravitational field a little bit. This small increase in
the gravitational field of each point goes virtually unnoticed except in hypers
pace. As you can imagine, hyperspace travel is a very delicate thing, being as
how it takes the laws of physics and throws them out the window. As each point
in space grows in gravitational strength, they become harder and harder to skip.
When the gravitational strength grows too much, it becomes impossible for a sh
ip to simply skip points in space, and it gets yanked back into real space.”
“So normal motion isn’t effected at all?”
Han paused. “Well according to how a interdiction field works, it is theo
retically possible for an interdiction field to impeded motion in normal space,
but it is in actuality quite impossible. The amount of energy needed to create
such a field would be astronomical. If you could do it, the result would be lik
e trying to walk through a thick cream. Each point in space would be pulling on
you a little harder than normal.”
Luke nodded in understanding, so Han continued. “Well I’ve answered your qu
estion, now you have to do me a favor and tell me what you think of my speech.”
Luke sighed sarcastically, but complied.
Chapter 12 “Cryst 32”
Lando, Lobot, Yova, Trince, and Dexter sat around the table, preparing t
o discus this latest road block. Lobot had spent most of his time in the commun
ication tower with Jalence and Herta. Lando had asked him to participate in thi
s meeting because of his vast data banks. Lando was certain that there was some
thing Lobot would be able to access about the giant cave worm that could help th
em.
“I’ve been doing some tremor testing around the site,” Dexter said. “I’ve determi
ned that the tunnel system that the worm occupies is fifty meters in diameter, a
nd the tunnels wind about for quite a few kilometers. I can’t tell how much of th
e tunnel system the worm takes up, because the tremor tests themselves cause the
worm to move around a lot.”
Lando turned to Lobot. “Do you know how big the average worm is?”
Lights flashed about on Lobot’s Hamarin interface band. “There have not bee
n very many recorded sizes, except to say that they are no shorter than a kilome
ter and range in thickness from forty to one hundred meters across.”
“In that light, fifty meters doesn’t sound so bad,” Lando extrapolated. He tu
rned to the Jedi. “Have you to been able to make any head way on this thing?”
“We have tried to put it to sleep, but it’s mind is so large and it spends s
o much time in a semi-hibernating state, that if it could sleep, we can’t make it,”
Trince reported.
“As far as quenching its appetite, it doesn’t have one,” Yova informed the gro
up. “This worm probably hasn’t eaten in hundreds of years. When it senses anything
its instinct is to eat it, hungry or not. Stunting an instinct is a little abo
ve our abilities.”
“My best suggestion would to be to set up some kind of blockade,” Dexter sai
d.
“A worm that size would be able to break through any thickness of steel th
at we could obtain,” Lobot said. “It would also be able to chew through any amount
of rock.”
“What if we could set a force field to contain it,” Lando offered. “It would
probably be able to break through, but the shock it would get when it touched it
would make it think twice before it tried.”
“That might work,” Trince agreed, “but where are you going to get the force fi
eld?”
Lando paused realizing the point of Trince’s question. He had that kind o
f equipment here, but nothing strong enough to deter a giant cave worm. “I would
have to take a trip to Coruscant. We are low on food as it is.”
Dexter nodded his head. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if I could take a tri
p to Coruscant. Now that we are so close to the end of the tunnel, I wanted to
pick up some more instruments. I know Jim is thinking the same thing.”
“It’s final then,” Lando announced. “I’ll take Lobot, Dexter, and Jim back to Cor
uscant to get some equipment. Meanwhile, you two can try to see if there are ot
her alternatives. Don’t hesitate to try something, even if it makes my trip for t
he force field generators useless. No reason we can’t have two plans of attack.”
Half an hour later the Lady Luck shot off into space leaving Mansenchin,
Herta, Jalence, Yova, and Trince on the asteroid. A thousand light years away,
two other ships shot off into hyperspace, but they planned on adding to the pop
ulation of the large asteroid.
* * *
Frowinger checked the status of his four shuttles before giving the comm
and to jump to hyperspace. Frowinger had no rank. He had never gone to the aca
demy. His world had been taken over by the Empire when he was only fourteen. A
s an IQ kid genius, he had been in an advanced education facility. When the Emp
ire found out his unique intellect they recruited him into their science departm
ent. Frowinger had been surrounded by older academy graduates and had felt inti
midated. Dr. Kendel had taken the youth under his wing and taught him a few thi
ngs. When Frowinger was sixteen and Kendel was relocated to the Hastrin base, F
rowinger thought that his life was over, but Kendel requested that Frowinger be
transferred as well. Ever since Frowinger had made giant leaps forward in physi
cs and medicine.
Frowinger’s lack of rank didn’t prevent him from being in charge of this exp
edition. The lowest ranking storm trooper in his group technically out-ranked h
im, but Thrawn had personally placed him in command and their wasn’t anyone who wa
s going to buck that command. Everyone had an enormous amount of respect for Th
rawn, and everyone who knew Frowinger, had just about as much respect for him.
Frowinger’s lack of rank didn’t mean that he had no military experience eith
er. Tallon had recognized Frowinger’s intellect and his youth and decided that he
could make a great officer. Frowinger had accompanied Snotzenexer on several m
ilitary drills and had proved Tallon correct at being quick on the uptake in mil
itary tactics as well as in science. It was that tactical prowess that had Frow
inger in command of one hundred storm troopers, over three times as many as the
thirty that Thrawn had recommended.
Frowinger had looked at the information pertaining to the asteroid mine
and had come to the conclusion that it would be next to impossible to get past t
he traps and guards set up at the facility. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had
recently worked on the ysalamiri with Dr. Kendel, the idea that the Jedi might
be part of the mining team would have never entered his mind. To defeat Jedi yo
u needed a few more than thirty storm troopers.
Frowinger saw that all of the shuttles checked in as ready, and he gave
the order to jump.
* * *
The camp on the asteroid was calm for the next few days. Trince and Yov
a spent a lot of their time down by the worm. They had still not seen the monst
rosity, which was fine as far as they were concerned. On third day after Lando
had left, Trince and Yova decided that they would try to get past the worm. The
y invited Mansenchin to come along.
The trip to the end of the tunnel was made shorter by the use of a small
personnel transport that Dexter had deemed safe for the tunnels. They stopped
the transport a few hundred meters short of the end of the tunnel. Mansenchin h
ad never been to the end yet and was a little to eager to get a glimpse of the c
reature.
“If all goes well, we won’t see the worm,” Yova said, bursting Mansenchin’s bubb
le. As they approached the end, Yova slowed her pace, and the other’s fell in ste
p.
“It hunts through vibrations,” Trince whispered to Mansenchin, “so we have to
approach it in a slightly unique way.” Trince paused. “Don’t be alarmed.”
Mansenchin was about to question Trince’s last statement, when he took his
next step. His foot did not connect with the stone. He glanced down, startled
, at his feet. They were hovering a few inches above the cave floor. Mansenchi
n took another hesitant step forward, testing his new elevation. His foot reach
ed out to push off something, and his toes reached down slowly and connected lig
htly with the floor. He pushed off gently, careful to make as little noise as p
ossible. After a few more practice steps, he felt confident and quickened his p
ace slightly. The walking technique was similar to what he had dreamed walking
on water would be like. Pushing off with each step, but finding only a semi-tan
gible surface from which to propel yourself.
Trince and Yova waited patiently for Mansenchin to acquire his walking t
echnique and then continued forward. Soon a large cavern was visible in the dis
tance. Mansenchin could see that the tunnel was indeed fifty meters in diameter
, as Dexter had predicted. The enormous worm tunnel crossed the path of the tri
o’s small route at a right angle and disappeared into the darkness in either direc
tion. The middle of the large second tunnel was at the same level as the trio,
making it look like a huge dry river bed running by.
Trince and Yova stood at the edge of the deep canal at looked longingly
at the other side, only fifty meters away. Mansenchin stood only slightly behin
d them and voiced his opinion. “Can’t we just float across?”
Yova shook her head. “We’re not sure if it knows we’re here or not. We were
careful, but if it has more sensitive nerves than we thought, it could very easi
ly come charging out of the darkness when we are suspended over the middle.”
Mansenchin nodded and peered over to the far side of the side cavern. T
he smaller tunnel continued on after the fifty meter expanse and curved out of s
ight. “So how are we getting across?”
“Yova is trying to soothe the savage beast, and I’m trying to disguise our p
resence,” Trince said in a strained whisper. “We’d appreciate silence. It’ll take a fe
w minutes.”
* * *
Herta entered the communications tower, walked over to her husband, and
kissed him on the cheek. She remained leaning on the back of his chair and scan
ned the screen he was looking at. “Good afternoon, hun.”
“Oh, morning, dear.”
Herta frowned. “Jalence, it’s sixteen hundred. Morning’s gone; afternoon is
waning; and it is nigh unto night.”
The last comment from Herta broke Jalence’s spell, and he turned away from
the screen he had been staring at. “Sorry, I was a little distracted. What did
you say?”
Herta sighed and shrugged. Men, she thought, but then her attention was
pulled to the screen as well. “That hypercom echo,” she said, pointing to the lowe
r right hand corner of the screen, “that means that-”
“That ships are approaching in hyperspace,” Jalence finished for her. “We are
out of the space lines, so unless someone is lost, we’re going to get visitors, i
n about two minutes.”
Herta was puzzled. Few knew of this mining outpost, and even fewer woul
d have a reason to arrive unannounced. “I suppose we should go outside and great
our visitors.”
* * *
Frowinger watched as the hyperspace countdown changed from minutes to se
conds and then down to nothing. The starlines shrank down to dots, and the Impe
rial mining complex Cryst 32 filled the forward view. Reports rang in from all
of the shuttles’ stations.
“Their is a large oxygen shield surrounding the entire asteroid.”
“There appears to be only a few small buildings set up on the face of the
asteroid.”
“Sensors only report two life signs on the surface, but the sensors can’t pe
netrate the asteroid.”
“Two people are visible on the surface.”
Frowinger studied the scene in front of him. There was indeed very few
buildings of any great stature. Frowinger thought for a few seconds about takin
g out the communications tower, but decided that the nearest planet that could r
espond to a distress was days away at best. Besides, if the miners hadn’t penetra
ted past the defenses yet, then the Empire could still use the asteroid. “Bring t
he shuttles down in front of the radio tower, and be ready for an immediate, arm
ed dissembarkment.”
* * *
Jalence and Herta stood transfixed, staring at the four Imperial shuttle
s descending onto, what they had considered over the past month to be their aste
roid. “Welcome home doesn’t quite seem adequate,” Herta said. Jalence remained froze
n to the ground.
The couple had no weapons other than a large laser mining drill, which n
either of them knew how to operate. The shuttles touched down and emptied their
contents onto the barren rock. Jalence and Herta put up no fight and raised th
eir arms in a gesture of unconditional surrender. Storm troopers swarmed around
them, keeping the couple always in their gun sights. Groups of four troopers s
earched each of the buildings. One group came back with a small box of crystals
, and another group brought back a few blaster rifles that neither Herta nor Jal
ence had been aware of.
No one spoke to either captive. Finally, the ring of storm troopers aro
und them opened, allowing an important looking man to approach the couple. Jale
nce was somewhat familiar with the Empire, and it didn’t look like that this man w
as wearing an Imperial uniform.
“Are you the only two on this asteroid?” Frowinger asked, getting right to t
he point.
Jalence still hadn’t found his voice, so Herta felt that it was her job to
be the spokesman, although she didn’t know if she should answer the question. Th
ey wouldn’t believe “no” without proof, and she had none. If she answered “yes,” she woul
d be betraying her friends’ trust. She remained silent.
Frowinger was no idiot, and he knew Herta’s dilemma. “I expected as much.” H
e turned to an officer not in storm trooper armor. “Captain, send twenty-five men
down into the tunnels with the speeders. I assume you have obtained the codes
and locations for all of the traps. If they have penetrated into the mines, blo
w them up.” The captain nodded and motioned for several of the encircled group of
storm troopers to follow him.
Jalence finally managed to speak. “What about us?”
Frowinger smiled at the way his voice cracked. “Is that what you care abo
ut?” He decided to play with his captive. “Your skin is valuable to you, eh? Mayb
e you should have thought of that before you trespassed on OUR asteroid. What a
bout your friends? Do you not care for them?” Frowinger was allowed to be cocky
when he had Thrawn and Tallon to back him. “I’ll not kill you, yet. If everyone on
this rock dies, then who will there be to tell of the exploits of the Empire?”
“Your storm troopers are all dead, and you don’t even know it!” Jalence blurte
d out much to Herta’s disappointment.
Frowinger smiled as he recognized this threat for what it was. “Ah, the J
edi are in the tunnels. I almost forgot.” Jalence’s face turned ashen. Frowinger
turned to another officer. “Commander, you better send another twenty-five troope
rs, to thwart the mighty Jedi,” he said with more than a little contempt.
Frowinger turned back to the couple to find a foot aimed at his head. H
erta was an expert in Corellian hand-to-hand combat. Frowinger stumbled backwar
ds as Herta’s heel connected solidly with his face. Even with his limited militar
y experience, Frowinger was no slouch with a weapon. His draw was one of the fa
stest in the Empire. Herta found this out the hard way, as Frowinger fired almo
st before Herta knew he had drawn his side arm. Her knee buckled as the bolt of
energy shattered her patella.
Jalence gave a startled yip as his wife crumpled at his feet. He bent o
ver to help her, but his anger got the best of him, and he straightened up to ch
arge Frowinger. Ten storm troopers grabbed him from all sides and forced him to
the ground.
Frowinger wiped the blood from his face and spit at Herta. “Take them int
o one of those buildings,” he said to one of the troopers, “and make sure they don’t c
ause any trouble.”
* * *
Yova suddenly jerked up from her crouched stance. “Someone is coming. No
, many people are coming, fast.”
Mansenchin looked at her, trying to discern more information from her fa
cial expressions. “Who?”
“Unknown, but they’re definitely hostile.”
 Trince pulled his lightsaber from his belt but didn’t ignite it, not wanti
ng to give away their position. Mansenchin was carrying a lantern on a long pol
e, and he detached the lantern and prepared himself to use the four foot metal p
ole for a weapon. Yova kept her lightsaber on her hip and continued to try to m
ake contact with the cave worm, knowing that if there was going to be a battle,
it would be next to impossible to keep the beast from making an appearance.
Trince could feel the enemy presence only a few seconds before he could
hear them. He could hear them only a few seconds before they rounded the bend i
n the tunnel. The first few storm troopers on the bikes had only a few seconds
after they rounded the bend before Trince lopped of the front of their speeders
with his lightsaber and they crashed into the wall.
After Mansenchin and Trince dismounted ten bikers, rendering them either
unconscious or out of the battle, the rest of the storm troopers stopped well b
efore the duo. About ten of the remaining storm troopers began firing their rif
fles while the other five were working on a large piece of equipment.
“Get behind me!” Trince yelled at Mansenchin. Mansenchin didn’t waste any tim
e complying to the Jedi’s plea as blaster bolts streaked past. Trince worked furi
ously to deflect all of the close shots, and Mansenchin could see that he was ti
ring quickly.
Yova came up from behind them with her lightsaber lit and began to help.
“It’s coming,” she said. Neither Trince nor Mansenchin needed the “it” to be clarified.
“How long do we have?”
“Not long.”
“Then it’s now or never,” Trince turned to Mansenchin. “How fast can you run?
It’s a little under eighty meters, half down-hill, half up-hill.”
Mansenchin shrugged, but understood that they were short on time. He tu
rned to find the ditch right behind him. His first step found him going down fa
ster than he had thought, and he fell, tumbling down to the bottom. He sat up a
nd could feel the ground trembling beneath him. He looked to his left and right
into the blackness of the tunnel, expecting to see the huge worm shoot into vie
w with its teeth baring. A yell from Yova got Mansenchin back on his feet, and
he scrambled up the steep opposite side.
Trince and Yova stood on the edge of the ditch fending the fire of the t
roopers. Trince had managed to ricochet three bolts back to their point of orig
in, but the remaining seven kept firing. Yova began to play with their minds an
d vision, and the elite storm troopers’ aim began to look like normal credit-a-doz
en storm troopers’ aim.
Yova took this opportunity to leap backwards over the edge. She skied d
own the side on a cushion of air, letting her momentum carry her halfway up the
other side. Yova scrambled up the rest of the way to where Mansenchin was stand
ing.
The storm troopers began to charge Trince when they realized that their
aim was off. Trince leaped backwards into the air, flipping high and landing gr
acefully in the middle of the ditch. The seven troopers wasted no time followin
g him into the ditch, fairing little better than Mansenchin had. Trince stood r
eady to meet the oncoming charge, when a yell from Yova brought him to his sense
s. He sensed something large coming in fast from his right. One glance at the
storm troopers told Trince that they were oblivious to their predicament. Trinc
e filled himself with the force and flipped thirty meters up and back. He had b
arely landed on the far cliff when a huge, grayish mass shot past, filling the e
ntire ditch. Trince stumbled backwards when he landed and sat only a few meters
from the edge. He scrambled back and away from the fleshy worm that was still
traveling past at a terrific speed.
It took almost a minute for the entire length of the worm to pass by. Y
ova estimated its length at a little over two kilometers. Mansenchin scrambled
to the edge of the ditch to see what was left of the storm troopers. Mansenchin
could see only a few red smears and some bits of white armor. Those storm troo
pers were gone.
Trince was right behind Mansenchin, figuring on disposing the remaining
five storm troopers. He was just about to leap across, when Yova grabbed his sh
oulder. “What is it?” he asked.
Yova didn’t say anything, but pointed at the five storm troopers, who were
currently being backed up by twenty-five more. Instead of leaping across, Trin
ce turned and ran away from the ditch as blaster bolts splattered into the floor
and walls around him. The three of them rounded the far bend of the tunnel, ef
fectively putting them selves out of sight from the firing storm troopers. They
meant to keep running but the came up against a huge metal slab, blocking their
way.
* * *
Captain Mistk was still in awe of what he had just seen. Seven of his b
est men had just been eaten by the largest monster he had ever seen. He was sti
ll staring at the empty ditch where his men no longer were when he heard a trans
port coming in from behind him. He turned around to see twenty-five more storm
troopers coming in.
Commander Skrinned walked up to him. “It seems you were met by a little r
esistance. How many were there?”
“Only three,” the Captain said, “But I gathered that two of them were Jedi. O
ur biggest loss came at the hands, or I should say the mouth of a huge beast tha
t is guarding the other side.”
The Commander walked up to the edge of the ditch and examined the scene.
“A giant cave worm. The report on this asteroid said nothing about a worm.”
The Captain stood behind him. “I trust what I saw with my own eyes, and I’m
not sending any more men across that ditch.”
“Agreed,” the Commander stood up and turned back toward the device that Mist
k’s men were just finishing with.
“I have orders to blow up this cavern,” the Captain said, “and I intend to do
just that.” Mistk walked up to the large bomb. He punched in his activation code
on the keypad, and a small panel slide open, revealing a digital display. He s
et the time for fifteen minutes. After all of the troopers had boarded the tran
sport, Mistk initiated the timer.
* * *
Jalence and Herta had been herded into the make-shift mess hall. Frowin
ger was pacing in front of them, sucking on his split lip. Jalence had tried to
talk to Frowinger, telling him that the Jedi would defeat any attack that his s
torm troopers could muster. His tone was somewhat subdued due to the fact that
it is hard to trash talk someone when you are tied to a chair, your wife has pas
sed-out from the pain in her leg, and you’re surrounded by twenty armed storm troo
pers.
Frowinger only half listened to Jalence’s rambling, he was more concerned
that they would have to blow up this valuable outpost. He knew that it was the
best choice and that the alternative of letting future New Republic mining teams
have access to the facility was definitely worse.
The com on Frowinger’s belt beeped twice, and he reacted accordingly. “Repo
rt.”
“I’ve set the bomb for fifteen minutes, sir. We took heavy casualties, twen
ty.”
“What of the Jedi?”
“No casualties to report, sir. Although they have no way to leave the tun
nels before the bomb goes off.”
“Very, well. Frowinger out.” He turned to face Jalence, planning to respon
d to his boasts for the first time. “Do you like your Jedi well done or extra cri
spy.”
Jalence tried spit at Frowinger, but Frowinger saw it coming and slapped
him. Frowinger turned to his men. “We’ve got about ten minutes to leave. I want
everyone back in the shuttles now.” He was the last one out of the building and t
urned back to Jalence before he left. “Don’t worry, the bomb shouldn’t take out the e
ntire asteroid. You and you’re one legged friend here, still have a chance.”
The door slammed close, and Jalence was left alone before he could respo
nd.
* * *
Trince, Yova, and Mansenchin made their way back to the edge of the clif
f when they were sure that the Imperials had left. They had waited ten minutes
extra just to be safe. Mansenchin scanned the other side. He could see multipl
e crashed speeders and three dead storm troopers that the Imperials had left beh
ind to rot. “It’s just like the Imperials not to clean up when they leave.”
“Why did they leave?” Trince asked, puzzled.
“Trince,” Yova said, and Trince picked up the edge in her tone. “I don’t like t
he looks of this. That black box over there-”
Trince could see it now too, and he was picking up the same negative rip
ple that Yova was. Two quick leaps brought Trince safely to the other side. Yo
va was close behind, but Mansenchin was more hesitant, both because of his last
trip and the knowledge of the cave worm.
Trince ran up to the bomb and recognized it for what it was immediately.
The digital readout proclaimed that they had about a minute left to live. “What
is it?” Yova asked as she ran up to him. “Not again,” she added when she saw what it
was, remembering their last encounter with a bomb.
“It’s too big,” Trince said, “I can’t maneuver it down the tunnel like I did befor
e.”
“What if you had you had a bigger tunnel.”
“Like wha-” Trince started, but realized what she was talking about. “We don’t
know where it goes.”
“But we do know what will happen if we leave it here.”
Trince surrendered, and the two of them moved the bomb to the edge of th
e ditch. Fearing that he was missing something important, Mansenchin decided th
at now would be a good time to become brave and cross the ditch. He was more ca
reful this time and didn’t fall until his second step. Yova saw Mansenchin fall t
o the bottom of the ditch and yelled at him. “You’ll bring the worm back!” Sure enou
gh, Yova could feel the worm acknowledging their presence and begin his trip for
another pass.
Trince glanced at the clock and saw that there was thirty seconds left.
He quickly used the Force to lift Mansenchin out of the ditch and then moved th
e bomb to the middle of the large tunnel. The bomb moved slowly down the tunnel
at first, but as Trince fell deeper and deeper into his Force trance the bomb b
egan to accelerate faster.
Yova felt the worm nearing and she put a Force cloak over Trince so he w
ouldn’t be distracted when it came past, which it did only a few seconds later. Y
ova thought that the worm would slow when it realized that its meal was no longe
r in the ditch, but she sensed that it still had a meal. It was then that she r
ealized that the worm was chasing the bomb. Trince realized this too, and he co
uld feel the worm catching up to it. He pushed the bomb with all his might, ebb
ing as much strength out of the Force that he could. The worm was incredibly st
rong, and being over two kilometers, it had a lot of leverage to propel itself.
If the worm caught the bomb before it reached a safe distance, it would likely
slow down or even return. Trince couldn’t let that happen.
Yova realized her partner’s predicament, and she began helping him. With
their combined strength they were able to increase the distance between the bomb
and the worm to four hundred meters before the bomb exploded.
The shock wave shook the entire asteroid. Trince, still exhausted from
propelling the bomb, tensed himself for the potential of the tunnel collapsing.
The tremor passed and the cavern they were in stayed intact. Trince did a quic
k mental check on all of the traps, and was glad to find that they were still se
cured. He turned to face Yova and found her with a puzzled expression on her fa
ce. “What is it?”
“The worm,” she started, “it’s gone.”
 “Dead?”
“No, just gone.”
Mansenchin walked up to the pair. “Where?”
Yova shook her head. “I don’t know.”
* * *
“Five minutes until detonation, sir,” Captain Mistk reported. Frowinger nod
ded his head. He, the Captain and his remaining five troops were the last shutt
le of the asteroid.
Frowinger made his way to the cockpit. “Pilot,” he said once he arrived, “see
if you can knock out the communications tower before we leave. The bomb might
not take it out.”
The pilot complied. It took only a few seconds to get into position, an
d the shuttle fired two accurate shots into the base of the tower. The building
and all the computers in it, burst into flames. The tower itself, buckled and
came crashing down on top of the mess hall. Frowinger smiled at the thought of
Jalence trapped under the large tower.
The fleet of four shuttles circled the asteroid to get into position to
jump into hyperspace. After all four shuttles had calculated the jump, Frowinge
r decided to wait and make sure that the bomb went off. He watched the timer co
unt down on a panel in the cock pit: four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .
zero.
In front of him the surface of the asteroid exploded and flame shot out
of the rock in a kilometer long plume, consuming the first shuttle. The second
shuttle just avoided the eruption of flame, but exploded a few seconds later whe
n a one hundred ton chunk of asteroid slammed into it.
“Pull up! Pull up!” Frowinger screamed, and the last two shuttles just avoi
ded the explosion. “We must go back!”
“Sir, look!” Mistk shouted and pointed out of the rear view. The cave worm
was coming out of the huge hole. Its head was burnt black, and its mouth was op
en revealing its many ten-meter teeth. “Sir, it’s gaining on us.”
Frowinger’s shuttle was now in the lead, and the other shuttle was almost
over taken by the enraged cave worm. “We have to jump out now or we’ll be dead!”
Frowinger hesitated only long enough for the forward view to become dark
from the inside of the worm’s mouth. Frowinger could see the teeth closing in fr
ont of them, and he didn’t waste any more time. “Hyperspace!” he yelled.
Both shuttles burst forward into hyperspace, Frowinger’s shuttle just sque
ezing between the closing jaws, and the second shuttle bursting into flames agai
nst the worm’s teeth.
* * *
Mansenchin, Trince, and Yova emerged from the cave on foot. The Imperia
ls had disabled their transport. They weren’t encouraged with the sight of the wr
ecked buildings. “They’re in there.” Yova pointed to the mess hall, which was crushe
d underneath the radio tower. They all raced over to the building, Trince being
the first one to reach it.
Trince began excavating the site immediately, hurling huge pieces of met
al and wood in every direction. He slowed when he felt that he was getting clos
e. Jalence moaned. Yova could see him pinned under a large piece of the tower.
His arm looked broken, but his life signs were stable.
“Don’t worry about me,” Jalence mumbled. “I’m fine, but Herta-”
Yova felt Herta’s life signs, barely. Three meters to the left she found
her crushed under a pile of stone and wood. A quick Force aided injury check to
ld Yova that Herta had several broken ribs, a punctured lung, a crushed pelvis,
her left leg was broken in three places, and her right knee was blown apart and
burned. Yova could tell that this last injury hadn’t occurred from the collapse,
and she cursed the Imperials’ needless brutality. She quickly threw off her anger
and focused on the task at hand. “Trince help me with Herta, but be careful. Sh
e’s in trouble.”
Trince moved next to the pile and lifted the entire mess off the injured
woman at once. He gently pulled away the stone and wood, clearing her body by
three meters before hurling the mess twenty meters to the left.
“Mans,” Yova yelled to Mansenchin, “Help me get Herta over to one of the other
buildings.” The strong man scooped up Herta in his arms and hurried after Yova t
oward one of the living quarters.
Trince knew that Yova was very good at healing with the Force, so he sta
yed with Jalence. After he had freed Jalence, the two of them made their way to
the building where Mansenchin had taken Herta. Jalence was limping badly, and
Trince could see that his pants were becoming soaked with blood.
When they came to the door of the building Trince stopped. “I know you’re c
oncerned about your wife, but the best thing you can do for her is to let Yova c
are for her.” Jalence nodded, and the two of them went through the doors.
Jalence was stunned at the sight of his wife laying broken on the table,
and it was only Jalence’s weakened condition and Trince’s words that kept him from
rushing to her side. Trince too was awe-struck. Yova had removed Herta’s shirt r
evealing her torn and bloody side. Several ribs were protruding though her skin
, broken and warped. Her pants had been cut off at mid-thigh and her knee was a
sickly site. The kneecap itself was gone and the flesh missing, exposing the v
ulnerable joint. Her other leg was black and blue and obviously broken.
Trince helped Jalence over to a bed and got him comfortable before he we
nt over to see if he could help Yova. Yova was in the process of pushing the ri
bs back into place. Trince noticed that Yova had first placed Herta in a Force
coma, rendering her almost breathless and with a very slow heartbeat. Trince wa
s certain that Yova could heal her, but it would take a long time. He wished th
at Lando would come back soon, but he knew that Lando was still a few days from
Coruscant and he would still have to make the return trip. Trince looked again
at Herta’s wounds. They would make it.
* * *
The Lady Luck dropped out of hyperspace two and a half days short of Cor
uscant. On Lobot’s suggestion, Lando decided to check the planet of Farnestic for
supplies before going to Coruscant, perhaps shortening their trip by several da
ys.
Lando got in contact with the flight control and received clearance to l
and in one of the major cities. Farnestic was known as a friendly place and qui
te rich. It was on these two pieces of information that Lobot rested his case f
or stopping here. They could have picked up the material anywhere, but Lando di
dn’t have the money available, and had to buy everything on credit. Lando knew th
at he would have the money once he got at the crystals. Coruscant also knew thi
s, and they had more than a little respect for Lando as businessman. Anywhere e
lse other than Coruscant would likely turn him away without even considering Lan
do’s case. The universe was turning into a “cash on purchase” kind of place. Lando u
nderstood these planet’s concerns and he was quite content with spending the extra
days in hyperspace to get to Coruscant.
Lobot argued that Farnestic, being a member of the New Republic, was lik
ely to be sympathetic towards Lando’s cause. Also being a rich planet, they might
also be more willing and able to deal in credit.
Lando set the Lady Luck down into the hanger he had been appointed to, a
nd the troop exited the ship and entered the streets of Strempix, the third larg
est city on Farnestic. It didn’t take long for them to find a military outpost.
It took even less time for Lando to get permission to speak with a general. And
Dexter was sure Lando set a record for the shortest business conversation, when
Lando emerged two minutes later with a smile on his face.
They spent the rest of the day loading the Lady Luck with supplies. Tha
t night before they left, Lando got permission from the general to send a holo m
essage to Coruscant.
Lando waited patiently while the connection was established, his securit
y codes were confirmed, and for someone to pick up at the other end. Wedge’s face
appeared and Lando smiled, noticing Wedge’s hair. Apparently he had woken the Ad
miral. “I’m sorry, Wedge. Did I wake you? It’s tough to remember Coruscant’s time tab
le.”
“Yes you did wake me, but it is the middle of the day. I was only taking
a nap. Just about to get up anyway. What do you want?”
“Napping in the middle of the day? You must be pretty worn out. What’s goi
ng on?”
Wedge spent the next five minutes telling Lando about Luke and Han, the
situation with Leia, and about the tragedy in the Danzig system. Lando was shoc
ked. The New Republic hadn’t been in this much trouble since they had fought agai
nst the Empire, and Lando told Wedge as much.
“I agree,” Wedge replied. “It’s unbelievable that these events could all come s
o close.”
“Come on, Wedge,” Lando said. “These events didn’t happen independently. I’m wil
ling to bet a trillion credits that the same people are involved with all of the
m. If this is the Empire, and it looks like it is, then they got someone in cha
rge who really knows his stuff. They managed to capture or detain the New Repub
lic’s three most important people in the time of one week. If I didn’t know that he
was dead, I’d say that Thrawn is back in charge. Is there anything I can do?”
Wedge shook his head. “Right now we’re not even doing anything. There’s noth
ing we can do except wait. Besides, if the Empire is back in business, then I s
uggest you get back to your mining complex as quick as possible. They might pay
you a visit.”
The reality of Wedge’s warning dawned on him, and Lando realized that if t
he Imperials attacked while he was away, the asteroid was more than a little vul
nerable. Lando wished Wedge luck in his endeavors and quickly closed the connec
tion. With out asking, he sent another message out to the asteroid. An error m
essage came up on the screen saying that the message was not being received.
Lando bolted from the room and raced back to his ship. Getting clearanc
e to leave, Lando took his ship out of the hanger and rocketed out into space.
After the jump was calculated, the Lady Luck disappeared into space.
Lando got little to no sleep during the trip, and when the ship reentere
d normal space three days later, Lando’s anxiety had increased ten-fold. When the
asteroid came into view Lando’s pulse skipped. His fingers flew over buttons in
the cockpit while his eyes stayed transfixed on the sight of the downed tower an
d crushed buildings. His hands stopped they’re frantic scrambling, and he looked
at the readout to see the result: five life signs.
Lando breathed a sigh of relief. “Now the question is, ‘Whose five life sig
ns are those?’“ Lobot spoke from behind him, quite emotionlessly. Lando spun around
to find Lobot and Jim standing behind him.
“What are you talking about?”
“It is quite evident that there has been some action here while we were go
ne. To think that this was a simple equipment malfunction would put a lot of di
strust in your people. It is much more likely that there was a second party inv
olved. There is no more reason to believe that those five people are ours than
there is to believe that they are not ours.”
“Jim,” Lando said, “remind me next time I need an emotional boost, to keep Lob
ot off of my list of people to call.”
Lando wasted no time in getting the ship on the ground and was greatly r
elieved to see Trince and Jalence come out to greet him. After listening to Lob
ot, he half expected to be met by storm troopers. Lando saw that Jalence was we
aring a sling, and both of them were wearing grim faces.
“We had a little visit while you were gone,” Jalence informed him.
“I hope you took a message for me.”
Trince nodded. “Get off or else.”
“Who?” Lando asked.
“Imperials,” Jalence said. “We can tell you all about it when we get inside.”
Lando followed the pair into one of the living quarters while the rest o
f the crew began unloading the ship. Once inside Lando saw Herta. Her face was
 drawn and tired, but she was sitting up and smiled at Lando.
Jalence told Lando what had happened up on the surface and Trince inform
ed him about what had occurred in the tunnels. Trince also told Lando about how
Yova had meditated afterwards and discovered what had happened to the Imperials
.
“It seems that we had sent the bomb to the edge of the asteroid. When it
blew, it took out two of the shuttles. The worm had been chasing the bomb and c
hased it right out into open space. It got one of the remaining shuttles, and t
he other one made it into hyperspace.”
“Have you been down there since it all happened?”
“No,” Jalence answered, “we’ve been too busy trying to rebuild. Mans and Yova a
re preparing dinner right now.”
“I think we should try to get down there as soon as possible,” Lando said. “T
here’s obviously something down there that is pretty valuable. I don’t think that c
rystals justify bringing in one hundred storm troopers. Plus, the New Republic
is having serious problems with the Empire right now, and if there is informatio
n down there, it could prove very useful. Time is a precious commodity.”
As precious as time was, food was more precious, and they waited until a
fter dinner to make the trip. Trince and Lando were the only people not occupie
d with the injured, or injured themselves, so they went alone. The other transp
ort they still had made for a speedy trip down, and it wasn’t long until they were
standing in front of the same metal wall that had stopped them three days previ
ous. Trince mentally searched for any traps and found none. He had not expecte
d any, but always liked to play it safe.
“Is there some device to open this door?” Lando asked, examining the wall ar
ound the door.
“Yes,” Trince said, “right here.” He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and
made short work of the door.
Lando and Trince stepped through the smoldering door and into another wo
rld. The walls of the room were covered with computers. The room itself looked
like the inside of a spaceship, without any rock to be seen. There were severa
l doors in the room that Lando guessed led to other similar rooms. “Jack pot.”
Chapter 13 “Kidnapped”
Chief Sangrine looked at the scene with more than a little confusion. W
hy would someone break into one of their embassy buildings without stealing anyt
hing, not that there was anything worth stealing anyway. None of it made any se
nse. He had talked with the guard who had discovered the intruder and had recei
ved little information. The sex of the intruder was still up for grabs.
His men were still searching the place for finger prints or hair for a D
NA sample. Sangrine had been sure that they would find something because the th
ief appeared to have been so careless. However, as it became clear that they wo
uldn’t find any evidence, he began to think that there was something more here tha
n just a simple fudged robbery attempt. He walked out to the landing pad where
the Millennium Falcon was sitting and where the thief was reported to have enter
ed and exited.
The Chief stared at the old freighter while he was contemplating the eve
nts. An idea began to creep slowly into his head. “Has the Falcon been searched
yet?” he asked a guard who was standing near him.
“Uh, no sir.”
“Well do it. I want it stripped from top to bottom. Don’t break anything,
but I want you to find each dust bunny, understand?”
The guard nodded and beckoned for a few other guards to help him.
* * *
This time when the guards came to take Leia away, Chewie wasn’t there to p
rotect her, Tenel Ka was.
“What are you doing, Chief?” Tenel Ka asked as security guards put a much mo
re relaxed Leia in cuffs.
 “We agreed that Leia could remain under house arrest until we found the je
wels,” Sangrine told her. “We found the jewels.”
“Where?”
“In the Millennium Falcon.”
Tenel Ka was caught speechless. She agreed that all of the evidence poi
nted directly at Leia, but she couldn’t help feeling some what betrayed by the Chi
ef of security. “I will prove her innocence.”
“You better be quick about it,” Sangrine informed her. “The state isn’t to leni
ent with murderers.”
Tenel didn’t need Sangrine to spell it out for her. She knew how strict a
nd swiftly crime was punished in her government. While the system decreased cri
me, it also often punished the innocent before they could be proven as such.
Tenel Ka stood in dismay as the guards led Leia away. She prayed that s
he could find the proof she needed, but doubted she would.
* * *
Laya smiled as she read the news report. She had tapped directly into t
he main computer system of the city and was sitting comfortably in her ship whil
e the days events scrolled in front of her. Leia had been arrested again. This
time she wouldn’t be let out on bail. The evidence Laya had piled up against the
President of the New Republic was indisputable.
Laya was still smiling when the latest bit of news scrolled up. Her smi
le quickly faded. Leia was scheduled for execution tomorrow morning. No! They
wouldn’t execute the head of the New Republic. Not without a trial. This inform
ation had to be wrong. Laya did a quick back check on the report’s source and fou
nd it to be authentic.
Leia couldn’t die. That would ruin everything. Laya’s computer mind raced
for a way out. She couldn’t let Leia die. Thrawn wouldn’t allow it.
* * *
Leia was laying on the cot in her cell, knowing that she wouldn’t find the
sleep she was looking for. Her mind tried to replay the night of the robbery,
but it was all a blur. As the hours crawled by, she almost convinced herself th
at she had indeed committed the hideous crime.
The knock on her door came in the middle of the night. Leia guessed tha
t it was about three in the morning. What would they want from her at this hour
. The knock came again. Leia soon realized the futility of the knocking. She
couldn’t open the door from the inside anyway. Her puzzlement was soon over when
the door opened and a dark figure rushed in.
“Are you awake? You have to get out of here?” The voice was female and odd
ly familiar. It was dark and Leia couldn’t make out the face of her visitor. Lei
a used the Force to get a feel for her, but she didn’t show up as a presence in th
e Force, almost like she had no life energy.
Leia, although she hadn’t gotten any sleep, was tired and groggy. “What do
you mean?”
“I’m here to rescue you. You’ve got to escape.”
Leia woke quickly. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not guilty of the charges.
Running will only make me look guilty.”
“Don’t be stupid!” Leia couldn’t even see her rescuer’s mouth move. Leia figured
that she had some kind of mask on. “They’re going to execute you tomorrow.”
“What?!” Leia hadn’t been informed of that. She was sure that they would hav
e told her if this was to be her last night. “I’m not going to be exe-”
Laya had no more patience. She grabbed Lea’s wrist and jerked her off the
cot. “We are going, now!”
Leia couldn’t free herself from the iron grip, and the idea that she was s
cheduled for execution, scared her more than a little bit. She allowed herself
to be dragged from the cell.
Outside the door, Leia could see to guards lying unconscious or dead on
the ground. The pair moved swiftly through a maze of corridors, occasionally pa
ssing a few guards who were lying motionless on the floor. Leia noticed in the
dark that they were moving through a lot of little used corridors and back stora
ge rooms. They finally came to a door that led outside. One swift kick from La
ya removed the door from its hinges, and they were outside.
Leia stopped. “What about all of my stuff? They still have my lightsaber
.” Without a word Laya tossed the pack she had been wearing to Leia. A quick che
ck revealed that her lightsaber and clothes were inside. Laya insisted that the
y hurry, and Leia had no choice but to follow.
They had exited the back of the prison facility and were on the edge of
town. They ran up the side of a grassy knoll and were soon over it and out of s
ite. Leia stopped running and regarded her companion for the first time.
“Who are you?”
Laya removed her mask. Leia gasped as she looked into the perfect liken
ess of herself. “I’m you.” Before Leia could react, Laya rendered her unconscious wi
th a swift blow to the neck. Laya heaved Lea’s limp form onto her shoulder as tho
ugh she weighed no more than a heavy coat and continued away from the city.
* * *
Sangrine woke to quite a surprise. Not one alarm had gone off, and the
prisoner was missing. He had gone to the security wing of the department only t
o find twenty unconscious guards and one prisoner missing. They had a short vid
eo of the actual rescue. A masked person shot a blaster set on maximum stun at
both guards in front of the cell. The person then opened the cell door quite ef
fortlessly, and a few moments later, emerged with Princess Leia.
“Sir,” a lieutenant pulled him away from the video, “we have located the door
from which they left the building, but it is undetermined where they went from t
here.”
Sangrine nodded, knowing that they were dealing with a professional. “Lie
utenant Stranch, I want you to officially drop all charges against Princess Leia
, and I want you to send a sincere apology to her government.”
“Ah,” smiled Stranch, “you wish to draw her out. Make it look like we don’t wan
t her anymore.”
“I don’t need to explain my orders to you. But you do need to carry them ou
t.”
“Yes, sir.” Stranch clicked his heals smartly and left.
Sangrine knew that he would receive another visit from Princess Tenel Ka
as soon as word that the charges had been dropped came out. He was not disappo
inted when two hours after he had given the order, Tenel Ka followed by a large
wookiee came bursting into his office. “Yes, Princess.”
“Don’t play with me Chief. I could get you in big trouble for this.” The woo
kiee bellowed his opinion, and Sangrine didn’t need a translation to understand th
at Chewie agreed with Tenel Ka.
“I believe that you should listen to what I have to say, Princess.”
“No! You listen to me. You’re setting a trap for Leia, and not only will i
t not work, but it will ruin your reputation.”
“I agree that I set a trap, but it was not for Leia. Besides, the trap ha
s already been sprung, and the prey has gotten away.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Princess Tenel Ka, I dropped the charges against Leia because I truly bel
ieve that she is innocent. The guilty person is the one who rescued her.”
Chewie growled a comment, and Tenel Ka repeated it in Basic. “Explain you
rself.”
“Certainly. I do not know if you are aware of the New Republic’s current tr
oubles, but as Chief of Security in the capital of the Hapes Cluster, I have to
stay informed as to what’s going on in all of our allied systems. Right now the N
ew Republic is being assailed from all sides by an unknown adversary. First the
re is Princess Lea’s condition of being convicted of a heinous crime, then a fleet
of New Republic ships were destroyed in an unknown cluster while inspecting rep
orted Imperial activity, and finally Luke Skywalker and Han Solo have disappeare
d.”
After this final bit of news, Chewie let out a furious roar. Sangrine h
ad expected all of the outbursts by his guests except this one. Sangrine knew o
f Chewie’s connection to Han, but he didn’t understand the depth of that friendship.
Tenel Ka turned around to try to calm the enraged wookiee.
“Chewbacca, we have to help Leia now. There’s nothing we can do for Han rig
ht now. I’m sure the New Republic is doing everything they can to find him. Luke
will be able to take care of him.”
After Chewie had settled down into a somewhat subdued state, Sangrine co
ntinued. “Well, I thought that all of these things happening at once was a pretty
big coincidence, and I had started to have my doubts as to why Leia would commi
t such a crime.” Sangrine held up a hand to stop Tenel Ka’s forthcoming statement.
“I know what I said before, but at the time all of my information pointed to Leia
as the guilty party.
“Now I think that Leia is being set up by the same people who are harassin
g the New Republic. I also figured that since they were framing Leia instead of
trying to kill her, what ever they had planned, involved having Leia alive. I
arrested Leia and posted a note on the news bulletin that she was to be executed
today.” Sangrine read the shock in Tenel Ka’s face. “It was a bluff. I had no inte
ntion of killing the President of the New Republic even if she was guilty. My b
luff worked, and who ever was framing her, rescued her last night. That was the
only part of my plan that went wrong. I had heightened security as much as I c
ould, but it didn’t even slow their pace.”
Tenel Ka understood, and her attitude toward the Chief changed from one
of distrust to one of respect. “Now both Leia and her rescuer, who now is probabl
y her kidnapper, are missing. My men are searching the hills and woods on the o
utskirts of town right now. What I need from you is if Leia comes back or escap
es, I need to talk with her.”
* * *
Laya was furious. Everything was going wrong. She had just read the re
port that all charges had been dropped. She saw through the trap within a trap
instantly. Leia was to smart to come out of hiding just because it was reported
that all the charges had been dropped. This was official. Laya had blown her
cover by rescuing Leia. She should have seen the nested trap right away.
Laya stormed through the corridors of her small ship and came to the cab
in where she was keeping Leia prisoner. Normally Laya would be a little nervous
about holding a Jedi captive, even an untrained one like Leia, but the few ysal
amiri that Thrawn had given her rendered Leia quite harmless. She opened the do
or and stormed in. Leia was sitting on the small bed, unprepared for this sudde
n intrusion. Laya walked up to her and had every intention of throttling the li
fe from the person that was causing her all of the trouble.
Laya stopped herself with her hands on Lea’s throat. Leia had taken only
a few seconds to compose herself after Laya’s sudden entrance. Leia didn’t struggle
or fight. She seemed quite content to die right here. Laya shook herself, try
ing to quench her rage.
“You won’t win,” Leia said quite calmly.
Laya backhanded her in the face, almost breaking her jaw and sending her
across the room. “Tenel Ka will come for me. She is a better fighter than you.”
Laya almost ran over to Leia to hit her again, but she contained herself
. Tenel Ka was not a better fighter than she was. She was the best hand to han
d fighter in existence. Even with the Force Tenel Ka would not win, and if she
came here, the ysalamiri would keep the Force from her. Leia’s words rang true, t
hough. Tenel Ka would indeed be able to find her ship. An idea began to form i
n her mind.
Laya turned to Leia, who still lay in a heap where she had landed. “Tenel
Ka will not come here if I go to her first.”
* * *
Lieutenant Stranch was leading his search party through the woods. They
had found no trace of Princess Leia, and he was about to give up when his short
-range, hand-held sensor started beeping. “I’m picking up some metal about fifty me
ters that way.” He pointed of toward some thick brush. “It might be her lightsaber
.”
Laya could here them coming toward her, and she lay motionless on the gr
ound. When she sensed that they were within visual range, she stirred slightly.
Stranch ran over to her side, and his sensor began going crazy. Stranch quick
ly shut it off, and Laya was glad, knowing that it wasn’t the lightsaber she was w
earing that was setting off the metal detector, rather her entire body.
When Stranch helped her to her feet, she made sure not to rely on his he
lp too much, knowing that her weight would be a dead give away that she was an i
mpostor. Still, Stranch groaned a little as Laya got to her feet. “What happened
to you?”
Laya tried to portray confusion. “I don’t know. I was rescued by someone.
I’m not sure who he was, but he sounded like he was from this city, the way he ta
lked. Anyway, when I was outside the building, he knocked me out, and I just wo
ke up.”
“Well if you come with me, we’ll get you taken care of.”
Laya smiled weakly. “Thank-you.” Frowinger was no slouch at programming, a
nd her performance was accepted without question.
Sangrine had a few questions, though.
When Laya was brought in front of the Chief, she was grilled for almost
an hour before Tenel Ka came to her rescue. “Chief, why wasn’t I told the instant t
hat Leia was found.”
The Chief looked up from his notes at the same pair who had burst into h
is office three hours earlier. “I had a few questions for the Princess and I-” the
Chief stopped when he noticed that he was being ignored. Chewie ran over to Lay
a and gave her a hug. Laya returned the hug, though she was a little repulsed b
y the hairy creature.
The threesome started to leave the office when Sangrine called after the
m. “Wait! I’m not done.”
“I think you are,” Tenel Ka replied curtly.
“We still need to run some medical tests on the Princess. She might have
been poisoned or hurt.”
At the mention of medical tests, Laya looked at Tenel Ka with true terro
r. Tenel Ka took the look as the look of someone who was exhausted and was just
looking for some place to relax, instead as the look of someone who was compose
d of sixty-five percent metal and desperately wanted to keep that fact a secret.
“All of the charges against Leia have been dropped, correct?” Sangrine nodd
ed in defeat, knowing where Tenel Ka was going with this conversation. “Unless yo
u think you can detain the President of the New Republic against her will, I thi
nk we will be going.”
Laya mouthed a “thank-you” to Tenel Ka and they walked out of his office. A
transport was waiting for them outside of the security building, and it whisked
them back toward Tenel Ka’s royal mansion. During the trip Laya had some deep th
inking. This part of the plan was the whole reason that she was made in the lik
eness of Leia, but it was definitely plan B, not A. To pull off this charade sh
e would have to be perfect, especially because she had to fool a Jedi. Laya smi
led at how she had performed so far and was sure she could pull it off. This ti
me when she committed terrorism, she would have witnesses, and there would be no
question who had done it.
* * *
The Scavenger popped out of hyperspace a couple hundred million kilomete
rs away from Hastrin. Jacen hovered over Jaina and Lowie like an apprehensive p
arent. “Are you sure this is going to work?”
 “Trust me,” Jaina said, using a phrase that she had started to use too flipp
antly. “I saw this in a holo-vid once.”
Jacen frowned. “That’s fiction. Our father and uncle’s lives hang in the bal
ance here.”
“I’m sorry,” Jaina confessed. “I guess I’m starting to act like Dad.” Jacen knew
hat she was talking about. They had heard plenty of stories from their mom and
uncle about how no matter how dire the situation, their father had always had a
witty comment. Jacen knew that such a comment could break the tension of such a
situation and allow everyone to perform better, but he felt that it was inappro
priate in this situation.
Jacen had the feeling that this whole mission was his to complete. He k
new that it was because of his ego, which had swelled to enormous proportions th
roughout his years at the Academy. But for as many times as his teachers told h
im that he was fallible and not indestructible, he would go ahead and exceed the
ir expectations. Now things were different. This was his first official Jedi m
ission. He had had several adventures while he was still in the Academy, but th
is was his first mission as a graduate. Jacen also knew that if they got in a f
ight, he would be the person his friends would rely on to get them through.
Jaina was worried for her brother. She knew about the kind of responsib
ilities that the top students in the Academy had placed upon themselves in the p
ast. Jacen was definitely mature enough in the Force to handle just about anyth
ing that was thrown at him, but they were only twenty-two years old, and their e
xperiences were limited.
Lowbacca was busy with the calculations for their next jump, but he was
also thinking about his friends. He could feel their eagerness mixed with their
apprehension. He knew that he would have to remain solid in his resolutions an
d support his friends.
“What happened in that holo-vid?” Jacen asked.
“They pulled out of hyperspace too late and crashed into the side of a mou
ntain.”
“Wonderful.”
Lowie growled that he was ready. “Wait,” Jacen said. “Explain to me again wh
at exactly you’re going to do.”
“It’s simple,” Jaina said, another phrase she used all too often. “From this di
stance we can accurately calculate the speed and projected positions of all the
ships orbiting the planet. The goal is to calculate a hyperspace jump so we ren
ter normal space inside the planet’s atmosphere, past the fleet, and under their s
ensor grid.”
“I thought a hyperspace computer had built in safeties that didn’t allow tha
t.”
“They do, but Lowie and I programmed this hyperspace computer ourselves.
We can easily override the safeties.” Jaina pressed the last few buttons before t
he jump. “Well here goes nothing.”
“No, here goes everything,” Jacen corrected.
The scavenger disappeared. Thirty-five point two nine two seconds later
it reappeared skimming over the tree tops of Hastrin. Lowie had aimed the ship
at the edge of the planet, so if they over shot it, they wouldn’t collide. Now t
hat they had reentered normal space, the gravity of Hastrin was pulling at them,
demanding the collision that they had so far avoided. Jaina pulled back desper
ately on the altitude stick, trying to pull them away from the trees. Lowbacca
decreased the velocity, and together they managed to bring the ship under contro
l.
They continued to speed over the tree tops making their way around the p
lanet. A mountain range loomed large on the horizon. All three Jedi looked at
each other, knowing that this was where Han and Luke were being held. Lowie set
the Scavenger down a few kilometers from the mountain and the trio disembarked
and started to hike the rest of the way.
* * *
 Tallon’s communicator beeped twice, and reached across his desk to receive
the message. “Yes?”
“Sir, about three minutes ago we picked up an unidentified ship dropping o
ut of hyperspace. It appeared to be some type of civilian vessel. It reentered
hyperspace two minutes later on a trajectory that would bring it dangerously cl
ose to Hastrin. Our sensors have not detected it since it reentered hyperspace.
It seems insignificant, but you requested all local traffic to be reported.”
“Very good. It might indeed seem insignificant, but I would like you to d
ouble security personnel around the perimeter of the base for the rest of the ne
xt shift, just the same.”
“Very well, sir.” Tallon ended the communication. These next few hours cou
ld prove to be very interesting. Tallon was glad that Thrawn had insisted on su
rrounding the mountain base with ysalamiri. The atmospheric hyperspace jump tha
t was necessary would be near impossible, but Jedi loved to surprise their enemi
es. Tallon had actually expected this rescue attempt earlier. Tallon left a me
ssage for Thrawn concerning the situation. Just before he left his office, Tall
on had an after thought and left a second message for Kendel, telling him he mig
ht be receiving new patients by the end of the day.
* * *
Jaina, Jacen, and Lowbacca were crouched at the edge of a clearing. Low
bacca had left Em-Tedee on the Scavenger. They were just inside the trees and s
taring across the four hundred meter clearing at the base nestled in between two
large peaks. Several squads of storm troopers were milling about the front of
the building, making themselves look busy. The Jedi knew that storm troopers we
re on alert twenty-four hours a day, and therefore were relatively lax in their
attention span.
“I think if we circle around and approach over that steep slope,” Jacen poin
ted at the peak on the right, “we should go relatively un-noticed.” Jaina and Lowie
nodded in a agreement. The reasoning was sound. The cliff the Jacen had point
ed to was almost straight up. No one could climb that cliff without considerabl
e help. The defense systems at that portion of the base, if even existent, shou
ld be mild.
The group retreated back into the trees and took an eight hundred meter
detour that brought them near the cliff.
“Something is wrong,” Jaina announced, but the others were thinking the same
thing. “There is darkness up ahead.”
“Could it be Dark Jedi?” Jacen asked.
Lowbacca shook his head and growled a negative. Jaina agreed with him.
“Well we have to keep going what ever it is,” Jacen reasoned.
They trudged forward and as they reached the cliff wall, the darkness cl
osed in on them. “I can’t feel the Force,” Jaina said. “There’s no way I’ll be able to cl
mb this cliff.”
Lowie growled that he thought he still would be able to. Jacen didn’t dou
bt the wookiee could make good on his claim, but he voiced the opinion that they
should stay together. “We’ll just have to find another way in.”
“How about the front door,” a voice spun the trio around. While they had be
en staring at the cliff and considering their Forceless condition, an entire squ
ad of storm troopers had surrounded them, trapping them against the cliff. “I cou
ld even give you an armed escort,” the officer added.
Lowbacca howled a ferocious battle cry and charged the nearest group of
storm troopers. Lowie had his lightsaber out in a flash, but against forty stor
m troopers, even with the Force Lowie would have been over matched. Five troope
rs fired, and each of the stun blasts scorched Lowie’s fur and sent him into uncon
sciousness.
Jaina and Jacen were slower to react, and after they saw the ineffective
ness of their friend’s charge, they hastily reconsidered any action they might hav
e been planning. “We’ll go quietly,” Jacen said, and raised his hands as he slowly wa
lked forward.
 Jaina looked at her brother with confusion in her eyes. It wasn’t like Ja
cen to give up on a fight so quickly. Suddenly Jaina saw Jacen’s trick. As he wa
s walking toward the storm troopers, he was also inching along the edge of the c
liff which curved away from the main base. He was testing the limit of the fiel
d of darkness.
Jacen fought the urge to smile as he felt his mind clearing and his sens
es returning. A storm trooper walked up to him with his gun forward, beckoning
Jacen to follow him. Jacen’s arms moved in a blur. Before the guard knew what ha
d happened, Jacen was standing tall with both blades in his hands, and the guard
was staring at the hand that was holding his gun, finding both it and the gun l
ying on the ground.
Fifteen bolts came flashing toward the Jedi, but only eight were accurat
ely fired, and Jacen’s blue lightsabers made short work of them, sending half of t
hem back at their sources.
With all of the activity focused on her brother, Jaina ran forward and m
ade a flying tackle on the nearest guard, sending the guard tumbling and sending
Jaina back outside of the darkness. She picked up the gun and fired at the gua
rd on the ground. She turned to help her brother. Jaina was able to take down
three guards before her fire was returned. Jaina quickly found out that a blast
er was some what deficient when it came to deflecting blaster fire and took a sh
ot in the arm and leg before she dropped the blaster and drew her lightsaber. T
he shots weakened her, and she was only able to block one of the next three shot
s aimed at her chest. She was fighting with the Force, and it took more than us
ual to bring her down, but the next shot sent her to the ground and the next two
sent her into blackness.
Jacen saw his sister go down, but it only strengthened his resolve.
Tallon was watching the whole scene from the top of the cliff. He found
himself almost rooting for the lone Jedi. Tallon could appreciate the kind of
resolve that would inspire one person to take on forty. It was that same kind o
f resolve that had allowed one fighter to destroy the first Death Star, or allow
ed a pathetically out gunned rag-tag bunch of ships to win against a behemoth at
Endor. Tallon’s appreciation for Jacen’s fighting skill began to escalate as he no
ticed that his men were out flanking him, forcing him back into the ysalamiri’s gr
asp, yet Jacen was still able to deflect the bolts aimed at him. “A true swordsma
n,” Tallon said to himself.
As much as Tallon enjoyed watching the young Solo fight, he was also wat
ching his own men going down. “It’s a pity,” he said as he raised his gun and fired.
Jacen felt the sharp pain in-between his shoulder blades and was knocked
out of his rhythm. As the bolts pounded him, he remembered the words of Streen
, “You are not invincible . . . I fear that someday you will walk into something t
hat you are not ready for.” With that final thought, Jacen slipped away.
Chapter 14 “False I.D.” (prelude)
This time Tallon was already in the lab when Thrawn arrived. The two of
ficers greeted as Kendel cleaned up. Thrawn looked upon the three Jedi for the
first time. Jacen and Jaina were obviously siblings. Their brown hair was a pe
rfect match and they reflected their parents well. Jacen had the outdoor rugged
ness that defined Han so well, and Jaina lacked none of her mother’s beauty. Lowb
acca was lying on one and a half tables, and Thrawn was quite relieved to see th
e large frame unconscious.
“What surprise do you have for me this time?” Tallon asked the Admiral. Tal
lon wasn’t angry that Thrawn kept most of his plans secret from him, in fact he en
joyed the surprises that Thrawn was constantly sending his way.
“Oh, I think you’ll like this one,” Thrawn smiled.
Kendel stood in front of them, waiting for them to finish. “I’m ready,” he sa
id finally. Kendel walked over to the wookiee first. Before explaining what he
had done to each of the Jedi, he turned to Tallon. “Are you aware of the Eye of
Palpatine?”
Tallon nodded. “I’ve read of it.”
“Then you are aware of the mind control technique it used to brainwash its
 solders.”
“Yes, I am. But wasn’t the technique used on Luke Skywalker and proved inef
fective on Jedi?”
“Yes and no. It was used on Luke Skywalker, but it wasn’t proven useless on
Jedi, because Cray, a Jedi who was captured along with Skywalker, was effective
ly brainwashed until Skywalker reversed the effect. I have taken three precauti
ons to make sure that this time it will be one hundred percent effective. First
, I did not attempt to brainwash Skywalker, a Jedi Master, but used students rig
ht out of the Academy, as Cray had been. Second, the Eye of Palpatine had one p
rogram, and in the case of Cray and Skywalker, it clashed violently with reality
. I have instead used programs that would be more readily accepted into their m
inds. Third, the kind of technology used on the Eye of Palpatine is over one hu
ndred years old, and I have made drastic improvements.”
Kendel paused only briefly, respecting Tallon’s ability to learn quickly.
“With the wookiee I have turned him into a performer for the Arena.”
“Arena?” Tallon queried.
“The city that the extra clones have been building has several entertainme
nt facilities,” Thrawn explained. “The Arena is by far the most popular. Animals d
uel to the bitter end in front of thousands of cheering men. I thought that it
would be appropriate to give our men a new champion.”
Kendel continued with his explanation. “The wookiee are an old race, and
they have been hunting as long as they have been alive. Before they became more
civilized like they are today, they often had a village champion who would figh
t for honor. I have also allowed him to use the Force by explaining it as a god
of battle. Since he naturally has the ability and knowledge to use the Force,
I just gave him a different means to access it. Now when he wishes to perform s
pectacular feats of strength, he just calls on his god, Kyskkrrin, for strength.
He has a fake memory of many battles, and I have already contacted the Arena,
making sure that they give him a good tittle.”
Tallon smiled and made a mental note to visit the Arena when Lowbacca wa
s scheduled to fight.
Kendel moved on to Jacen. “Jacen is the one that I did the least with. U
sing the biography of Darth Vader, I have turned his grandson into the next Lord
of the Sith. Both of his fictitious parents were killed by the New Republic.
He has a vivid nightmare every other night about Skywalker killing his grandfath
er. He turned to the Dark Side, while he was a member of the Academy on Yavin I
V. So the only main difference is that his motivation is anger against Luke Sky
walker. He will be obedient to either of you, recognizing you as superior offic
ers, but is likely to treat others with contempt, like Vader did.”
Tallon was liking this little surprise more every minute. His imaginati
on began to scream out possibilities. He had seen Jacen in battle, and now the
idea of having him as his right hand man was more pleasing than ever.
Kendel wore an evil grin as he walked up to where Jaina lay. “I must admi
t that I had fun with Jaina. I used her familiarity with the witches of Dathomi
r, to have her trace her roots back to them. Both of her fictitious parents wer
e also killed by the New Republic. For revenge, she has joined the Empire as it
s deadliest assassin. Beautiful, yet deadly. She has memories of countless ope
rations which she has pulled off flawlessly. If you wanted to, you could use he
r to knock off any New Republic official, and she would never fail.”
Kendel’s smile increased ten-fold when he picked up her lightsaber. “I’ve bee
n intrigued by the Jedi weapon, ever since I helped Frowinger build Laya’s lightsa
ber. With Jaina’s, I took the liberty of making a small adjustment.” Kendel presse
d the button on the smooth handle, and a sharp snap-hiss sounded in the lab. Th
e blade, however, seemed absent from the end of the handle. Kendel swung the ha
ndle back and forth, and Tallon could here the tell-tale hum of a lightsaber, bu
t the blade remained invisible. Reality finally struck Tallon, and he realized
what the Doctor had done, but Kendel voiced it anyway. “I simple moved the light
of the blade out of the visible spectrum, creating an even deadlier weapon than
before.”
“Very good, Doctor,” Tallon said and meant it. The capture of these Jedi no
t only removed three potential threats to the Empire, but it gave the them three
new weapons.
Chapter 15 “False I.D.” (Part I)
Lowbacca woke up feeling hungry. He got up from his bed, fully rested f
rom his short nap. He made his way down the winding stairway to his grand dinin
g room.
“What may I get you, Master?” an eager clone yipped at him.
Lowbacca replied with a hasty bark, sending the waiter back to the kitch
en. Lowbacca took his seat at the large table, and was not disappointed when se
conds later a large, succulent piece of meat was placed in front of him. He gro
wled his thanks and bade the waiter to leave. The meat was perfect, cooked long
enough to purify it, but still raw enough to let the juices run free, spoiling
none of the taste.
Lowbacca paused long enough in the middle of his meal to take a long swi
g from the crystal clear water that was placed in front of him. He set the gobl
et down and looked around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. There w
ere beautiful dwarf trees surrounding the inside of the wood paneled room. Deco
rative vines hung from the ceiling, and the carpet was a lush forest green. It
all reminded him of his home on Kashyyyk. All of the rooms in his house were de
signed similarly. His house. He liked the sound of that. He had earned this h
ouse through battle. Every night he won in the Arena he made more money than an
y wookiee still living on Kashyyyk could imagine. He knew that he owed his fame
and money to Kyskkrrin, his god of battle, but Lowie couldn’t help but think of a
ll he had done to gain his wealth.
Lowbacca continued with his meal and began to get in the mind set for th
e battle he had tonight. He didn’t know who or what he was going to fight, but as
he ripped the last piece of meat from his bone, he knew that it would die.
* * *
Lowbacca stood behind the double doors listening to his name being annou
nced. He could here the roar of the crowd, and the light from the auditorium sh
own through the door, making a rectangular outline on the floor around him. He
was wearing a small metallic skirt, a vibrant red sash, and a gold chain. It wa
s all covered by a large robe with a flashy emblem on the back. Lowbacca didn’t l
ike the clothes, but his agent assured him that it helped his image.
Lowbacca heard his cue from the loud speakers and ran through the doors,
basking in the crowd’s noise. He stopped and stood in the spotlight, looking up
and around at the huge crowd. They cheered their hero onto battle. Lowbacca li
ked nothing better than the collective voice of fifty-thousand thousand people,
all eager to see him spill the blood of his opponent.
Lowbacca walked down the red carpet toward the Arena. The carpet was re
d for a reason. Not because he was royalty, but so when he exited from the Aren
a, his bloody footprints wouldn’t make visible tracks.
The Arena itself, was a circular battle ring fifty meters in diameter.
When activated, it had a domed force field over top of it that turned the ring i
nto half a sphere. The force field acted as a brick wall, fully transparent. I
t allowed nothing in and nothing out. It was very much a one way door, because
half of the people that went in, didn’t come back out, at least not in one piece.
Lowbacca walked slowly up the stairs, shedding his robe and giving it to
one of his eager attendants. He stepped out onto the sandy turf of the Arena,
raising his arms and played with the crowd some more.
Lowbacca calmed when the announcer began to introduce his opponent. The
crowd fell to a hush too, waiting to see if the wookiee would be up to the chal
lenge. “Now to fight our champion we have a special adversary. It was just flown
in from the jungle world of Granchin (actually it was just cloned this morning)
, a Kayin Saber-Tooth.”
The crowd “oooohhh”ed in respect of the creature’s reputation. Their last cha
mpion was killed by a Claw-Cat. The Kayin Saber-Tooth was the only animal in Gr
anchin higher up on the food chain than the Claw-Cat. Lowbacca had wanted to fi
ght someone instead of something, but a Saber-Tooth was definitely acceptable.
The cat weighed over four times as much as the wookiee, and its twin sabers were
as thick as Lowbacca’s arms. Lowbacca used no weapons, although he usually stole
them from anyone he was fighting, then used them to embarrass his opponent.
The cat was being transported to the ring from the opposite side of the
Arena. A very scared looking clown made his way into the Arena. As the caged c
at was wheeled up to the edge of the ring, the clown tried to get its attention
through a varied array of squeals and squawks. Before the cart driver opened th
e gate, several armed storm troopers surrounded the cage in case the cat got loo
se. The clown was getting quite edgy. He had never lured out as deadly an anim
al as this before. The cage opened with a clang, and the clown who was only fif
teen meters away, broke into a run toward the edge of the Arena. The cat stayed
crouched in the back of the cage, though and didn’t move. The clown leaped over
the deactivated force field projection device and looked at the force field oper
ator to activate the protective shield, thinking that the cat was right on his h
eels.
The announcer began to chide the scared clown, but was secretly glad tha
t it wasn’t his job. “Come on Fwinky.” The crowd echoed his name. “The cat is still i
n the cage. Go back and try again. Allen won’t turn on the force field until the
cat comes out.”
Fwinky was scared stiff, but to the crowd’s delight, Lowbacca went over to
him and hoisted him back into the ring. Fwinky crept carefully back in front o
f the caged beast. “Come on out,” Fwinky pleaded under his breath. The cat eyed Fw
inky suspiciously. Fwinky took another cautious step forward. Like a tight spr
ing, the cat sprung out of the cage, halving the distance between it and the clo
wn in a fraction of a second. Fwinky’s bladder burst, and he raced for the edge o
f the ring faster than he thought he was capable of running. The cat paused onl
y briefly to smell Fwinky’s puddle before giving chase. Fwinky dove head first to
ward the mats on the outside of the Arena, but collided with the force field. H
e looked at Allen with unbelieving betrayal in his eyes. Allen merely shrugged
in indifference.
“Oh, my,” the announcer said with heavy sarcasm and mocked concern. “It looks
like Allen has activated the shield too soon - again!” Allen played his part by
mouthing “I’m sorry.” Everyone screamed with laughter. Almost everyone. Fwinky was
emitting more of a blood curdling scream, and was far from finding this situatio
n funny. Fwinky soon stopped yelling, though, when twin teeth pierced his back,
breaking his spine, impaling his beating heart, and effectively gutting him.
The Saber-Tooth finished his meal quickly and turned to regard Lowbacca
for the first time. The cat was busy licking its large jaws as the wookiee star
ted to flank the creature. The crowd began to yell un-unison chants, ebbing Low
bacca on. They both charged each other. They met in the center of the ring, bu
t Lowbacca took a giant step backwards before the leaping cat. The cat came up
short and was hit in the side of the head by a two fisted swing.
The cat rolled into the dirt, but came up fast, eyeing the wookiee more
cautiously now. Lowbacca initiated the attack this time, and the Saber-Tooth re
ared up on its hind legs. Lowbacca drove his shoulder under the front legs of t
he great cat, trying to flip it on its back, but the cat was too heavy, and it f
ell forward on top of Lowbacca.
The crowd gave a collective gasp of genuine concern, but the champion wa
s not so easily defeated. Lowbacca rolled out from under the beast with a swift
punch to the beast’s belly. He kicked out the cat’s back legs causing it to crash
to the dust once again. Lowbacca scrambled to his feet and turned his back to t
he cat. He called on his god Kyskkrrin for extra sensory perception. He raised
his arms in triumph to the crowd. The crowd gasped again at this move. Placin
g one’s back to a Kayin Saber-Tooth was not on most peoples’ “smart things to do” list.
Lowbacca could sense the cat getting up behind him. Lowbacca walked tow
ard the edge of the ring, with his back still turned toward the cat. Lowbacca c
ould feel uncertainty in the cat as to the reason for Lowbacca’s behavior, but it
didn’t plan to pass up the opportunity for a quick kill. The cat scrambled back t
o its feet and charged Lowbacca’s unprotected back. The wookiee didn’t need the cro
wd’s warning to know that twelve hundred pounds of muscle and teeth were flying at
him at break neck speed. The wookiee flipped backwards over the leaping cat an
d watched as it crashed into the shield with a terrific force. The cat turned,
a little groggy, but determined.
Lowbacca met the charge and grabbed both sabers before they could strike
his flesh. The wookiee and cat stood locked in place, both straining against t
he other’s awesome strength. Lowbacca decided to end it. “Kyskkrrin!!” he yelled in
his wookiee tongue and was filled with an incredible strength. With a great hea
ve, he pulled both teeth from the cat’s skull. Blood poured freely from the cat’s t
orn mouth, and it reared up in pain. Lowbacca held each tooth up, pausing only
for effect, before slamming them into opposite sides of the cat’s head. The power
ful teeth crushed the weak cranium of the doomed beast. The blood began to slow
its flow from the mouth of the cat as the brain stopped telling the heart to pu
mp. The cat no longer gasped for breath because the brain had become indifferen
t. The cat’s last sight before its eyes closed forever, was the wookiee holding i
ts limp body aloft by its impaled head.
The wookiee held the heavy cat off the ground a little while longer for
the crowd, before hurling it one last time at the force field. Lowbacca kept th
e teeth for trophies, though he didn’t know if he would have room for them amongst
all his other accolades. Maybe another room could be built.
Chapter 16 “False I.D.” (Part II)
Jaina woke quickly. The sun was setting, and the night was just beginni
ng. Her time was the night. She was a nocturnal predator in a male dominated s
ociety. Pitiful, weak men. She enjoyed her work. She dressed in her non-descr
ipt clothing and black cloak. She hooked her invisi-blade to her belt under her
cloak. She had a job to do tonight. There would be no mistakes.
Jaina made her way out of her small room and down the flight of stairs.
She nodded at the building manager, and made her way to the back exit. She ent
ered the alley way through the little used door and crept silently toward the li
ght of the main street. She tapped into her witch craft and made her self unnot
iced as she stepped out into the street. She released the spell a few moments l
ater, making it appear as if she had always been walking down the street, instea
d of just having stepped out of the alley.
Jaina quickly and smoothly walked down the street, making sure to both,
not look at anyone yet to stay alert to her surroundings. Her destination came
into view, and she didn’t hesitate at the doors of the building.
The bar was hazy and loud. She stood for a moment, taking inventory of
the large room. Jaina’s hooded cloak still hid her identity, and no one paid her
a second glance. She saw her target sitting by himself in a side booth. His na
me was Frintip Thooglen, a smuggler. It had been reported that he had done busi
ness with the New Republic in the past as a friend of Talon Karrde. It was poss
ible that he was here to spy on the Empire. It was unknown how he had sneaked h
is way onto Hastrin, but it was Jaina’s job to make sure he didn’t leave.
Jaina kept her hood up as she moved gracefully through the crowded bar.
Frintip was not looking at the room and did not see Jaina approach his table.
When she slid into the opposite bench, he finally acknowledged her existence by
looking up from the drink he was brooding over. “Yea,” he almost spat, “what can I do
for ya.”
He was drunk. Jaina smiled to herself, realizing how much easier this w
as going to make her job, and how much more fun. “No,” Jaina said as she pulled her
hood back, “the question you should be asking yourself is, ‘What can I do for you?’“
Frintip almost dropped his mug when he felt Jaina’s hand on his leg. Jain
a smiled her most seductive smile and sent him sensual images with her mind. Fr
intip couldn’t find his voice, he looked nervously around, trying to figure out if
he was being set up. No one else in the bar was looking at them. Jaina was hi
ding her identity from the rest of the bar. To everyone else she looked like a
middle aged man, and anyone who had recognized her when she had entered the bar,
knew how deadly she was and had no intention of getting involved
 Jaina was beside herself with pleasure. She knew what was going through
Frintip’s mind, even if she couldn’t read it with her magic, which she could. He w
as definitely on Hastrin for a reason and had a responsibility to perform well.
Most likely that responsibility didn’t involve prostitutes. On the other hand, J
aina knew how beautiful she was, and the mental barrage she was sending him was
impossible to resist. He looked back at her still uncertain. Jaina’s hand moved
further up his leg. “How much?” he broke down.
Jaina leaned closer to him across the table. “We just met. How about a d
rink first.”
Frintip nearly knocked the table over when he jumped up to signal the ba
rman for another drink. Jaina kept up her smile as she played with her drink an
d tried to get Frintip to talk. Drunk as he was, Frintip managed to keep his mi
ssion under raps. Jaina got tired of the foreplay and signaled that she was rea
dy to go.
They walked out of the bar, Jaina with her hood up again. As they walke
d toward Jaina’s room Frintip began to get nervous again. “How much?” he repeated, tr
ying to use money as an excuse to back out.
Jaina realized that she was loosing her grip on him. They passed a dark
, empty alley, and she grabbed his arm and swung him violently into the side str
eet, slamming his back into a brick wall. “More than you have,” she answered.
Frintip could feel the strength in Jaina’s grip and realized that he was u
p against more than just a simple hooker. “But . . . I thought that-” he stuttered,
sobering quickly.
“You thought wrong.” She spun him away from the wall and deeper into the al
ley. She kicked out his legs from under him and he hit the ground. Frintip sca
mpered backwards on his hands and feet, looking past Jaina and into the street f
or help. Jaina ignored his desperate attempt for help. As soon as they had ent
ered the alley way, she had set up a magical shield at the entrance to the alley
. Anyone in the street would see the alley as totally empty.
Frintip was still backing deeper into the alley, when he looked behind h
im and saw that it was a dead end. “If you want money, I’ve got plenty,” he pleaded.
Jaina laughed. Of course she wanted money, but she would earn more for
this job than Frintip could possibly have on him. “What?” she asked. “Are you giving
up without a fight? I’m just a helpless, unarmed woman.”
As if inspired by her comment, Frintip decided to take her up on the cha
llenge. As he crawled backwards his hand closed on a metal pipe. He sprang up
and swung the crude weapon at Jaina. Jaina had seen the weapon before he had pi
cked it up and was more than ready for the move. She blocked the side swing, ca
tching the pipe in both hands and yanked it from Frintip, causing him to stumble
forward. In one smooth motion, she bent the pipe into a horseshoe right in fro
nt of Frintip’s amazed eyes, hooked the back of his neck in the crook of the pipe,
and brought his head down into her knee. His nose crunched under the impact, a
nd Jaina kicked him back, dropping the pipe.
Frintip stumbled back and slammed into a dumpster. The top lip of the d
umpster caught him just below the waist, and he almost flipped in. Frintip trie
d to gather his wits. He heard what sounded like a blaster firing and looked do
wn at himself, expecting to see a hole in his chest. Finding none, he looked up
at Jaina. She was holding a metal cylinder in her hands. It didn’t look like mu
ch of a weapon, but as she swung it at him, he felt a searing blade cut across h
is chest even though the end of the cylinder was still almost a meter away.
Jaina swing her invisi-blade back and in line with the smuggler’s face. F
rintip could hear a slight humming and could sense that the invisible sword was
millimeters from his broken nose. “Yield?” Jaina asked.
Frintip nodded furiously, burning his forehead on the invisi-blade. “What
do you want me to do?”
“It’s very simple,” Jaina said maliciously, “die.” Jaina jumped up and flipped ba
ckwards, lashing out with her leg. Her booted foot caught Frintip directly unde
r his chin, lifting him up and backwards. He fell neatly into the dumpster. Ja
ina walked up to the dumpster and saw Frintip looking back at her from the botto
m of the smelly garbage dump. “Good-bye now.” Jaina activate a hidden mechanism wi
th her mind, opening the floor in the dumpster. Frintip and a load of trash fel
l three meters down into the lower chamber.
Frintip realized what was going to happen, and as the walls began to clo
se in, he tried to jump out. Jaina was one step ahead of him and closed the fal
se floor, sealing the smuggler in. She closed the outside lid to the dumpster a
s well and walked away, wondering what Frintip would look like as a cube.
Chapter 17 “False I.D.” (Part III)
The two figures fought. They swung brilliant, glowing blades at each ot
her. Both of them were clad in black, and one was clearly winning. Jacen stood
and watched the battle, wishing desperately to be able to help his grandfather,
but he was some how secured and restricted to being a spectator.
Darth Vader stumbled slightly under his foe’s vicious onslaught, catching
himself on the railing. His opponent took advantage of his weakened position an
d hammered away. Vader desperately tried to block the attack, but he was soon o
ver powered and his hand fell victim to his enemy’s lightsaber.
The victorious opponent raised his weapon for the final blow. “No!!” Jacen
sat up in bed, sweat dripping down his forehead. He slowed his breath, and slo
wly lowered his body temperature. Luke Skywalker had killed his grandfather. S
kywalker had done it before Jacen had been born, making sure that Jacen never go
t to know his mother’s father. Jacen had obviously not been there when he had don
e it, but the Light Side of the Force gave him the nightmares.
Jacen smiled when he realized what day it was. Luke Skywalker had to pa
y for his father’s death, and today he would. Jacen got out of bed and began to d
ress for the event.
* * *
Han and Luke were awakened from the cold, hard floor by the opening of t
heir cell door. Four storm troopers came in, armed with blaster riffles. “Get up
!”
Han and Luke groaned as they came to their feet. In a normal circumstan
ce, Han would have been calculating the chances he and Luke would have if they r
ushed them, but he and Luke were weak and in no position to take on two to one o
dds. They had tried to exercise, but the lack of nourishing meals, had stunted
their efforts.
Luke was excited for the possibility of leaving their cell, even for a s
hort time. Luke took a moment to laugh at his pitiful state. Leaving a room wa
s now excitement. The troopers led them out of the room and down the hallway, t
wo in front and two behind.
Two minutes of walking brought them to their destination. Luke and Han
were ushered through the door, and were surprised to find them selves in a showe
r room.
“Take your clothes off,” one of the storm troopers ordered. Han and Luke ea
gerly stripped off their smelly clothes. They walked over to the showers and we
re soon under the jets of warm water.
“This is much better treatment than I ever got from the Yevetha,” Han said.
“Quiet! The prisoners won’t speak to each other,” the trooper said as if he w
as repeating orders he had received.
Luke and Han didn’t try to bend the rules anymore. They tried to enjoy th
eir shower, but it ended too soon. They were each given a towel and then brough
t to a pair of sinks. Sitting in each sink was a shaving kit. Han played with
the idea of trying to remove the razors from the power shavers, but thought twic
e and remembered the guns pointing at their backs.
After a few minutes, Han and Luke looked presentable. Luke still had a
small bald spot, but he could effectively hide it with a comb. They were then t
aken over to the wall, where on two hooks hung Imperial uniforms, neatly pressed
. Han and Luke exchanged confused looks, but followed orders and put them on.
Neither of the uniforms had a rank.
Before Han and Luke left the shower room, they were both hand cuffed. T
hey walked a short distance down the hallway, and soon found themselves standing
outside. They both squinted at the sunlight, which was a few million times bri
ghter than their cell’s glow panel. They were escorted onto an eight-man transpor
t where two more storm troopers were waiting.
After they were boarded and were whisking down a forest road, Han gather
ed the courage to question their guards. “Where are we going?” Han got no reply an
d decided not to try again. Speeding down the narrow road surrounded by trees r
eminded Luke of Endor.
After a turn, they could see a few buildings ahead. As they neared the
edge of the forest, they could tell that what they had thought to be just a few
buildings, was in fact an entire city. The city was composed of large structure
s that looked to have been built just recently. There were hundreds of people m
illing around in the streets. As Han looked at the crowds, he noticed that they
were only about twenty different faces. Clones. And from what Han could see,
lots of them. Han wanted to risk talking to Luke about it, but he could see tha
t his friend was seeing the same thing he was.
The transport pulled up in front of an especially large building. They
entered through the grand double doors and were ushered through a lobby that riv
aled those in Coruscant. On the opposite side of the lobby, two double doors we
re open, the prisoners could see that this building housed a huge auditorium. T
he noise from inside the auditorium led Han to believe that there were several t
housand people inside.
When Han and Luke reached the entrance to the auditorium, two red clad R
oyal Imperial guards replaced their storm trooper escort. Behind their escorts,
Han and Luke made their way down the long center aisle. The auditorium was fas
hioned in the same way as the New Republic’s Grand Assembly Chamber. A second’s tho
ught reminded Han that it was the Imperial Assembly Chamber before the New Repub
lic took over Coruscant.
Han and Luke walked in between row upon row of Imperial civilians. When
they had entered the large chamber, the crowd had begun cheering loudly. Han m
ade a rough estimate of the number of people on the main floor and in both side
balconies and guessed that his prediction of several thousand was plenty accurat
e. When They reached the front of the room, Han saw that there was also a huge
rear balcony, and Han added another thousand men to his estimate.
The front of the chamber was designed like an old Imperial court room.
Han and Luke were set behind a table facing the front of the room. The crowd hu
shed as a robed figure made his way to the judge’s podium. Han recognized him as
the captain who had met them when they had first landed. Two black clad individ
uals escorted Tallon. Each person was wearing a hooded cloak and their identiti
es were concealed.
As an officer stepped up to a microphone preparing to speak, the Royal I
mperial guards stepped up next to Han and Luke and put a collar on each of their
necks. “The Imperial court is now in session. His Honor the Captain Tallon pres
iding. On trial for crimes against the Empire are Han Solo of the New Republic
and Luke Skywalker of the New Republic.”
Han noticed that the crowd cheered and booed at all of the appropriate p
laces. Han was curious as to why the Empire would go through so much trouble to
get at, what Han was sure would be, an execution. The old Empire would have si
mply shot them as soon as they had stepped off their shuttle. All of this fluff
was a waste of time. It was obviously being done for the sole purpose of the a
udience. Han could imagine what kind of morale booster this kind of trial could
be for an Imperial fleet. Han wondered who was calling the shots now. Who eve
r it was, he was a great strategist. An idea passed briefly through his mind, b
ut he dismissed it. Thrawn was dead.
Han and Luke were seated on the left side of the court room. On the rig
ht side a commander was getting ready to speak. “Commander Snotzenexer, are you r
eady to make your opening statement.”
Snotzenexer nodded. “Yes, your Honor.” Snotzenexer strolled to the middle
of the court room and turned to face the crowd. He was glad that Thrawn had ask
ed him to play a part in this trial. He would enjoy watching the two prisoners
trying to argue against him. He laughed to himself. Tallon probably wouldn’t eve
n let them speak.
“Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are the two worst criminals in the history of
the Empire. They are the main reason that we are now hiding in the Core System
s. Together they have shed more Imperial blood than any other living being.”
Han was restraining himself, knowing that an outburst would likely be pu
nished. The Empire had killed more people on Alderaan alone than Luke or Han co
uld ever count, much less kill themselves.
“First, the charges against Han Solo. He is responsible for the deaths of
a countless number of storm troopers and officers. He played a major role in t
he destruction of the first Death Star, and his held responsible for the destruc
tion of the second Death Star.” Before Han could make his rebuttal, Snotzenexer c
ut him off. “Imperial regulation 5.3.11 states that in a murder trial, both the m
urderer and the owner of the weapon used in the act are to be executed. The mur
derer for the act, and the owner of the weapon for negligence. But you weren’t ne
gligent when you lent General Calrissian your ship. You knew exactly what he pl
anned to do with it. Plus you made it possible for him to blow up the Death Sta
r, by deactivating the force shield your.
“As a general in the New Republic,” Snotzenexer continued, “Han Solo was in co
mmand of numerous ships on countless missions of destruction and death, aimed at
the Empire.” Snotzenexer turned to Tallon.
Tallon stared hard at Han Solo. “Han Solo, how do you plead?”
“Not guilty, you sons o-” Electricity leaped from his collar and tore into
his voice box, cutting Han’s retort short.
“The defense is out of order,” Tallon stated. “In the future the defense is a
dvised to answer directly the questions asked him. You can save your immature i
nsults for a more informal time, like when you are back in your cell.” Tallon nod
ded back to Snotzenexer.
“Second, the charges against Luke Skywalker. He is responsible for the de
aths of approximately five hundred thousand officers in the destruction of the f
irst Death Star. He can be traced to the death of almost thirty tie pilots and
to the destruction of many walkers, of which the normal personnel rating is five
. In hand to hand combat, he has killed countless storm troopers and a few offi
cers. But perhaps the most grievous crime, is the assassinations of both Darth
Vader and his Majesty the Emperor.” This last charge brought a loud hissing from
the crowd.
“Luke Skywalker, how do you plea?” Tallon asked.
“The defense enters the plea of self defense,” Luke said, seeing no other wa
y out but to play along.
“The prosecution would like to make a final comment,” Snotzenexer said, expe
cting Luke’s reply. “In just about every government in the galaxy, a traitor or a r
ebel is considered to be a felon. And no felon on the run can claim self defens
e against the government that is chasing him, seeing as how he brought the gover
nment down on himself. The prosecution rests.” Snotzenexer strode back to his ta
ble without out looking at the defense.
“Does the defense wish to make an opening statement?” Tallon asked.
“Yea,” Han spoke up, “for starters, you can all go to-” the collar cut him off a
gain.
“The defense is out of order again. They forfeit their opening statement.”
Tallon turned back to Snotzenexer. “The prosecution may call their first witness
.”
“Thank-you, your Honor.” Snotzenexer walked out from behind his desk and tu
rned to the auditorium. “I would like to call five thousand six hundred seventy-t
wo witnesses.”
Tallon knew this was coming, but tried to act surprised. “What do you mea
n?”
“Each person in the chamber is a direct relative of a victim. Everyone he
re has one less uncle, one less brother, no father, or is missing several cousin
s because of the defense. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker have made thousands of li
ves empty as the result of their senseless killing.”
 Han looked around the auditorium, recognizing again, all of the clones p
resent. Han almost laughed to himself. They could only find about one hundred
different people who could actually claim to have had a relative killed. “The def
ense would li-” Han was cut off again. He scowled at Tallon. He hadn’t been hadn’t b
een out of order that time. He wanted to try again, when Luke nudged him and po
inted toward their table. Three buttons were visible. They were labeled object
ion, comment, and rebuttal. Han pressed the comment button.
Tallon saw the light blinking on his podium. He didn’t want to acknowledg
e the comment, but above anything else, he was fair, even if this was a kangaroo
court. Besides, he had enough confidence in Snotzenexer that anything Han migh
t say could easily be defeated. “The defense wishes to make a comment?”
“Thank-you, your Honor,” Han said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Han hal
f expected to be cut off right their, but Tallon held off. “The defense would lik
e to point out that the majority of the audience are clones. There are probably
no more than one hundred different people in this room, and I bet that only hal
f of them can even trace their biological line back to a, quote-un-quote, ‘victim.’
Do you have at least one person that you can honestly claim is a relative.”
The crowd went insane with angry noise. They didn’t appreciate Han’s direct
statement against the validity of their existence. Tallon had to pound his gav
el several time to regain order. Inwardly he was pleased. If the crowd learned
to hate Han, all the better. Tallon turned to Snotzenexer.
“Before I reply to that outlandish statement,” the adjective received severa
l cheers, “I would like to point out your obvious disregard for the quality of lif
e. Your wife is the head of the New Republic, is she not? I believe the New Re
public holds the value of one life just as highly as it holds a thousand. To he
ar you try to claim that the lack of value of five thousand lives out-weighs the
value of, as you claim, fifty lives, is blatant heresy. As a member of the New
Republic, you should not be arguing for the quantity of life over the quality o
f life.”
The following ovation had to be quieted by Tallon again, although this t
ime he let it go on for about thirty seconds before pounding the gavel.
“To answer your request, although you have probably lost all accountabilit
y in the eyes of this court, I will produce one person who has an honest claim o
f direct relation to a victim.” Snotzenexer turned to Tallon. “The prosecution wou
ld like to call Jacen Solon, Dark Lord of the Sith.”
Han froze at the name, and Luke froze at the title. Jacen, one of the b
lack hooded figures flanking Tallon, pulled back his hood and took his place in
the witness box. Han was shocked. Collar or no collar, Han couldn’t get his voic
e to work properly.
“Darth Solon is the grandson of Darth Vader.” Snotzenexer turned to Han. “Do
you wish to dispute his claim of ancestry?”
Han was still in shock. He desperately wanted to believe that the man i
n the witness box was a clone. Even if that was the case, where did they get th
e blood sample. Han could see a small scar above Jacen’s left eye, an injury he h
ad gotten twelve years ago. This was no clone.
“The prosecution will repeat the question. Do you wish to dispute the cla
im that he is the grandson-”
“He is my son!” Han yelled. Tallon was late with the switch, but left it in
longer than usual to compensate. Han gagged on his collar violently.
“Answer the question!” Tallon fumed.
“He is the grandson of Anakin Skywalker,” Luke said.
Tallon hesitated over Luke’s switch, but decided to let the answer pass.
With his witness’ identity confirmed, Snotzenexer began his line of questi
oning. “For the record, what is your name?”
“My name is Jacen Solon,” Jacen answered.
“Who were your parents?”
“My father and mother were named Hansin and Leon Solon. My mother was the
daughter of Darth Vader.”
Luke pressed the comment button. Tallon trusting the prosecutor again,
allowed Luke to be heard. “That is not the lineage I agreed to.”
 Snotzenexer turned to Luke to regard his comment. “My earlier question di
d not inquire as to the lineage of Darth Solon. It would have been impossible f
or you to answer a question I did not ask, although Solo seems to be quite good
at it. You agreed that he is the grandson of Darth Vader, who was previously kn
own as Anakin. That information is all that is necessary for the court.”
Luke thought that he had backed Snotzenexer into a corner. “Then why did
you bring up the lineage if it is not important.”
Snotzenexer walked right up to the table where Luke was standing. The C
ommander had a friendly smile on. “You’ve never been in a court room, have you?” Sno
tzenexer didn’t wait for Luke’s response. “As the prosecuting attorney, it is my job
to make you look like the scum of the galaxy. To do that I have to make the rul
ing council, in some cases a jury, but in this case, his Honor, feel that what y
ou have done is just awful.” Snotzenexer was talking to Luke like he was a child
instead of a Jedi Master. “In order to get the judge to see your crimes as awful,
I have to get him connected to the victim in some way. Asking about his parent
s wasn’t necessary and that’s not what’s on trial. I was trying to paint Darth Solon
as a real human being that the Judge can relate to. Someone he can feel sorry f
or. Someone who he can avenge. I’m trying to give him a reason to have you execu
ted for what you did to his grandfather. But I’ll get there.”
Snotzenexer returned to the witness stand. “What happened to your grandfa
ther?”
“He was killed by Luke Skywalker.”
“The same Luke Skywalker that is one of the defendants. I’m sorry, but with
all these clones running around, you can never be sure,” Snotzenexer said this la
st comment as he looked directly at Han. The crowd laughed.
Jacen didn’t so much as crack a smile. “They are one and the same person.”
“How old were you when this happened?” Snotzenexer asked.
“I was not yet born at the time of my grandfather’s death.”
“Then who told you about it?”
“No one did.”
Snotzenexer walked away from the Jacen and turned to play with the crowd
. “You mean that he was killed before you were born, and no one has ever told you
who killed him?”
“That is correct.”
“Then how do you know that Luke Skywalker did it?” Snotzenexer asked, pointi
ng at Luke.
“I have seen him kill my father over two hundred times in my dreams.”
“That’s one heck of a nightmare,” Snotzenexer got a few isolated agreements fr
om the crowd. “I have bad dreams too. One where I am in a small room, and it sta
rts to fill up with water. I have another where I am being chased by a rancor.
Neither of things have ever happened before, and I hope that they never do. Ho
w do you justify what you have seen in your dreams as the truth?”
“I have the Force,” Jacen said matter of factly. “It is the Light Side of the
Force that gives me these nightmares. It is the weak effort of the Light Side,
trying to get me to turn back to my former master by telling me that he saved m
y grandfather by relieving him of the Dark Side. Actually he killed him because
he was scared for his own life. He was scared to face the reality that the Dar
k Side is actually stronger,” Jacen directed the last few comments right at Luke.
Snotzenexer snickered at Jacen’s hostility. “Let’s get back to this Force. I
t lets you see the past?”
“The Force shows me what it wills. But I can control it as well.”
“Perhaps you can give us a demonstration of this Force.”
“Of course,” Jacen complied. He stood up from the chair and pointed his han
ds at Luke, sending a series of lightning bolts toward his former master. The s
urgery that was sending out a negative Force buble protected him, and the lightn
ing sparks danced around the globe of protection.
“Jacen, no!” Han screamed. Tallon reached over for Han’s switch, but Jacen be
at him to it, aiming the lightning at Han. The shock that registered in Han’s fac
e was even greater than before. His own son was attacking him. Han was standin
g close to Luke and the buble was protecting him too.
 Jacen’s demonstration lasted only five seconds, but to Han, it seemed like
an eternity. To finish off his display, Jacen grabbed the edge of the table, w
hich was outside the bubble, and flipped it with the Force onto his father and u
ncle.
“Thank-you, Darth Solon,” Snotzenexer said. “I believe the court understands
a little better now. No further questions.”
Tallon turned to Han and Luke. Luke was just getting up from the floor,
and Han was struggling under the weight of the heavy table. Luke began to reac
h for the rebuttal button, but Tallon saw it coming. “No questions,” Tallon observe
d. “Very well. Does the defense wish to call a witness?”
Before either of them could speak, Snotzenexer interjected. “Your Honor,
I believe that the court should seriously consider that neither of the defendant
s are of a sane mind right now, and should not be allowed to defend themselves.”
Tallon nodded his head at Snotzenexer’s quick thinking. “The court agrees.
The defense will call no witnesses. I here by hold the right to pass judgment.”
Luke had regained his vertical posture, but Han was still struggling. Tallon w
aited for both of them to be fully erect before he passed the sentence.
“I find both defendants, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, guilty of all charge
s brought against them. I sentence them to a public execution,” Tallon paused, ma
king sure that everyone in the court room could here him, “in the Arena.”
Chapter 18 “Attack!!”
The Imperial Star Destroyer’s huge bulk filled the previously voided space
as it dropped smoothly out of hyperspace. The few pleasure cruisers that were
in the invaded planetary space were dumb-struck, but they quickly scattered when
behind the massive battle cruiser, four more Imperial class Star Destroyers and
ten Victory class Star Destroyers made their dramatic entrances.
Down on the planet of Gensiffery, officials of the planet were scramblin
g to make sense of the fleet that had just dropped in from nowhere. Gensiffery
as a planet, had a very wide tropic zone and was mainly just a large tourist att
raction. It was often joked that there was more fire power in the civilian hang
ers than there was in the government ones. This joke stemmed from the fact that
that a lot of hostile types frequented the resort planet to lay low. Only the
heads of the government could appreciate how hard the joke actually hit home. R
ight now, they didn’t find their lack of a military humorous in the least.
Up on the leading Imperial Star Destroyer, Commander Qwi’tek paced the bri
dge, anxiously waiting for the plea of innocence that was expected from the reso
rt planet below. He inwardly chided himself for his anxiety, knowing that it wa
s one of the reasons that he was still only a commander. Being a non-human was
normally a big handicap for an Imperial officer, but that was back in the days o
f the Emperor and Tarkin. Tallon was a judge of character and ability and a ver
y good one. Under Tallon’s control the high-ranking officers all knew why they we
re in the position they were in or why they had the rank that they did. No one
complained about lack of promotions and no one argued with Tallon’s decisions. Qw
i’tek appreciated a leader who was willing to have an inferior rank such as Captai
n, while his military leader had a rank of General and three other military offi
cers shared the title of Captain. In this Imperial campaign, everyone realized
that the goal was not personal glorification, as it was in the time of the Emper
or, but for unified betterment. They were searching for those good-ol’-times, and
for the first time, there was a universal agreement on how to get there.
The communications officer signaled to the commander that the planet was
sending a message to ‘The Leader of the Large Battle Ships above our Peaceful Pla
net.’ Qwi’tek chuckled as he moved to his holo screen to receive the call. Before
pressing the accept button, he composed his face back to the serious officer all
of his underlings respected, making sure that his ears were the right inflamed
shade of red and that his third eye was squinted properly.
The planet representative was a little taken aback at the sight of the a
lien officer. He tried to stumble through his opening statement despite the dis
traction. “We would like to know what your intentions are?”
Qwi’tek managed to keep his facial expressions emotionless as inwardly he
scoffed at this weak man on the other end of the line. The future existence of
the entire planet rested upon this conversation, and this was the best person th
ey could find. “Our intentions. Do you know that a good fleet commander doesn’t ev
en tell his fleet what his intentions are until minutes before dropping into the
hot zone? It gives his crew no chance to question his decision or to have seco
nd thoughts. Military intentions are always highly classified information, and
you simply want me to tell you what ours are without even properly introducing y
ourself?”
The Gensiffery diplomat somehow managed to miss the heavy sarcasm in Qwi’t
ek’s voice and proceeded to introduce himself. “My name is Thoyidrin Hafsten. Perh
aps we could discuss possible intentions. If you wou-”
“Yes,” Qwi’tek cut him off in his earlier tone, “and maybe we could have tea and
scrumpits, but it will have to wait until after I decimate your pathetic planet
.” Qwi’tek cut off the transmission, a little disappointed that he didn’t get to see
the wimp grovel. He turned to his bridge officers. “Charge turbo lasers and fire
on the surface at will. Don’t bother looking for any military targets. Just fir
e at the largest spots of red on the infrared display. Were going to see if we
can’t increase the efficiency of Gensiffery’s famous tanning salons.”
Down on the planet turbo lasers rained down like flaming meteorites. A
large swimming pool was instantly vaporized, frying the fifty-odd swimmers that
had been, until just recently, trying not to get to burned. All over the beach
fronts sunbathers went from white skin, to deep tan, to third degree burns, to a
small pile of ashes in the span of a few nanoseconds. Even the planet’s most exp
ensive sun block (500 credits for ten ounces) was proved a little less than tota
lly useless against the vicious onslaught.
Explosions from large buildings shook the landscape for miles around. T
he only other thing that Gensiffery was famous for, other than their resorts, wa
s their abundant supply of clean burning natural gas that was produced along the
huge reefs in the many vast oceans. The gas was stored in huge thousand cubic
meter tanks, and was quickly proving to be just as flammable and explosive as al
l of the advertising companies had claimed.
* * *
Reports of the Gensiffery attack came in like a flood from all of the Ne
w Republic satellites in the area. Wedge was in command of a small fleet patrol
ling the edge off the border between New Republic space and the Core systems. H
is fleet had just arrived earlier that day. Wedge had been waiting for this typ
e of news all week. His fleet was too far away from the action, but there were
many other similar fleets patrolling everywhere.
Wedge scanned the list of the other fleets. Only one was in range, abou
t ten minutes by hyperspace. The next closest was two hours away. Gensiffery w
ould be one hundred percent molten lava if it had two wait two hours for backup.
Wedge studied both the specs on Gensiffery and Frection, the planet where the
nearest fleet was in orbit. Gensiffery was a small non-military target. Frecti
on was one of the leading resource planets that provided the New Republic with a
lot of metals for ship construction.
Wedge saw the ruse immediately. Draw the ships away from the primary ta
rget with a decoy strike. A strike on a civilian target. One that was sure to
tug at the New Republic’s heart strings and make them come in firing, leaving the
actual target open to attack. Wedge saw the ruse, but also saw that the Empire
had to know he would see it. It wasn’t so much a trap as it was a dilemma. He co
uldn’t very well decide to let Gensiffery burn.
Wedge contacted the fleet at Frection and talked to the captain in charg
e. “Captain Tremon, Gensiffery is under heavy attack. It is only a few minutes a
way from your position.”
“Gensiffery?” Tremon had heard of the resort before, but questioned it’s valid
ity as a target. “It sounds like a trap, sir.”
“I’m sure it is, but we have to respond. What I want you to do is to divide
your fleet into three equal parts. Send two of them towards Gensiffery. Have
one of those two fleets stop at Frection’s sun, turn around, and come back along t
he same route.”
Tremon understood the strategy and cut the signal. He looked at his own
fleet strength. A fleet of twenty-one Calamarian Cruisers, six Carriers, and t
welve heavy assault Frigates was easily divided into three. The Captain did the
simple math and relayed his instructions to his fleet. He paused briefly, deci
ding which third to send all the way to Gensiffery. He scanned the Carriers and
saw that one of them contained the 185th fighter squad. He made his mind up qu
ickly. He still wanted to be able to visit the resort planet when this was done
.
Tremon gave the order and two thirds of his fleet disappeared.
* * *
Qwi’tek received the report a few seconds after the New Republic ships lef
t real space. Qwi’tek smiled as he gave the orders for phase two. One minute lat
er the planetary barrage stopped and the Imperial fleet disappeared into hypersp
ace.
* * *
Twenty seconds after Tremon’s ships had left Frection, an Imperial fleet j
umped in at the same point at which the two thirds had left. Tremon was still s
taring at the spot of his departing ships, when these new ships came in. “Prepare
for engagement!” He shouted at his crew. He hadn’t expected the Empire to be so ex
act.
“Sir, we can’t get a weapons lock on them. They are hiding in the hyperspac
e field that our ships made when they jumped into hyperspace.”
Tremon cursed his foolishness. Of course the Empire would have timed it
just right. The residue hyperspace field would last for at least five minutes.
His reinforcements weren’t due for another seven. “Fire weapons without a lock th
en. There is a mass of about fifteen large capitol ships out there, surely you
can hit something.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tremon held on tight as his ship shook from both firing and being hit.
* * *
Captain Sanson smiled as she looked at the small fleet before her. Seve
n Calamarian cruisers were formidable, but they couldn’t accurately hit any of her
ships’ vital systems, while their ships were laid out in front of her. She had b
een hiding behind the far moon, waiting for the fleet to respond to Qwi’tek’s attack
on Gensiffery. She inwardly mourned the loss of such a beautiful planet. She
fancied herself in a small bikini and had visited the resort world many times be
fore. She shrugged it off. There was still the tropic worlds of Xenziou, Welpi
ng, and Knundeck. She liked sunbathing. In fact she liked it almost as much as
kicking New Republic butt.
“Deploy, TIE’s to intercept,” she said as she saw the two Carriers emptying th
eir cargo. A few poorly aimed shots hit her Star Destroyer doing little to no d
amage.
The New Republic fleet had not been in battle ready formation, but had b
een in an orbiting formation. The formation was a simple follow-the-leader set
up, where the ships paraded around the planet in double file. The two forward m
ost ships were receiving all of the damage given out by Sanson’s capitol ships. S
he was pleased to see that the Calamarian Cruiser on the left was already in poo
r shape. Its shields were down and the power was flickering.
Sanson was a mechanical genius, and she made a point to understand all o
f the technical aspects of both the ships she controlled and the ones she fought
against. “All weapons stations fire on the left Cruiser. Aim at the forward rig
ht sensory array.”
 Instead of hesitating to ponder the odd targeting assignment, the office
rs executed the woman’s orders immediately. Since they were in the hyperspace fie
ld, the sensors were useless and likely turned off. Without power running to th
e sensor arrays, their energy back-fire safeties were also turned off. Sanson w
atched as the sensor array took heavy fire, knowing that soon it would explode a
nd send a terrific energy kick-back along its power line. The sensor array erup
ted with flame, and a few fractions of a second later, the entire front of the s
hip shuddered as the front main batteries overloaded. The front half of the shi
p exploded when the batteries went critical. The rest of the ship under went a
few massive echoing after shocks and dematerialized into an orange ball of flame
. The flame grew quickly, feeding off the contained oxygen of the ship and then
died, revealing an ugly assortment of black, molten metal.
Sanson mentally logged her first kill only forty-seven seconds into batt
le. She was sure it was a new record.
* * *
As the Cruiser exploded next to him, Tremon realized that his formation
was in error, and he quickly reminded it, sending his own injured ship to the re
ar of the new double-triangular formation.
The battle continued furiously for a few minutes. The New Republic took
heavy casualties, loosing another Cruiser and two Frigates. The Imperials took
major damage to none of their ships, but minor fires had sprang out on a few of
the Imperial Star Destroyers. When the sensors told Sanson that the decaying h
yperspace field was down to an unsafe level, she decided to move out and attack
the remaining New Republic up close, slugging it out toe to toe.
Tremon wanted desperately to make up for his former follies and was wait
ing for the ships to come out of the field. He had relayed instructions to all
of the Cruisers, and as soon as the Imperial ships came forward, all of the New
Republic’s fire power concentrated on one of the Imperial class Star Destroyers.
It rocked under the heavy fire and after a few key shots to the main turbo laser
s and bridge it began to drift. Like a feverish animal, it convulsed inwardly a
s if it had an upset stomach. Finally it belched up flame from every orifice, e
xploding into a spectacular fire ball. It had drifted too close to Victory clas
s Destroyer and took it out as well.
The celebration on the side of the New Republic was some what stemmed wh
en one of their own Cruisers exploded. Sanson seemed not to notice that she had
just lost one of her few Imperial Destroyers, but focused on pressing her main
attack. Four Cruisers were left and only two Frigates. The X-wings and E-wings
were all gone save a few crippled ships, limping their way back to the Carriers
. Now that they had moved out of the hyperspace field, the TIE’s could swarm the
capital ships, disrupting their targeting displays and making it easier for the
Destroyers.
Tremon was just about to give up hope, when the second third of his flee
t who had turned around at the sun, came back behind the charging Imperial ships
.
* * *
The last third of the fleet dropped into the orbital space around Gensif
fery to find the space empty. The Carriers emptied their cargo as ordered, but
the fighters were met by nothing.
Jon Poncho cursed his fate. Vince had explained their situation during
the trip. Jon didn’t pay very much attention at the fighter pilot briefings. If
there was anything important that he needed to know, he knew that Vince would in
form him. All Jon cared about was eliminating enemy TIE’s.
“Where’d they go,” Bep, the third member of the 185th fighter squad said over
the com.
“They ran ‘cause they knew I was coming,” Jon boasted, trying to keep the disa
ppointment out of his voice.
 “Hardly,” Vince commented. “More likely that they left to backup the fleet at
tacking the rest of us back at Frection.”
“Let’s turn around then,” Jon insisted. “I don’t want to miss all the fun!”
The fleet was thinking the same thing as Jon (only for different reasons
), and the fighters were told to turn around and return to the Carriers. The en
tire fleet was in the process of turning around, when Qwi’tek’s fleet returned from
their triangular, ten minute jump.
“Lock and load, Jonny boy. You’ll get that fun after all.” Vince went throug
h his pre-fight checks.
“Their fighters will take a while to deploy,” Bep observed. “Let’s press our ad
vantage.”
“You aren’t thinking of the Trimpo maneuver, are you?” Vince asked, mentioning
the maneuver named after himself.
“Right on, Beppo!” Jon hollered. “Prepping computer now.”
Bep and Vince had programmed the fighters and had equipped them with sev
eral illegal functions, such as the Trimpo maneuver. The fleet in general chose
to over-look these minor deviations from protocol, seeing them in a purely prag
matic light.
The three W-wing fighters streaked to the head of the pack, and a second
later disappeared into hyperspace. They reappeared seconds after in the middle
of the Imperial Fleet.
Qwi’tek almost lost control of his cool demeanor when he saw the three shi
ps appear directly in front of his bridge. The ships banked hard and just misse
d paying the commander a personal visit. Everyone on the bridge flinched. “Where
did they come from?”
“They just dropped out of hyperspace, sir.” Knowing that Qwi’tek could see th
at for himself, the officer decided to elaborate. “It was unknown that the New Re
public had that capability. The fighters are of an unknown configuration.”
“Well, get them!”
“Fighters are being deployed as we speak.”
The three W-wings split up. Jon went off by himself, while Vince and Be
p stayed together. Vince, like Captain Sanson, prided himself in the knowledge
of his Imperial blueprints.
“Bep, follow me. This Imperial Destroyer hasn’t started to unloaded her TIE’s
yet. The rear right hanger bay is dangerously close to the engine’s fusion gener
ators.”
The two fighters sped around the back of the huge ship. They hung the t
ight corner a little too close to the huge engines, and their shields begged for
mercy. Rounding the back of the ship, they saw a hanger door open and four TIE
bombers lift off. The capacity of the hanger was sixteen, and the remaining tw
elve were getting ready for lift off.
“Get ready to let the birds fly.”
Several bomber pilots looked up from their ships to see the two W-wings
speed toward their unprotected hanger. A look of dread passed over each one of
their faces as they saw two bright spots form on the bottom of each of the fight
ers. The four torpedoes sped toward the hanger as pilots scrambled futilely for
cover.
Vince and Bep pulled up after they dropped their projectiles. The torpe
does exploded inside of the hanger and flame shot out of the open door. The tor
pedoes themselves didn’t do that much damage, but the twelve exploding, fully load
ed, TIE bombers made the whole ship shake.
Just as Vince had planned, the explosion tore through the inner walls of
the Destroyer, laying bare and vulnerable the fusion reactors. The reactors bu
ckled and exploded, blowing off the entire back of the huge ship. The crippled
Star Destroyer rocketed forward into two unsuspecting Victory class Destroyers,
and the three ships exploded together.
Qwi’tek saw the ship next to him lurch forward and the fiery result. They
were still in hyperspace formation, and too closely pack for combat. Of course
, Qwi’tek hadn’t expected to engage the enemy for another minute.
Jon saw his friend’s success and got jealous. He approached one of the be
hemoth Imperial Destroyers and looked for a weakness. The two force field gener
ators stuck out like two out of place water towers on the top of the ship. Jon
knew plenty of tricks to take out one of these towers on only one pass. He set
his outside lasers to a little bit off center and put his ship into a corkscrew
as he drew near the ship. When he got within range he held down the his fire bu
tton, sending out a spiraling stream of lasers. The lasers traced a small circl
e on the surface of the first armored tower. He let off when the batteries bega
n to get depleted and let loose a torpedo at the tower. Jon spun away and down
as the torpedo hit the center of the charred circle. The weakened structure gav
e way, and the torpedo penetrated, igniting the tower unlike any water tower he
had ever seen. The second tower was caught up in the flame and shrapnel of the
first tower and likewise exploded.
Qwi’tek saw the field generators go down on the Destroyer on the other sid
e of him and started to wonder if there weren’t more than just three fighters.
The rest of the New Republic’s ships saw the success of the three fighters
and cheered. The fifteen Imperial ships had contained more fire power than the
y did, and they could use all the help they could get. The capitol ships were n
ow in range and they focused their fire power on the wounded, shieldless Imperia
l Destroyer, reducing it to a ball of flame within in seconds.
Qwi’tek had lost two of his five Imperial class Destroyers and two of his
ten Victory class destroyers in less than a minute. His ship was rocking consta
ntly from outside fire. He looked out his window, but couldn’t see any of the New
Republic ships firing on him. “We are getting hit by more than just three fighte
rs.” It was more of a question than a comment.
“Sir, that is friendly fire. The three original fighters are weaving amon
gst our capitol ships, and every time our TIE’s miss, they hit us.”
“Incompetent fools!” Qwi’tek fumed under his breath. “Tell them not to miss!”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Jon laughed as he saw laser fire splat on the armor of the Star Destroye
r he was skimming over. He had been fighting a bunch of rouge Imperial bands ov
er the past year and had expected improved aim from a more organized group of Im
perials. He regretted having to take out he TIE’s, because they were making his j
ob so much easier by shooting the Destroyers for him. He knew that Vince and Be
p would claim all of the docked TIE Fighter’s in all three of the ships they took
out as kills, and Jon never lost.
Jon shot around the base of a Victory class and was being chased by two
Fighters with heavy trigger fingers. Jon corkscrewed away from all of the fire
and was yet to get hit. He saw over towards the back of the Destroyer, three mo
re TIE’s trying to cut him off. He cut down close to the surface of the large shi
p, causing the three other ships to disappear behind the arrow head of the Destr
oyer. Jon sped down off the side of the ship and turned toward the back corner,
still towing two unwanted shadows. Jon hopped that his two trails hadn’t seen th
e other three ships. He rounded the back corner and turned directly into the th
ree oncoming ships. The maneuverability of the W-wing saved him as he wove thro
ugh the startled TIE’s. Seconds later his two trails tore around the corner and c
rashed into the three unsuspecting ships. Jon saw the explosion behind him and
reached over to a small digital display and clicked in five kills.
Bep and Vince each had a tail and they were planing a similar trick. “Rea
dy for a Lazy Bat?” Bep asked.
“The sooner the better,” Vince agreed. He had been the first one to take a
hit. Regardless of the fact that the hit had bounced harmlessly of his shield a
nd hadn’t affected his ship in the slightest way, it was a matter of pride.
A Lazy Bat took advantage of the blind spots on a TIE due to its side mo
unted solar panels. Vince and Bep pulled up side by side about thirty meters ap
art. The TIE’s followed obediently. Each W-wing started a lazy turn toward each
other. As soon as the TIE’s began to follow, the W-wings took advantage of their
zero-turning radius abilities and completed their 180 degree turn. They turned
sideways during the turn, their bellies only three meters apart. The TIE’s had no
chance of completing the turn in the thirty meter space and crashed into each o
ther head on.
Jon was being tailed by two pairs of TIE’s, one behind the other. He pull
ed his W-wing straight up, crushing himself back in his seat. His loop turned h
im 270 degrees so he was flying down on a perpendicular course to his previous p
ath. He was directly above the second pair and wasted no time wasting them. Th
e front pair tried to mimic the move but came up pitifully short. Jon completed
the last 90 degrees of his turn and settled in behind the front pair. With thr
ee quick bursts from his side cannons, he moved his kill counter up four more.
* * *
Above Frection, the battle had made a decisive turn in favor of the New
Republic. The Imperials were now severely out gunned, with the majority of that
fire power at their backs. Sanson was a proud captain, but she wasn’t stupid. S
he hastily called for a retreat. Her job had not been to emerge victorious, all
her job was, was to keep the New Republic ships occupied.
Star Destroyers were not the most nimbly of space crafts, and five more
exploded before the fleet was able to maneuver themselves into a safe hyperspace
trajectory. All told, only eight of the original fifteen ships escaped, and on
ly two of those were Imperial class Destroyers.
* * *
Jon, Vince, and Bep continued to rack up the kills, taking out over twen
ty TIE’s before a different New Republic fighter scored its first kill.
Qwi’tek knew that he was in a sore position. He still had more fire power
than the New Republic fleet, but his fleet was badly out of position. He had b
een briefed by General Oskiman before the start of this current campaign, and he
had been told of the New Republic’s fighting prowess, especially in their one man
fighters. He had also been told to expect to find Jedi in the cockpits of thos
e fighters. He was sure that he was up against three Jedi here, and they were d
epleting his supply of TIE’s faster than he could pilot them. The Empire relied o
n swarming tactics above all else. The Imperial commanders cared nothing of the
lowly fighter pilot, and did little to train him other than basic flight school
. The Imperials philosophy was that ten bad fighters could always take out one
good one. Now the numbers were actually in the New Republic’s favor.
Qwi’tek could still feel his ship rock under fire that had to be heavier t
han just fighters. A quick look at his tactical display told him that now his o
wn Star Destroyers were firing on each other when ever they missed. It was the
simple fact that they were out of TIE’s, and had to try to knock out the fighters
with turbo lasers, that told him the fight was over.
As Qwi’tek gave the order to pull back, he had no doubts that if he had st
ayed, he would have won this encounter, but that was not his objective.
Jon shrieked with delight as he successfully tempted another turbo laser
to fire at him. He watched as the errant bolt whizzed by him and exploded into
the bridge of another Destroyer. Jon’s pleasure peaked however, when seconds lat
er he got a clumsy Imperial class Destroyer to shoot itself.
Jon was truly disappointed when he saw that the Imperials were retreatin
g. He looked down at his kill display and was confident that 17 would reign sup
reme. He was right.
* * *
General Oskiman frowned slightly when he saw the results come in from Fr
ection and Gensiffery. He had ordered Qwi’tek and Sanson to work together, giving
both of them the same authority, regardless of rank. He knew that there styles
of battle were similar, and even though he disagreed with there tactics, he cou
ldn’t help but appreciate the results that they usually got. This time the result
s weren’t to favorable. Oskiman reserved final judgment. They still had one more
target on which they could redeem themselves.
Oskiman preferred head on fights to all of the hide and seek that was go
ing on elsewhere. The general’s fleet of ten Imperial class Star Destroyers and t
wenty-five Victory class Star Destroyers dropped out of space, and the entire po
pulation of the shipyards orbiting the planet Yeswique was caught totally by sur
prise. Yeswique was deep into New Republic territory, and although it was very
valuable to the New Republic, it wasn’t near the border and therefore wasn’t heavily
guarded.
Oskiman grinned as he thought about the New Republic’s dilemma. Just beca
use he didn’t agree with the previous strategies of Qwi’tek and Sanson, didn’t mean th
at he didn’t plan to take advantage of them. The New Republic fleet was receiving
a very desperate call for help from Yeswique, of this Oskiman was sure. The Ne
w Republic had just received a distress call from Gensiffery that had turned out
to be a trap. Now they were receiving another distress call. Oskiman was sure
that the size of his fleet was being sent along with the call for help. As via
ble a target as Yeswique was, the New Republic wouldn’t be able to help but think
that this was another lure. The size of Oskiman’s fleet meant that if help was go
ing to be sent, it would have to be larger than a third of a task force. This w
ould bring a large number of ships away from patrolling the border and leave it
vulnerable to further Imperial attack.
Oskiman was almost giddy with anticipation. He cared not whether the Ne
w Republic sent help or not. He was not bluffing. He was here to turn these va
luable ship yards into worthless pieces of orbiting junk. He started this plan
of destruction only twenty seconds after exiting hyperspace.
There were about ten minor capitol ships guarding the ship yards and Osk
iman’s Imperial Destroyers decimated them first. Mounted turbo lasers, that were
meant to protect the base from meteorite showers that were common around Yeswiqu
e, proved to be of little use against the behemoth of a fleet that was invading
its space. Laser fire shook the space station and personnel were scrambling in
every direction, either to war or to the few escape capsules on the perimeter of
the disk shaped station. Since there were no fighters protecting the ship yard
s, Oskiman assigned a few TIE squadrons to take out the ejecting escape capsules
and to destroy the unlaunched ones.
Turbo lasers tore apart the outer hull of the station and started severa
l chain reaction explosions the reduced the station to a smoking wreck. The few
unfinished ships, that were docked at the ship yards, met a similar fate. They
would never know the joy of flying, yet the would experience the horrors of cra
shing. The pummeled wreckage began to loose orbiting speed and thus was quickly
falling towards the planet below.
Oskiman watched as the smoldering metal began to glow red hot in the upp
er atmosphere. This battle was over just shortly after it had started. The rei
nforcements en-route to Yeswique, if there were ships coming, would find an empt
y sky above a heavily bombarded planet.
Although the battles at Frection and Gensiffery were not crushing defeat
s, they were the only non victories that the Empire endured. A large fleet of N
ew Republic ships had been pulled off border patrol to help the ship yards, and
only minutes later, three different Imperial fleets attacked border targets that
had been made clear by the departing fleet. The Empire had made its first atta
ck, and they could claim a decisive victory.
* * *
The three W-wings and two large transports landed gently on the surface
of the raped surface of Gensiffery. Cries of help assailed the New Republic aid
crew immediately. They were supposed to have jumped to their next rendezvous p
oint, but Bep had insisted that they send some kind of medical aid down to the p
eople on the bombarded planet.
A woman ran up to Vince and tugged on his arm. “You have to help me. My
son is trapped in our house.” Vince looked to where she was pointing and saw a cr
umpled building.
“Come on guys.” The three of them ran over to the collapsed house and strug
gled to lift the heavy slabs of concrete.
“We can’t budge these,” Bep commented on the obvious.
“Do you know where he is ma’am?” Jon asked, but Bep already had his medical s
canner out and was checking out the rubble.
“He’s over here!” Bep shouted.
The boy was hidden under the lower portion of the slanted roof. Jon pul
led his gun that he always carried and blasted the upper portion. Vince was abo
ut to question the sanity of the action, when a small portion of the elevated ro
of exploded. The rest of the slab shook slightly, but steadied itself. Jon lea
ped into the hole he had created and crawled under the slab toward the trapped y
outh. He appeared moments later with the kid in his arms. By then a medic had
arrived, and she took the boy from Jon’s arms.
The mother rushed over to thank Jon and then hurried after the medic.
The trio went around to the rest of the fallen houses and wrecked buildi
ngs. They helped many other frantic parents and desperate children. They reuni
ted living relatives, and in many cases, dead ones. Their anger grew at each de
ad child they found.
The Empire had killed these people for no reason. This wasn’t a military
target The attack was merely enacted to bring the New Republic running, which t
hey promptly did, though it looked to be of no avail.
There was an entire continent of suffering individuals, and the W-wing p
ilots couldn’t possibly help everyone. They needed to get back to their fleet but
made sure that the medical frigate in orbit would stay there as long as its sup
plies lasted.
Vince, Jon, and Bep reentered their ships, and soon, space. As they ent
ered hyperspace to rejoin the fleet, they promised each other that they would ma
ke the Empire pay.
* * *
Anakin felt the cry of distress before he heard it. Ewoks began screami
ng all around him. They were running to and fro in search of rope and wood. An
akin listened carefully to their hurried jabber, and surmised that some of the e
woks in the village were in peril.
Anakin waded through the turbulent sea of furry creatures until he came
to the scene of the accident. A rope bridge had broken, and three ewoks had bee
n on the bridge when it snapped. Those three ewoks were now clinging desperatel
y to the wooden planks of the broken bridge as it swung from its unbroken end.
The far end was a solitary tree hut with no one on it, and the far end was not d
esigned to support the full weight of the bridge and was slowly breaking. Also,
the stubby fingered paws of the three dangling ewoks were not designed to hold
onto the wide wooden planks, and Anakin could tell that they were barely holding
on. A quick glance down told Anakin that the ewoks had very little chance of s
urviving the forty foot drop, and that realization propelled him into action.
Anakin leaped across the thirty foot gap between the main village and th
e island and landed smoothly on the far side. A quick search of the lone hut fo
und him a strong rope, and he tied it to a branch and lowered himself down. He
gathered the first ewok under his arm and used the Force to pull himself back up
to the island. He immediately went down for the second ewok, but he was a litt
le scarred and Anakin had to pry his short fingers from the broken bridge. The
jostling of the bridge caused the third ewok to loose his grip. The observing e
woks squawked in horror, and Anakin looked down to find the source of their terr
or. He could barely see the descending ewok against the backdrop of the forest
floor, but he could feel his fright very clearly through the Force. He mentally
caught the furry midget only two meters above the ground and slowly levitated h
im back up. Only after all three ewoks were safely standing on the island, did
the observers finally relax.
That night Anakin was treated to a feast and was officially branded a me
mber of their tribe. Anakin slept in comfort that night on a newly stuffed bed
and a newly stuffed stomach. He fell asleep with sounds of ewok songs in his ea
rs, but dreamt of human screams.
The vivid images of the nightmare flashed through his mind with incredib
le speed, waking him instantly, yet allowing him to see the entire dream before
he opened his eyes. Yavin IV! It was in danger! He had seen the temples in ru
ins and the students screaming in pain. Some were dead, others injured, and the
rest morning over the disaster. Anakin could not decipher the cause of this ca
lamity, but he could only be sure of its validity. He had to leave. He didn’t kn
ow how far in the future this vision was, but he couldn’t take any chances.
Anakin hurriedly gathered the small amount of belongings he had brought
from his E-wing. He rushed out of his hut and was met by two elder ewoks.
“I have to go,” he said in their native tongue.
“Why so abruptly?”
“My friends are in trouble and they need my help.”
The ewoks understood and wished him luck.
Anakin ran to the edge of the small village and jumped off into the open
air. He funneled the speed and acceleration of his falling into forward moveme
nt, and he flew through the trees. Anakin slowed his flight as he neared his E-
wing, and a minute later, the ewoks watched the red glow of the one man fighter
as it flew out of the atmosphere.
Chapter 19 “Laya”
Tenel Ka paced nervously in one of her mansion’s luxurious living rooms.
Chewie was seated in a large soft chair, wearing the same worried look that shro
uded Tenel Ka’s face. Their concerns were identical and didn’t need mentioning, but
Tenel Ka did anyway. “Leia hasn’t been herself lately.” Chewie growled an unneeded
agreement.
It had been only two days since Leia had been released from jail, and La
ya had been trying her hardest to play the role of Leia, but she was just a litt
le off pace, and Tenel Ka and Chewie had been quick to pick up on it. The only
thing Laya had going for her is that Chewie and Tenel Ka didn’t have any reason to
believe that she was an impostor.
“Maybe we should do something tonight to try to get Leia more comfortable
with her situation. So far this hasn’t been much of a vacation.”
Chewie agreed and barked his suggestion. “An official apology dinner?” Tene
l repeated. “That’s not a bad idea. It’s a way for my government to say their sorry
for Leia’s inconveniences. I could invite my parents and a few select dignitaries
. Leia would have to have fun. I don’t think she has participated in anything si
nce she’s been here.”
Laya wasn’t in the room, but she was listening with her keen hearing. Lay
a also agreed that a dinner was a perfect idea. It would give her an excellent
opportunity to assassinate the queen of the Hapes cluster.
Laya waited an hour while she monitored Tenel Ka’s progress of organizing
the upcoming dinner. Laya was fully functional when it came to the consumption
of real food. Although she didn’t need any physical nourishment, she had a hollow
cavity in which she could store an adequate amount of food. The only thing tha
t she had to be careful about is to not consume too much. Although it would hav
e no adverse affects on her, and she was more than capable to store large amount
s for a long time, she didn’t want to appear like a gorging pig in front of the Ha
pes cluster dignitaries. Although Laya doubted that she would let the dinner pr
ogress as far as the actual serving of the food before she made her move.
Tenel Ka came into the room a few minutes after Laya heard her disconnec
t from her last conversation. Laya tried to assume the position of a napping pr
incess. Laya stirred as Tenel Ka opened the door, and she sat upright on her co
uch.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
Laya managed a weak, tired smile. “I was getting up anyway. What is it?”
Laya looked directly at the young Jedi, glad that the princess of the Ha
pes cluster didn’t make a habit of over using her Jedi skills. Any other Jedi wou
ld have scanned Laya as soon as they had returned from the security complex. La
ya had done as much research into the habits of Tenel Ka as she could and was pl
eased to find that she didn’t use her skills except in dire situations. Laya hopp
ed that they would never encounter that dire situation. “I have organized a small
dinner tonight. You came here for a vacation and haven’t even done anything yet.
You’ve been drugged, arrested twice, and kidnapped. Although that’s what you’ve bee
n used to in the past with your war against the Empire, it’s hardly the kind of va
cation were used to giving.”
“Thank-you,” Laya said, “and I’m sorry that I’ve been acting so strange lately. L
ike you said, I have had a rough time so far. Maybe tonight can be the beginnin
g of the actual vacation.”
Tenel Ka accepted this response and turned to leave. “Oh,” she stopped and
turned, “I almost forgot. The dinner is in two hours.”
Laya nodded and watched Tenel Ka resume her exit. As the door closed be
hind Tenel Ka, Laya wiped the smile off her face and replaced it with an evil gr
in. She spent the next two hours planing her moves. She dressed in formal clot
hes and did her hair just like she had seen Leia wear it before. She wore expen
sive jewelry and put make-up on for the first time in her life. Laya decided fi
nally on a bomb. She could place the bomb on the underside of the table and the
n excuse herself from the table. She hid two explosive devices in the hollow co
mpartments in each of her thighs.
Laya left her room and met Chewie and Tenel Ka in the large living room.
Tenel Ka was dressed similarly to Laya and even though Chewie was neatly groom
ed, Laya found it hard to hide her disgust at the hairy beast.
The transport ride to the dinning hall was short. Laya examined the arc
hitecture of the fabulous building. If she got the opportunity to place the sec
ond bomb, she would want to know where the building’s structure was the weakest.
It appeared that the building was very well built, and any spot would be just as
good as any other spot.
They exited the vehicle, and a valet whisked the transport to an unseen
parking facility. The entrance lobby to the building was nothing short of spect
acle, but Laya had to remember to be awed. Robots tend to see most things with
a simple indifference. As Laya passed through the doorway into the dinning hall
, several beepers went off. Laya cursed herself inwardly - metal detectors. Of
course security would be tight in this building.
The security officers walked purposefully up to Laya, but stopped abrupt
ly when they saw who it was. Laya had a brief glimpse of hope. They wouldn’t dar
e harass her after what Leia had already been through. She gave them her best s
mile. “It must be all of this jewelry I’m wearing. I knew I over did it.”
Off to the side, Laya saw Tenel Ka give the guards an evil look. Laya k
new what that look meant. These security officers had about as good a chance to
perform a body search on Laya as they would have to throw a snowball through a
super nova and be able to catch it on the other side.. Against their better jud
gment, the two guards backed away.
Laya walked up to Tenel Ka. “Thanks. I thought that I would have to go t
hrough another ordeal.”
Tenel Ka shrugged. “There was no reason for them to touch you. I’m sure th
at your lightsaber alone has enough metal to set off the alarm.”
“What lightsaber?”
Tenel Ka stopped short. If Laya could sweat, she would have been gushin
g out of every pour. Tenel Ka looked down at Laya’s barren hip. Laya tried to ma
ke a quick recovery. “Of course I didn’t bring it. This is a formal dinner. Why w
ould I bring a weapon? I don’t plan on killing anyone.” Laya couldn’t resist throwin
g in that last line, hoping that Tenel Ka would find it humorous, but for differ
ent reasons than those Laya was thinking of.
Tenel Ka wasn’t smiling. Chewie wasn’t smiling either. “What about the Jedi
hope?”
Laya was totally confused. She knew that Jedi wore their lightsabers of
ten, but Leia wasn’t even a real Jedi. Besides, like she said before, this was a
formal dinner, there was no place for weapons. After all, Tenel Ka wasn’t wearing
 a lightsaber. As well as she could reason out her innocence, she felt very une
asy as she watched Tenel Ka peer at her with half opened eyes. Laya realized th
at she was performing the Jedi scan that Laya had so much feared.
Tenel Ka opened her eyes and regarded Laya in a totally new light. “What
have you done with princess Leia.”
Laya regarded the Hapan princess standing before her in her battle ready
stance. She laughed inwardly at the stance. Laya very much wanted to fight Te
nel Ka, even more because of Leia’s boast that Tenel Ka was better than Laya was.
Laya however, knew that this wasn’t the time for battle. She was sorely out numb
ered.
“Congratulations princess. You have foiled my well laid plans. I cannot
say that I am happy, but I am impressed.”
Upon Laya’s confession Chewie, who had been confused at first, rushed Laya
. Laya was finally able to let go of her dislike for the wookiee with a swift k
ick to Chewie’s midsection. Laya knew about wookiee’s strength, but was very surpri
sed when the hairy bodyguard casually grabbed the androids leg and flipped her b
ackwards.
By now the entire population of the dinning hall was observing the confr
ontation. Laya scowled at the group that was closing in on her. She reached do
wn to her thigh and removed one of the bombs. She held it up, and everyone reco
gnized it for what it was. “Curse you all!” Laya screamed as she flicked the five s
econd fuse and tossed it into the air. As everyone bolted for cover, Laya ran f
or the exit. Almost everyone bolted for cover. Chewie realized that Leia was s
till in danger if not dead, and this thing was responsible. Chewie had spent en
ough time with Han to be familiar with many similar kinds of bombs and knew that
this model had a five-second fuse. Chewie had counted to three by the time the
bomb came back down. Laya had reached the outside doors by this time, and Chew
ie caught the bomb and threw it in one smooth motion.
Laya was outside when her own electronic timer told her that the fuse ha
d half a second left. She half turned her head to see the bomb break through th
e glass doors she had just passed through. The explosion deafened her as she ro
de the shock wave high into the air. She crashed into a Hapan crang tree, and t
he strong trunk didn’t yield a millimeter. A human would have died from the blast
, a large beast would have died from the tree collision, and anything else would
have been exterminated instantly when the wall of flame rolled over them. Laya’s
clothes were incinerated and half of her artificial skin was melted off. Anyon
e looking at Laya wouldn’t even recognize her as a functioning machine. Laya coul
d sense the second bomb in her leg going critical. Her lightning quick reflexes
saved her from total destruction. She managed to throw the bomb fifteen feet a
way from her before it too exploded, sending her back towards the dining hall.
Her metal frame smacked against the stone building at a tremendous velocity. Sh
e crumpled into a heap at the base of the wall. She sat motionless for a while
surrounded by the shrapnel of the two blasts. Her eyes lit up as her back up po
wer source kicked in. She stood up and took a quick survey of her appearance.
All of her metal bones were visible, and charred pieces of plastic were dripping
off her frame. She frowned slightly at her ghastly body. Oh, well. She heard
coughing and choking coming from her right and looked at the gaping hole in the
building where the doors had been.
Laya leaped of the ground, surprised by how light she suddenly felt. By
the time Tenel Ka and Chewie exited the smoky haze that shrouded the entrance o
f the dinning hall, Laya was gone.
* * *
Leia heard Laya enter the spaceship and knew that she was in trouble. L
eia had survived on the meager rations that Laya had left for her and was very w
eak. She could hear the metal clang of her captures footsteps as Laya approache
d her cell. Laya didn’t bother to open the door but ripped it down with her metal
claws. Leia yipped in fear at Laya’s metal skeleton. Leia had previously just t
hought she was just some kind of clone.
 “You are dead,” Laya said bluntly and with all certainty. Leia had no doubt
that Laya was telling the truth and didn’t struggle as she was picked up and hurl
ed against the wall. Leia slumped into unconsciousness.
Laya stood over her with her razor fingernails bared. She hesitated whe
n she saw Leia’s unconscious state. “No you don’t,” she said. “You are going to be fully
conscious when I kill you.”
Laya heaved the broken princess off the floor and headed out of her spac
eship. She made her way to a small creek and dunked Leia’s head in. Leia coughed
and sputtered.
“Wakie, wakie.” Leia stared up into her tormentors eyes, or what served as
her eyes. The two, silver, opaque sensors seemed unseeing and unfeeling. Leia
was aware of a new strength and figured that she was out of the range of the ysa
lamiri. Laya could feel the tensing in Leia’s muscles and figured the same thing.
She made a lipless smile, this could be interesting.
The metal monster threw Leia toward a tree. Leia was no master with the
Force and knew she couldn’t win a straight up fight, but she could control a few
things. Leia mentally redirected her flight path and somersaulted to the forest
floor. She started to run with Laya chasing her.
As she ran, Laya ripped off a branch and hurled it at Leia. The branch
tangled Leia’s legs and she came crashing to the ground. She used her feet to bri
ng the thrown branch up to her hands and rolled over with the branch in her hand
s just as Laya swung down with another branch. Leia made a successful block, ro
lled away, and got to her feet.
Laya stepped toward her and let go a lightning fast series of swipes and
jabs with the branch. The one Jedi related thing that Leia had been able to pr
actice with some regularity was lightsaber dueling, and she parried the blows.
Laya noticed Leia’s skill and swung extra hard. Leia blocked it, but both branche
s broke in half.
Laya began swinging with her claws. Leia leaped backwards from one part
icularly close swipe and watched as the mechanical claw took a large chunk out o
f a near-by tree. Leia dodged another close swipe and tripped backwards over a
large root. Laya kicked her fallen body and sent Leia into a tree. Leia had th
e breath knocked out of her and the android leaped on her crippled form. Leia c
ould feel the metal claws tear at her flesh. She could also feel that they were
n’t doing any major damage, but rather, Laya was simply scratching her, prolonging
the fight.
“If you’re going to kill me, do it!” Leia screamed, giving up hope.
“Oh, don’t worry, I will.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” a voice from behind spun Laya around.
Tenel Ka and Chewie stood there, their outlines made distinct by the set
ting sun.
“How did you-” Laya started.
“Burning clothes leave a very distinct odor,” Tenel Ka responded. Chewie ga
ve a few quick snorts of his nose as if Laya didn’t already know what they were ta
lking about. Curse the wookiee’s sense of smell.
Chewie saw Leia’s crippled form as Laya got up from her. The enraged wook
iee started to charge Laya but Tenel Ka held him back. “This is my fight Chewie.
You tend to Leia.”
Tenel Ka was standing in a small clearing and waited for Laya to join he
r. Laya quickly noticed that Tenel Ka was still not wearing a lightsaber. Laya
thought this odd. A Jedi entering battle should always have a lightsaber.
“Where is your weapon?” Laya asked as she drew near the young Jedi.
“They are right here,” Tenel Ka responded, taking a step forward and hitting
Laya with a one-two punch so fast that Laya hadn’t even seen them coming. Tenel
Ka finished her opening flurry with a spinning leg kick that sent Laya to the gr
ound. Laya lashed out as she fell, but Tenel Ka was already flipping back out o
f the way.
“Impressive,” Laya said as she got up cautiously.
Tenel Ka didn’t bask in the compliment because she could see that her atta
ck had done absolutely no damage and had only put more caution into the android.
 Laya made a quick attack, which Tenel Ka blocked and dodged smoothly. The two
of them continued to spar for a few tense seconds until Laya performed a perfec
t leg sweep that sent Tenel Ka to the ground. Laya lifted her foot to stomp the
life out of her, but Tenel Ka caught the foot before its decent and pushed with
all her might, flipping Laya backwards.
Again the flip did no damage to the relentless android, but Tenel Ka’s for
earms were sore from blocking the strong attacks, and her side and legs were sor
e from her fall. Laya’s attacks came quicker this time. Tenel Ka did more dodgin
g, not wishing to make contact with the strong metal arms. She soon found herse
lf pinned against a tree. Laya made a tremendous swing, which Tenel Ka managed
to dodge only by a fraction of a second. Laya’s claws cut through the small tree
and brought it crashing down on her metal frame.
Tenel Ka was breathing hard as she watched Laya casually throw the tree
of herself and get back up.
-The Force. Use the Force.- Tenel Ka could hear the message clearly in
her mind and knew that it must be coming from Leia. -It is not a crutch for th
e weak, but rather a tool for the strong. The robot is not human. It is faster
and stronger than you. Do not wage our lives against such odds.-
They were words of wisdom, Tenel Ka knew. She was being childishly stub
born. Refusing to use the Force only made her weaker. Laya came in again, but
this time Tenel Ka met her with an open palm to the middle of her chest. Laya h
ad been expecting more dodging from her opponent and had let her guard down. Sh
e was unworried when she saw the attack come in. She had gauged this warrior’s st
rength during her first attack and Laya knew that she was incapable of hurting h
er. This is why Laya stopped her attack in amazement as she was not only hurled
back by Tenel Ka’s strike, but she felt several of her metal ribs crack. Laya la
nded hard and stared down ant her sparking chest.
Laya looked up in time to see Tenel Ka summon with her hand. A thick br
anch broke off a near-by tree and flew to the Jedi’s hand. She charged, caught th
e branch, and swung all in one motion. The branch connected solidly with Laya’s s
kull and she went flying once more.
Laya got up with a new grim determination. If the Jedi wanted to play r
ough, she could play rough. Tenel Ka swung again, but Laya caught the branch an
d broke it over her knee. In the same speed of movement, Tenel Ka grabbed Laya’s
arm and broke it over her knee.
The useless arm hung limply from Laya’s shoulder, and she swung her good a
rm violently. Tenel Ka stepped inside the swing and hit the incoming arm once,
twice, three times in quick succession. Each hit bent another piece of metal, a
nd Laya was totally off balanced. Tenel Ka jumped into the air and performed a
spectacular spinning kick that sent Laya toward the same tree that Tenel Ka had
summoned the branch from.
Laya was impaled on the broken branch. She struggled futilely, as her e
nergy cell began to drain. She saw Tenel Ka close her eyes and could feel her m
etal limbs expanding. Her every joint was being strained beyond their limits.
Finally she burst into a thousand little pieces.
Chapter 20 “Questions”
Lando and Jim made their way carefully across the bridge. The bridge sp
anned the large ditch that had housed the huge cave worm that had been jettisone
d into space by an Imperial bomb. Mansenchin and Trince had built the bridge ou
t of the broken radio tower.
Lando and Jim made their way safely to the other side and moved anxiousl
y toward the computer room. They had searched the many rooms of the computer ce
nter and had found twelve rooms that were full of equipment and computers. Land
o stepped cautiously through the hole in the thick metal door, avoiding the jagg
ed edge that was the result of Trince’s hasty cutting open of the door with his li
ghtsaber.
Jim followed Lando into the room and drew a deep breath. They had had t
he room open for a week, but it still took Jim’s breath away. Lando had gathered
some of the equipment into one of the inner rooms and he wanted Jim to take a lo
ok at them. Lando knew a lot about electronics, but Jim was the engineer, and L
ando liked to be positive about things before he moved ahead.
When they entered what had been unanimously voted the main control room,
Lando and Jim found that Jalence was sitting behind one of the computers. Bein
g Lando’s only computer expert, Jalence was the one who had recieved the task of t
rying to break into the the Imperial data banks. Above all else, was trying to
find a communications device.
“How’s it coming?” Lando asked as they entered the room.
“Slow,” Jalence admitted. “I have to break through a lot of unseen codes. Fo
rtunately the codes are very old, and I have some experience in hacking.”
Lando looked at him with sarcastic shock. “And I had always thought of yo
u as totally innocent.”
Jalence didn’t respond but continued to work, staring at the screen. Land
o ushered Jim over to the collection of Imperial technology. There was a long t
orpedo shaped tube, a small box shaped contraption with several electronic hook-
up jacks, an odd looking blaster riffle, and a medium sized oblong object that l
ooked like half an egg.
“Interesting,” Jim pondered.
“I’ve already figured out what this is,” Lando said as he picked up the rifle.
“It appears to be a equipped with a special aiming device, something the storm t
roopers could definitely use. It uses some kind of heat sensory to fire at a he
at source. Kind of a heat seeking laser. But this other stuff,” Lando made an al
l inclusive arm gesture, “I am at a loss for.”
Jim crouched down and began to examine the egg shaped device. “I think I’ve
seen on of these things before.” Jim pushed his glasses further up his nose. La
ndo often wondered why he wore them. Lando did admit that they made him look mo
re professional. “This looks a lot like a cloaking device that we salvaged off of
a Imperial ship that attacked the Sluis Van shipyards. It appears to be a litt
le bigger, though. This looks to be about three-fourths of a meter long. The o
ne we salvaged was half this size, and it didn’t have this slot here.” Jim was anal
yzing the device as he talked. He poked at the slot with a screw driver that he
always carried with him. He managed to pry the edge of the metal away, reveali
ng a deep compartment. Jim emitted a low whistle.
Lando peered over his shoulder. Lando saw a swarming mass of multicolor
ed wires criss-crossing every which way. “What is it?”
“This kind of cross wiring is the most complex I’ve ever seen in my life. Y
ou rarely see this kind of technology even in a Star Destroyer.”
“What is it for?” Lando asked, getting impatient.
“By rewiring a system this much the energy flow increases by an incredible
amount. You can imagine that sending a signal along one hundred meters of wire
creates a much larger electric field than say sending the same signal along onl
y one meter of wire.”
“Wouldn’t the resistance in the wires be that much greater too?”
Jim shrugged. “It depends what kind of wiring they used.” Jim reached into
his pocket and removed a sharp knife. He pulled up on of the slack wires and s
tripped a small part of it. “Listium. The best conductor known to man. This thi
ng must have cost a fortune.” Jim pointed to a cable that was connected to one of
the plates that the wires were soldered to. “By routing the cloaking energy thro
ugh these wires you could calibrate the device to create just about any size fie
ld you wanted to. Perhaps even large enough to cloak a Super Star Destroyer.”
The section of wiring that Jim had uncovered lay to the left of the slot
he had found. He started to pry away on the right side of the slot. Soon he h
ad uncovered another compartment that looked almost exactly like the other one.
“So now is it twice as powerful as before?” Lando asked, seeing the new comp
artment.
“Not quite. I think it might be worse. This section isn’t connected to the
other one. It works independently.” Jim examined it a little further. “Yea, this
one is routed through a different device, a transmitter. I think this device s
ends out sensor echoes.”
“You mean that they can send out what ever size sensor echo they wanted to
? Making a TIE fighter look as big as a Star Destroyer?”
“That’s right. They can go totally cloaked, or they can send out a false si
gnal, fooling a ship’s sensors. You might think that you’re going up against a TIE,
when in actuality, you are facing a Star Destroyer.”
“I guess the bright side of this is that we haven’t seen this technology on
the battle field yet,” Lando said. “Which means that this device is not only an ori
ginal, but the only one made.”
“Could be that this doesn’t even work,” Jim countered.
Lando shrugged and turned his attention to the next item. Jim picked up
the small box shaped piece of electronics. “A transmitter of some kind?” Lando gue
ssed. “Maybe a tracking device?”
“Maybe.” Jim turned it over in his hands. He stopped when he found a small
orifice. “It looks like something is missing. Lando do you have that small crys
tal that you always carry around?”
Lando shook his head. “I gave it away.” Jalence looked up from his compute
r at this comment. Lando had loved that crystal. It had been one of a few that
they had found in one of the sheds that was still here from the Imperial occupa
tion. It had been perfect in every way. “I gave it to a friend.” Must have been s
ome friend, thought Jalence.
Jim didn’t seem phased by this startling revelation. “It looks like this op
ening was designed for a crystal. This could be a beam splitter.”
Lando looked dejected. “That’s not so brilliant. We have those things now.
They’re not that great. Instead of changing a focused beam into many lesser bea
ms, it turns into more of a ‘blah’ beam, with most of the energy wasted in the form
of heat.”
“I agree,” said Jim, “but imagine one of those old splitters with one of our c
rystals installed in it.”
Lando smacked his forehead. “Of course. If you could program a splitter
to divide a beam into several distinct frequencies, a crystal of matching angles
with incredible exactness could efficiently send them away.”
They moved onto the fourth object. Lando had a guess about this last it
em, but hoped that Jim would prove him wrong. “Well for starters,” Jim said, “it’s a to
rpedo.”
“I know that, and you know that I know that. What kind. Please don’t tell
me that it is what I hope it’s not.”
“Well,” Jim said as he studied the surface of the deadly projectile, “the fron
t third of the tube is made from a different type of metal than the rest of it.
Two thirds of all torpedoes are composed of the guidance system, so it is a saf
e bet to say that whatever is encased in this different kind of metal, is what m
akes it special.”
“What kind of metal is it?”
“Forestium.”
Lando searched his memory and all he knew about metals. “Doesn’t that have
a really high melting point?”
“Yes. In fact it is the highest among all metals used in construction. A
nything higher than it can’t be shaped efficiently. But that fact shouldn’t make a
difference. Forestium is also very brittle. It will break under almost any kin
d of propelled collision.”
“Chrasten is far more brittle than forestium, and with a lower melting poi
nt. It would have been easier to use that than having to fuss with melting fore
stium down. I think that the melting point plays a role in the detonation of th
is torpedo.”
“Why?” Jim asked. “Most torpedoes, like we said, explode on impact, or they
have a timed explosion. If you had to melt the outer shell of this torpedo you
would have to fire it into-” Jim stopped when he realized where Lando was headed w
ith this.
“Into a star,” Lando finished for him.
“Are you talking about another Sun Crusher?”
Lando shook his head. “Not a Sun Crusher, just the super nova torpedo.”
Jalence wasn’t listening to their discussion but had turned in his seat to
 get there attention. “Lando, in what system did you say that the New Republic ra
n into trouble?”
Lando yanked himself away from the destructive weapon at his feet. “The D
anzig system. Why?”
“I think I know what they ran into.”
“So do we,” Lando replied. “We just found evidence that supports the theory t
hat a star went nova, destroying the New Republic fleet.”
“I sincerely doubt that the Empire would risk blowing up a star in the Dan
zig system if they had this in there.”
Lando walked over to where Jalence was sitting. “What are you talking abo
ut?”
Jalence pointed at the screen. “I finally broke the codes. I couldn’t find
any communication software, but I did find a whole bunch of blueprints.”
On the screen was the original Death Star. Lando had never seen it, but
he recognized it from descriptions he had read before he had attacked the secon
d Death Star. The blueprints were probably identical to the ones that the Rebel
lion had been able to steal. Lando looked at the bottom of the screen. Status:
Destroyed.
Jalence pressed a key and another globe appeared on the screen. Death S
tar II. Lando noticed that this blueprint showed the Death Star as being comple
ted. He remembered that there had been large structural pieces missing from the
one he had destroyed.
Lando was about to comment about how none of this news was of any releva
nce, when Jalence pressed another key. The Dark Ring. Status: Under construct
ion. Location: Danzig 359. Lando gasped at the numbers that covered the bluep
rint. A radius of over seventy-five million kilometers. It was large enough to
safely encompass an entire star. It had a height of one hundred million kilome
ters and a depth of over fifty kilometers. The sheer mass of that thing was mil
lions of times more than any Death Star the Empire had ever built. Lando glance
d at the weapons. One thousand Death Star lasers and over a billion turbo laser
s. Lando was speechless for a few seconds.
“I agree that the Empire wouldn’t intentionally blow up Danzig 359. Althoug
h I would like nothing better.” Lando looked around the computer room, for the fi
rst time realizing what this place actually was - a weapon center. “I think that
it’s time we took a little trip to Coruscant. I do believe that this information
could prove quite useful to them.”
Chapter 21 “The Arena”
“What did they do to my son?”
Han and Luke were pacing in their cell. It had been five days since the
ir trial. Han had finally lost his patience. “It looked like he wanted to kill m
e.”
“They probably used some kind of mind control. Just like the kind that th
ey used on Cray and me on the Eye of Palpatine. Don’t worry it’s reversible. At le
ast it was nineteen years ago. Who knows what kind of advancements they’ve made s
ince then.”
“Oh thanks, you’re full of encouraging ideas.”
“It’s the whole idea of the Dark Lord of the Sith that scares me. If they a
ctually got him to believe that he is the next Darth Vader, we could be in for t
rouble.”
“What scares me is that I know Jacen wouldn’t have come here alone. So wher
e is Jaina, or maybe Lowbacca, or, if worst comes to worst, Anakin.”
“I don’t think mind control would work on Anakin. He is too strong in the F
orce. But if I’m wrong, and they have changed him into a Dark Lord, then were in
more trouble than we were when we had the Emperor as an enemy.”
“Is he that strong?” Han asked.
“He has that much potential, yes.”
Han didn’t want to think about the worst case scenario right now, so he ch
anged the topic. “What the heck is the Arena. It sounds more like an entertainme
nt facility than an execution chamber.”
 “I think you might have just answered your own question,” Luke reasoned. “Eve
rything their doing to us seems to be for show. The hardest thing for an Imperi
al army of clones to have is high moral. They have been out here in the middle
of nowhere for who knows how long. They know that they have been forced here be
cause of defeat and there is no bright hope. Unless they have some huge new wea
pon or fleet that we don’t know about, they really have no hope for victory. All
of this ‘show’ that they’re putting on with us is for the sake of the men.”
Han nodded. “I was thinking about that immediately before the trial. Vad
er would have killed us long ago. The same with Tarkin or the Emperor. The onl
y person that I have any experience with that deals in these kinds of tactics is
Thrawn.
“I heard a story from one of our Imperial prisoners back on Coruscant abou
t how one time - I think it was when you evaded him in your X-wing - he promoted
a man for a failure. It was the same failure that had cost a man his life the
previous week.”
“Thrawn would have made a good admiral in the New Republic,” Luke said. “Ruli
ng by hope instead of fear.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Han responded. “He’s no pansy. He still follows the Empire’
tradition of on-the-spot executions, but he’s got a start in the right direction.”
Luke shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter, though. He’s dead.”
“I wonder. With all these clones running around one can never be too care
ful.”
“You think they would clone Thrawn?” Luke asked.
“Why not. They cloned the Emperor.”
This new view gave Luke something else to think about, but not for very
long.
The door to their cell, and two storm troopers were framed in the doorwa
y by the hall light. “It’s time to go.”
Luke and Han looked at each other. “The Arena,” they mouthed simultaneously
, but said nothing out loud. They were ushered back through the hallway in the
same direction that they had been taken to get to trial. The same transport was
waiting for them outside. They were whisked through the forest, and Han decide
d to keep his mouth shut on this trip.
It was night time, and the city life was a little less active outside, b
ut Han could see certain buildings that he imagined were taverns, were overflowi
ng with people. Han thought that this city was turning into Mos Eisley.
They passed the building were the trial had been, and Han scowled at it.
Luke nudged him in the arm and pointed of to the horizon. Han could see a lar
ge domed building and guessed, as Luke had, that this was the Arena.
People were swarming around the entrance of the Arena, and as they drew
close, Han wondered how they were going to be able to get in in one piece. The
driver of the transport answered Han’s unspoken by turning away from the crowd, ga
ining access to a restricted entrance from a guard and entering the massive stru
cture from the rear. They drove through a large concrete tunnel and came to a s
mall inner chamber. The chamber was filled with lots of animal cages, and a fow
l aroma lingered in the cavern.
The transport stopped and dropped off Luke, Han, and three other storm t
roopers. The storm troopers ushered them over to one of the larger cages. “You s
tay in here until it’s your turn to play.” The storm trooper locked the door of the
cage. “I’ve got five thousand credits riding on your match, so you better lose.”
Before Han could question the trooper he left. Long minutes passed and
neither of the two caged prisoners said anything, each of them lost in his own t
houghts of what was to come. They both perked up when they heard the motor of a
ground transport approaching the chamber. The four wheeled vehicle was pulling
a cage. Han could see a large spiny beast chewing on the remains of another an
imal. The image of these two animals locked in mortal combat in front cheering
fans gave Han a sickening feeling as to what they were to expect.
The driver stored the cage in a different room and came back to the pris
oner’s cage. “You boys ready to have fun?”
“I hope we get to fight you,” Han sneered. “Then we’ll see who has the fun.”
 The guard laughed at Han’s defiance. When he unlocked the door, his smile
disappeared as he rapped Han across the head with a short metal pipe. “Come on y
ou Rebel scum.”
Han stumbled, but Luke supported him, and they were herded by the guard.
Luke thought that this was a perfect time to try to escape. This was the firs
t time that he and Han outnumbered their escort. Even though they were handcuff
ed, they might have a chance. Luke looked back at the single guard who was walk
ing behind them. Luke could see the confidence in his stride and the smooth cas
ual way in which he twirled his metal pipe. Luke understood that the Empire was
tempting them to try to escape from this guard. More than likely he was an exp
ert hand to hand fighter.
Han was still wincing in pain when Luke returned his gaze to the concret
e tunnel in front of him. “I hope you’re not planing an escape,” Han winced. “I know h
im, or at least I knew the original. He’s probably a clone. I thought I had reco
gnized him at first and the knock on the head jogged my memory a little. His na
me is Wertrin. He was in charge of security at the colony where I rescued Chewi
e. Afterwards Chewie told me stories of how wookiees would be punished by havin
g to fight him one on one. Chewie had never seen a wookiee beat him. He can do
wonders with a knife.”
Luke felt a sharp jab in his back. “Quit the chatter boys.”
As they rounded a corner in the long tunnel, Luke could see a bright lig
ht ahead and the loud noise of thousands of people screaming. When the tunnel s
traightened, Luke could see the multicolored back drop of a diversified crowd.
The tunnel was aimed at the center of the large stadium, and Luke could make out
the center circle. As they got closer, Luke could see that two animals were fi
ghting in the ring. A krayt dragon was pummeling a bantha.
Han and Luke were brought to the very end of the tunnel and stopped. Fr
om this vantage point they could almost see the entire stadium. It seated well
over forty thousand, at least ten times as many people as there had been in the
court room. The fight was finished, and the dragon gave a vicious cry of victor
y. Somehow a bunch either very brave or very stupid clowns ushered the dragon b
ack into the cage. Luke was surprised that only one of the clowns were consumed
by the dragon. They krayt dragon was native to his home planet of Tatooine, an
d although he had never seen one in action until now, he knew about their reputa
tion.
When the central Arena was clear Luke felt another poke in his back. “You
r turn.” Luke and Han walked tentatively forward. “Oh, don’t worry,” Wertrin said in a
mocking tone, noticing their hesitance, “you won’t have to fight the krayt dragon.
We’ve got something a little more . . - let’s see, how should I put it - deadly.”
Luke remembered all of the battles he had had, and could think of only o
ne animal more deadly than a krayt dragon. He hoped that they didn’t have to do b
attle with one of those.
“Something more deadly than that?” Han asked incredulously.
“There is something. Trust me, I’ve fought it.”
“What?”
“Shut up you two, or I’ll have to hit you on the head again,” Wertrin broke in
threateningly.
Han winced at the idea of another well struck blow and obeyed. They wal
ked up to the Arena and heard the announcer presenting them to the crowd. Luke
was interested to hear what the announcer was going to say, but the boos and whi
stles that they received drowned out the voice of the announcer. The din inside
quieted quickly as the lights inside the large stadium went out. Two spotlight
s began roaming the crowd, occasionally passing over where Luke and Han stood.
The loudspeakers began play some heavy bass, techno music. The announcer spoke:
“And their opponent tonight is straight from the cloning cylinders. We ma
de a special trip to Skywalker’s home planet for this one.”
“I thought he said it wouldn’t be a dragon?” Han whispered.
“There’s something else there. Or at least that was there.”
“We visited Jabba the Hutt’s and found the DNA we were looking for. We call
this battle the rematch of the century. Han and Luke versus Jabba’s rancor.”
 The crowd erupted with delight. On the opposite side of the Arena a lar
ge curtain was pulled back revealing a large cage with a the rancor inside. As
if on cue the huge beast let out an incredible howl.
* * *
Up in the stands, in a luxury box seat, Tallon reclined, waiting eagerly
for the show. He usually didn’t come out in public for these kinds of events. H
e preferred to remain more professional and stay aloof of such events as these.
He needed to let off some steam, though. Frowinger had brought him the bad new
s of the botched job at the crystal mine. He could confirm that the bomb went o
ff, so could fifty storm troopers that didn’t make it home. Another twenty-five e
x-storm troopers could verify that a large worm had come out of the side of the
asteroid and eaten their shuttle. Frowinger hadn’t thought that the explosion was
strong enough to explode the entire asteroid, so it was likely that the Jedi ha
d influenced the explosion in some way. It was also then probable that the mine
was still open, and all of its secrets were available to the New Republic. At
the time Tallon had felt like rescheduling Luke and Han’s execution and pitting Fr
owinger against the Rancor instead. It was only the fact that the Empire needed
all of its scientists that had allowed Frowinger to live through that meeting.
Tallon could have killed him and then cloned him, but he didn’t like to wo
rk that way. A clone was never as sharp as the original. They had taken twenty
-two years to clone Thrawn to ensure the best results. Tallon didn’t have enough
time to kill and clone his officers. The Emperor hadn’t been as keen on efficienc
y as Tallon was.
Tallon directed his attention toward the Arena and saw that they were re
ady to take the rancor out of his cage. Clowns paraded around the cage. The Ra
ncor didn’t take too much prodding and in one swift motion the rancor had himself
an appetizer.
“Clowns are a credit a dozen, are they not.” Tallon turned around to find A
dmiral Thrawn standing behind him.
“Admiral,” Tallon said quite surprised, “I didn’t know that you came to the Aren
a.”
“Oh, yes,” Thrawn said with a mischievous smile that Tallon had not thought
the Admiral capable of. “I frequent this fine establishment every weekend. I’ve ma
de a small fortune betting on the fights.”
Tallon could imagine that with Thrawn’s unique ability to predict the outc
ome of events he could make a killing at a place like this. Still, Tallon was a
little curious as to Thrawn’s behavior. In all the reports Tallon had read about
him, Thrawn was described as an officer of strict discipline and no room for fu
n and games. Tallon almost wondered if Thrawn was drunk, but he dismissed the t
hought as soon as it entered his mind. Thrawn was too much of a professional fo
r that. This must just be his one vice. This was just how that incredible mind
of his unwound. “And who did you put your money on tonight, the fearless Rebels
or the fearful rancor?”
“Neither, actually,” Thrawn said as he took a seat next to Tallon. “I chose t
he third category: a draw.”
“A tie? I didn’t know there was such a category.”
“There wasn’t until just a few minutes ago. Being an admiral gives you a li
ttle pull and I got the odds maker to give me the third category at the outrages
odds of ten thousand to one.”
“So you predict that the fight will end in a tie? Perhaps we should unlea
sh a krayt dragon as well. I think that you’re giving the Rebels to much credit.”
“No, I fully expect the rancor to devour Solo and Skywalker and for me to
loose the thousand credits that I wagered. I just couldn’t bring myself to bet in
favor of the enemy, and I didn’t stand to make enough money betting against them,
so I invented my own category.”
Tallon thought that Thrawn was crazy, but he kept it to himself. Beside
s, the fight was about to start. They were taking the handcuffs off the fighter
s.
* * *
Luke stared at the huge monster as all of his horrible memories were pou
ring back to him. The beast didn’t look exactly the same. Jabba’s rancor had been
covered by deep scars from all of his previous fights. Those scars weren’t in its
DNA, and so this rancor was unharmed.
“You beat this thing before right?” Han asked hopefully.
“Yea, you show me a huge door, and I’ll drop it on him.”
“Sorry, it’s just that I haven’t read the strategy book on how to fight a ranc
or.”
“I don’t think they’ve written one, Han.”
“My point exactly, kid.”
“The only advice I can give, other than running away,-”
“We’re inside a force field,” Han put in.
“- is that they have very slow reflexes.”
However quick its reflexes were, the speed of the monster was incredible
, and it demonstrated that to the fifty plus thousand in attendance. Han and Lu
ke had to dive out of the way to keep from being crushed by the beast’s initial at
tack. Luke decided to be aggressive and came up behind the monster. He jumped
on to the back of its leg and meant to scale its back. The crowd cheered him on
mockingly, glad for a little bravery, even though it could be confused for stup
idity. The rancor had different ideas all together, and with one mighty kick ba
ckwards it launched Luke off its leg and into the air. Luke crashed into the fo
rce shield wall with incredible force. He fell limp to the ground.
Han saw the scene and felt sick. Luke couldn’t have survived that collisi
on. At first Han felt a blind hatred toward everyone in the stadium, but then r
eason took over and he tried to focus on the rancor.
Luke barely felt himself hit the ground as he slipped away into blacknes
s. He could feel an intense throbbing bulge in his head and knew that he had a
massive head injury and heavy internal bleeding. His eyes closed and his consci
ousness started to fog over. As he slipped into the coma of death, he felt his
feet start to tingle. The queer sensation worked its way up his legs, and soon
to his hands and arms, which were laying at his side.
Luke had seen both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda die, and he knew that a Jedi’s
body disappeared as it died. He wished he could move his head or open his eyes
to watch. He could feel the tingling, which he guessed to be his body evaporati
ng, reach his neck and then stop. Luke imagined the stadium’s fright when they sa
w just his head lying on the ground. Luke caught himself in mid thought, if he
was dead how could he still think.
For the first time Luke examined his surroundings. He had lost feeling
in his limbs long ago, but he was now aware of a new sense, warmth. The warmth
of death? No, he had always thought death to be cold. He couldn’t help but think
that he couldn’t fully die, because he didn’t have the Force with him. He wondered
if somehow not having the Force during his death would prevent him from being a
ble to fully leave life. Could part of him, the Force part, still be trapped so
mewhere.
Luke could feel warmth and wondered if he would be able to see anything.
He couldn’t feel his eyes, but he tentatively opened his mind. He was in some t
ype of void that he couldn’t understand. It wasn’t darkness or light, yet it wasn’t t
he gray in-between either. He could see varied patterns of colored light swirl
around him. They looked like small gas nebulas. They were almost tangible, but
Luke had no hands with which to reach out and touch them, so he reached out wit
h his mind.
They were images. Images of life. Force inspired images. Luke had a b
urst of hope. He could see Force images. He felt a veil lift from his mind. A
s he reached out to embrace these images, he wondered where he was again. Was h
e in-between life and death. Was he dead. Was he still alive but in a coma. O
r was he only dreaming. Luke needed an answer but could turn to no one.
Luke ‘floated’ about in the void of nothingness almost content to stay there
 for all eternity. Time seemed to have no meaning. Why should time have a mean
ing? He was a nothing in a nowhere. He guessed that he was just another Force
inspired image floating amongst friends. Was he part of the Force? Was he in t
he sea of life that made up the Force? Was he in the Current?
When Luke had met the Fallanassi, they had told him about the Current.
Luke had imagined that the Current was synonymous to the Force. They had descri
bed the Current as a river of life. It flowed everywhere there was life. Just
like a stream anyone could use the life giving water to refresh themselves. The
Current could be used to fight evil like water quenching a flame. Only people
with buckets, or more specifically, the Fallanassi could get and use this water.
It was for this reason that Luke had been shut out of their group. Even thoug
h he had the potential, in their mind he was trying to empty the river with a te
aspoon and then using the water for destructive purposes, like drowning the enem
y. Luke had tried to argue that the enemy wished to pollute the river, and that
someone or something had to stop them.
The Fallanassi also had a special way in which they could hide themselve
s and others in the stream of energy. They explained it like pouring a cup of w
ater into the ocean. The ocean is still very visible, but the cup has seamed to
disappear. Luke felt as if he was in that stream of life, that Current. Only
instead of his physical body, it was just his spirit, or essence, that had made
the trip.
It was then that Luke remembered Han. He needed to go back. Han was fi
ghting the rancor still, and Luke doubted that Han had a Current to hide in. Lu
ke needed an answer. For the first time he tried to see the images around him a
s actual images instead of just Force projections. Individually they were thoug
hts. In small groups they formed words and sentences. In large groups they mad
e up complete thoughts and paragraphs. As a whole they told him the answer.
In that instant Luke understood where he was, what he was, what he neede
d to do, and how to do it. It was all so simple that he chided himself for his
immature attitude that had led him to such a point of earlier despair. The Forc
e was not something you could turn on and off like a switch. The surgery had no
t taken away his Force ability, it had just changed its form. Like sending a cu
rrent through a circuit backwards and attaining a negative charge. When his bra
in had started to go into a coma it began to shut down. As the brain stimuli be
gan to slow, the ineffectiveness of the surgery became obvious. The ysalamiri f
ield that his brain had been creating shrank in size as the brain waves faded in
to non-existence. As the bubble shrank, the Force took hold and stabilized the
rest of his body. It slowed his beating heart and began to heal his wounds. Th
e brain was still in a deep coma, but the Force refused to let the body die.
Right now he was a reflection, or more accurately, a shadow. Just like
in the physical world, everyone has a shadow that shows where they are with resp
ect to a light source. If you are far away from the light, your shadow is large
, but dim. As you get closer to the light your shadow gets smaller but more dis
tinct. He was his shadow. In the Force, which is life, everyone has a shadow.
It is projected into the Current. When someone is full of life, or close to th
e light, their shadow is very distinct. As someone dies their shadow becomes la
rger and more faint. Finally their shadow melds into the main flow of the Curre
nt and is no longer distinguishable. Right now Luke was in-between. His body w
as close to death, but his life Force was still full.
Luke looked down at his body, from what vantage point he did not know.
He reached into his brain but found an infinitesimal bubble still surrounding th
e spot of surgery. He knew that he could shut off the bubble by stopping the br
ain, but that would mean death to the body. Luke busied himself with the other
side of his head, the side were the massive wound was. He liquefied the congeal
ed blood and returned it to the blood stream. He found that he had an unlimited
source of power while he was in the Current, and he spared none of it on healin
g his head.
When he had healed his head as far as he could without reviving himself,
he traced a blood vessel away from the point of surgery back to his heart. He
sent a solid pulse of blood along that path. When it reached its destination, i
t exploded against the node, tearing it from the brain. Immediately the Force r
ushed into the brain and fixed the wound.
As the node was replaced in the correct orientation, Luke felt a positiv
e flow of the Force and a pulling sensation from his body. Before he left the r
iver bank, for that is how he saw it now, he took one last look around. He saw
the images, which were now shadows of actual people, walking up and down the riv
er bank. He remembered what Yoda had told him once, “Luminous beings are we, not
this crude matter.” He saw a few people bending over to take a drink. He saw one
person using a bucket to draw water, and he laughed at the idea of him using a
teaspoon, knowing know how silly it seamed. He watched as people died, and thei
r shadows grew vague and finally fell into the river. He saw other people being
born, and small shadows emerged from the river. Small not because the were wea
k, but small because they were so close to life and there shadows were very inte
nse.
Luke took in the whole scene, and he felt as if several people stopped m
oving and turned to look at him.
<Thank-you.>
<You’re welcome. May the Force be with you, always.>
* * *
Han was just about to make a suicide run at the rancor.
-Han.-
Han paused.
-Han.-
Luke? Han looked over at his friend and was almost crushed by the pound
ing fist of the rancor. Han rolled to the side, agreeing with Luke that the cre
ature’s reflexes were indeed slow. Han ran through the rancor’s legs.
-Han.-
-Luke?- Han thought back.
-Yes, I’m here, Han.-
Han had a little time while the rancor turned around. He looked at Luke’s
still motionless form. Han couldn’t speak telepathically, but he could think and
have Luke read his mind. He had communicated that way with Leia many times, bu
t they were usually involved in very intimate acts at the times of those convers
ations. Intimate acts that Han had no intention of performing with Luke, much l
ess with a rancor present. He replied anyway. -I thought you were dead.-
-I am. I just haven’t stopped thinking yet. I’ll tell you all about it som
etime. But that’s not important right now.- Luke paused as Han barely missed get
ting stepped on. -Remember Dathomir?-
-Yea, those rancors were a little more friendly.-
-Have you tried making friends with this one yet?-
-What kind of question is that?- Han hit the ground hard as he wasn’t tot
ally successful in dodging the last blow. He felt blood running down his should
er and rolled out of the way as a large foot just missed the finishing blow. -Y
ou want me to go up an introduce myself? He seems a bit edgy.-
-I’ll help you. Remember that the crowd is looking for a good show.-
Han was in pain from that last blow and realized that he wouldn’t be able
to dodge another one. He ran out in front of the huge monster and turned to fac
e it. The rancor paused, contemplating his quick opponent’s new strategy. Rancor’s
were not beasts of much intelligence, and they didn’t contemplate anything for to
o long. It charged.
Han threw all of his trust into his friend and held up his hand. “Stop!”
The rancor stopped dead in his tracks. Luke was sending it strong comma
nds with the Force, and he wasn’t using a teaspoon.
Han saw the rancor’s reaction and compared it to the crowd’s. He liked them
. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Han Solo.”
The crowd was furious. The beast stood tall and pounded his fist agains
t his chest. He let out a bellow that Han believed to be an introduction, but H
an was clueless as to what the beast had actually said.
 -Rachtog.-
“Hello, Rachtog.” Han extended his hand.
The rancor, who was now totally under Luke’s control, ambled toward Han an
d extended a clawed finger that still had Han’s blood on it. Han grasped the fing
er in a firm hand shake.
* * *
Tallon was beside himself with anger. He had just seen Solo shake hands
with a rancor. Now it looked like he was scratching the thing behind the ears.
Tallon turned to Thrawn. “Should I have Solo killed?”
Thrawn shook his head. “What ever he did to that beast, he’s earned his lif
e for today. Not to mention he earned me ten million credits.”
Tallon was shocked, he hadn’t realized it at first. Though Skywalker look
ed dead, Han and the monster had indeed fought to a draw. He brought his commun
icator up to his mouth and gave orders. Seconds later he watched as dozens of s
torm troopers scrambled around the outside of the Arena.
“Make sure you have Dr. Kendel check out Skywalker’s surgery when you get ba
ck to the mountain base,” Thrawn said, but Tallon wasn’t listening that closely. He
was busy watching the events bellow him.
* * *
Han watched as a flicker of light appear and then disappear around the A
rena, and he guessed that the force field was deactivated. As soon as the field
was down, twenty storm troopers fired at the rancor, and the beast fell, either
dead or unconscious, almost on top of Han. He barely scampered out of the way
and found himself surrounded by troopers.
-What about all these storm troopers?- Han paused but got no answer. -L
uke?- He looked over at Luke’s still form. Storm troopers swarmed around him. H
an thought he heard one of them yell something to the extent of him still being
alive but in some kind of coma.
Han looked back at his own group of men in white and black. He found hi
mself staring one trooper right in the helmet. “I had twenty-five thousand credit
s bet on your life. You owe me, pal.”
“Too ba-” Han started, but was cut off by the butt of a laser rifle collidin
g with his head. Han joined Luke in a comatose state, only not quite as deep.
Chapter 22 “Getting Even”
The three men walked up to the bartender with no intention of buying dri
nks.
“Where is she?”
The bartender continued to dry the glass he was holding as if he hadn’t he
ard the man.
“Hey, I was talking to y-”
“You won’t be talking for very long,” the bartender said nonchalantly as he pu
t down the glass and picked up another one, still not looking at them. “If by ‘she’ y
ou mean who I think you mean. Trouble with that one isn’t a healthy business.”
“If we were looking for advice, we would gone to a stangin’ psychiatrist. N
ow are you going to tell me where we can find her. We have business.”
“We were told by someone that a friend of ours was last seen with a woman
who frequents this establishment,” another one of the men spoke up.
“You didn’t bring enough men,” he said as he looked at the speaker’s companions,
but he nodded toward the far corner of the bar anyway. As the three men walked
toward the lone brunette, the Barkeep spoke up. “What color do you guys like you
r coffins?”
“What?”
“You’re right, she’ll probably bury you herself.”
Jaina didn’t take any notice of the men as they sat at her booth. One of
them slid in next to her while the other two sat opposite her. “Have a seat gentl
emen. What can I do for you?”
Jaina finally looked up from her drink to see two blasters pointed at he
r face. She felt a third one poked into her side. She laughed inwardly at thes
e weak males. They thought that their guns were so big and powerful. How wrong
they were.
“Hello, I’m Greshon. This here is Drake and Ikrick,” Drake and Ikrick nodded
there greeting from across the table, keeping the guns level. “We hear that you h
ad a little business with a friend of ours. He goes by the name, Frintip.”
“Yea we heard that he was involved with some prostitute,” Drake said, and Ja
ina knew that he was going to try to say something clever, “and we thought you fit
the bill.”
Jaina was disappointed, but decided to play along. “Yea, I picked him up.”
“Then what?” asked Drake.
“He wasn’t my type, so I dumped him.”
“Where?”
“In a dumpster.”
Jaina felt the blaster dig deeper into her side. Her right hand sprang
up from her glass and smashed into Greshon’s face. His head flew backwards and hi
t the wooden partition that separated the booths. Jaina could hear a small crac
king sound and tried to figure out if it was the wood or Greshon’s head.
The blaster at her side slackened, but the two across the table made omi
nous whirring noises as they upgraded from stun to kill. Jaina decided not to k
ill them right here. She liked the bartender and didn’t want to make a mess. Gre
shon was still a little foggy but he tried to regain control of the situation.
He pointed his gun right next to Jaina’s temple. “Give me one good reason not to sp
latter your brains on the wall.”
“I’d kill you before you could pull the trigger.” Jaina had resumed stirring
her drink, disregarding the men around her. She could feel Greshon pull the tri
gger and she mentally flipped the safety on. She heard the useless click agains
t her head. “I’m warning you,” she said playfully.
“Boss,” Ikrick said nervously to Greshon, “maybe we should take her outside.
Everyone’s looking at us.”
Greshon flipped his safety back off and agreed. The three men got up.
Jaina remained sitting. “Come on, whore. We’re leaving.”
“Bye. I’m not done with my drink.”
“You’re coming with us,” Drake emphasized.
Jaina sighed and got up. As they passed the bartender she simply shrugg
ed. “I’ll be back in about five to finish my drink.”
“I’ll keep the booth open,” the bartender promised.
Once they got outside Jaina stopped. “OK we’re outside.”
“You show us where Frintip is.”
“Well by now he is probably in the city incinerator, but I-”
“No more games, miss.”
“What happened to ‘whore?’ I kind of liked it.”
Greshon was sick of the game. He stuck his gun back against Jaina’s head.
“Where is Frintip?!”
Jaina shrugged. “Hell. You wanna go say ‘hi?’ I can arrange a trip for you.
But it’s a one way ticket.”
Greshon yanked her arm and pulled her into an alley way right next to th
e bar. Jaina shook her arm free from the smuggler. She was getting sick of thi
s game too. “Does your head still hurt?”
“Like a herd of banthas ran over it,” he said as he raised his blaster.
“Well, maybe I can do something about that.” In one swift motion, Jaina dre
w her invisi-blade, ignited it, lopped off Greshon’s head, and returned the weapon
to her belt deactivated. “Feel better?” she asked the bleeding corpse.
Jaina turned to face Drake and Ikrick, who were standing behind her in a
state of shock. From their point of view it looked like Jaina had waved her ha
nd and Greshon’s head had just fallen off. They didn’t know about her invisible lig
htsaber. They began to fire rapidly. She stood there with her arms crossed as
she redirected the bolts and they passed her wide left or right.
 She walked slowly towards them. Ikrick tried to bolt back into the stre
et, but Jaina mentally tripped him, and he hit the concrete hard. She approache
d Drake. He had stopped firing and she waved the gun out of his hand. She took
the last two steps seductively and had an evil twinkle in her eye. “Still think
I look like a prostitute. I could be yours.”
Drake was backed up against the alley wall and frozen with fear. She wa
lked into him and kissed him fiercely. As she kissed him she mentally choked hi
m. He tried to gasp for air but she kept her lips tight. He squirmed like a fi
sh out of water, for a few seconds and then slumped dead against the wall. She
released his lips and he fell to the ground.
She turned to regard Ikrick, who was scrambling on the ground. “Please do
n’t kill me,” he whimpered pitifully.
Jaina thought about taking mercy on him, but if she did then he would ju
st bring in more weak men to bother her. She did make it quick, though. She re
ached out toward him with an open hand and then quickly tightened it into a hard
fist. Inside his chest, Ikrick’s heart imploded. The man was dead before he kne
w what had happened.
Jaina went back into the bar and left the bodies for the street cleaning
droids, happy that the stupid robots didn’t ask any questions. To them one piece
of garbage was no different from another.
* * *
Lando and Leia burst into Ackbar’s private office at the same time.
“Where is my husband?”
“You’ve got to see what I’ve found.”
“Where is my brother?”
“It wasn’t a supernova.”
Ackbar rose from behind his desk and raised his hands, trying to put an
end to the unified and therefore, meaningless chatter. “One at a time, please.”
Lando turned to Leia. “Go ahead.”
Leia nodded in thanks. She turned to Ackbar her eyes beginning to rim w
ith tears, tears that she had been fighting the whole hyperspace trip over to Co
ruscant. She blinked the salt water away and composed herself. “Do you know what
happened to my husband and brother?”
Ackbar shook his head slowly. “We lost contact with them over a week ago.
We have several guesses as to what happened, but all of them place Han and Luk
e in the same position: in enemy hands.”
“Have any rescue plans been made?”
“We are very low on ships right now, your highness. The Empire is spreadi
ng us out with a collage of diversified attacks. Also with the amount of ships
that the Empire is throwing at us, it is evident that their fleet is substantial
ly larger than we had previously thought. We don’t know what kind of protection t
he planet of Hastrin has. A single rescue ship could very well be met by a huge
fleet of Star Destroyers. The only way to be safe would be to send a large sca
le invasion fleet. A fleet that we can’t muster without right cause. Right now t
he populations of the border planets currently under attack demand our fleet mor
e than Han and Luke. Many people have already counted them a loss.”
“They aren’t dead!” Leia said through gritted teeth, though she had nothing to
back up her claim.
“Can you feel that they are alive?” Ackbar asked, knowing of her Force sensi
tivity and her link with her brother.
“I just know it,” Leia said, not answering Ackbar’s question. In fact, she co
uldn’t feel her brother, but she chalked this up to the vast distance that separat
ed them.
Lando sensed the conversation on a down swing and decided to enter. “I mi
ght have the cause needed to get that invasion fleet assembled.”
Ackbar seemed intrigued and turned to regard Lando. “What have you found?”
Lando held up a holo crystal that contained the blueprints to the Dark R
ing. “The crystal mine that I have been excavating has proven to be more than jus
t a mine. It appears that it used to be an Imperial weapons headquarters. We f
ound a former headquarters deep inside the well protected mine. Inside the comp
uters there are hundreds of specs of every type, from blaster rifles to Super St
ar Destroyers. We found the blueprints to the first two Death Stars, and to ano
ther battle station which they are building in the Danzig system. A huge statio
n which is being constructed around the star Danzig 359.”
Ackbar looked skeptical. “Around the star? How big is this station?”
Lando walked over to a screen on the wall of Ackbar’s office. He inserted
the crystal into the appropriate slot, and a few short seconds later the bluepr
ints flashed up on the screen. “Huge,” Lando answered Ackbar’s question. “Big enough t
o blot out the sun. Perhaps, making the sun look dimmer and unstable. I know w
hat you believe to have happened at Danzig 359. Biggs’ fleet was yanked out of hy
perspace by the gravity well of the collapsing star and then destroyed by the st
ar’s explosion a few minutes later.
“I’m hear to tell you something different. I believe that the gradual reduc
tion in the sun’s brightness over the past seventy years, is not the result of its
gradual collapse, but the result of the battle station being built up around it
. A project that started around seventy years ago. I think that this station p
rojected its own interdiction field and then destroyed the fleet. With as much
power as this station is capable of generating, it is possible that they were ab
le to cloak the entire station. This would account for the sun’s sudden flare of
brightness right before the ‘super nova.’ There are many ways to create a bright fl
ash of light, the hardest of which would be to actually have a star explode.”
Ackbar looked both terrified and confused. “Why would the Empire go throu
gh so much trouble just to fool us?”
“If you had known for certain that the fleet was destroyed by an Imperial
fleet or a battle station, what would you have done?” Lando continued, knowing th
at Ackbar was picking up on his line of reasoning. “You would have sent a fleet i
n, gung-ho for battle. While the Empire was probably ready for such an attack,
they obviously wanted to attack us first.”
“And why should we attack this behemoth of a station now? If it is around
a star, then it is quite immobile and of no threat to us or anyone else?”
Lando shook his head. “It’s not a threat to us directly, but it is posing u
s with great threats indirectly. This station is equipped with two hundred mill
ion cloning cylinders. It could populate a small planet in a matter of months.
It also is the shipyard where all of these knew Imperial ships are being built.
If this station is left alone, it could produce a fleet five times the size of
our own in only a few years.”
“Do the Imperials know that you have these plans?”
Lando had not thought of this before. “There’s a good chance they do, yes.
We had a little run in with some Imperials that tried to destroy the mine befor
e we could get inside. We, or should I say the Jedi, repelled them. They now p
robably assume that we have broken in. However, I’m not sure that even the Imperi
als are aware of what was down there. I think that they would have guarded thes
e plans more carefully.”
“If you remember correctly, Lando,” Leia jumped in, “they quite willingly gave
us the plans to the second Death Star in preparation for their little trap.”
“I remember more than most,” Lando said, for he had been one of the most end
angered people in that trap. “I don’t think this is a trap. There is no way that t
he Empire could have planned for us to have gotten these plans. It was way to d
ifficult to get into the mines, to have expected it. Besides, there were other
things in the hidden rooms that are far to valuable for the Empire to simply let
us have.”
Ackbar sat in silence, half thinking about the situation and half waitin
g for Lando to elaborate on what else he found. Ackbar knew of Lando’s history of
a being a gambler and knew that he enjoyed keeping his secrets, but he also kne
w of Lando’s history in the New Republic’s own military. If Lando thought that this
was a valid target to hit back, then Ackbar was willing to give it some conside
ration. “You have studied the blueprints, correct?” Lando nodded. “Have you found a
weakness?”
 Lando frowned. “Not really. Once you’ve had time to look over these bluepr
ints, you’ll agree with me that this is the biggest thing ever created. It is imp
regnable.”
“Then how do you suppose we attack it?”
“It’s not an unknown weakness of theirs that I plan to exploit, but an unkno
wn strength of ours.”
Chapter 23 “Yavin IV”
Anakin’s E-wing dropped out of hyperspace above the peaceful fourth moon o
f Yavin. He did a quick mental Force check of the Academy and found nothing wro
ng, yet. He descended quickly into the atmosphere and looked for the large temp
les of the Jedi School. He could feel the overwhelming presence of dread that h
e had felt during his dream now more than ever.
Anakin landed his craft and hurried out of the cockpit. He rushed into
the nearest temple, which was the dormitory. It was lunch time and Anakin found
the cafeteria only partially populated. He scanned the small crowd, many of wh
om looked up when he had entered, and found that it consisted of all the other s
tudents in his grade.
At the Academy there weren’t distinguishable grades, as such, but more lik
e age groups. Since the graduating class had left, there were only two grades l
eft. Anakin was in the next highest grade and wasn’t due to graduate for three mo
re years. The next grade below them was the entry level grade. This bottom gra
de was slowly filled by any new students that came into the Academy and was very
broad. The hunt for new Jedi had slowed considerably, and the only new Jedi th
at come to the school were usually descendants of graduates.
There were only six other students in Anakin’s grade. Foister Durran, Kyp
Durran’s fifteen year old son, walked up to Anakin. Anakin had been somewhat rec
lusive at the Academy, but had managed to make a few friends. Foister, the son
of his father’s friend, was probably his best friend.
“Welcome back,” Foister said as he drew near. “We heard that you went to Endo
r. What was it like?”
Anakin had missed his friend, but knew that he didn’t have time for idle c
onversation. “We don’t have time to talk right now. The Academy is in danger. Whe
re are Masters Streen and Tionne?”
By now the other five students had congregated around the pair. One of
the Calamarian twins, Angelic answered. “They took all of the younger students ou
t on a mini field trip. They said they wouldn’t be back for another day. What’s wr
ong?”
“I don’t know,” Anakin said, “but I had a vision of impending doom, and I think
that it will happen here, soon.”
Angelic’s twin sister, Angelina, spoke up. “I had a similar vision, but no
one believed me.”
“You’re always having visions,” Jenstim said. He was an independent male who
was far to old for Anakin’s grade. His arrogance and over self confidence had cau
sed Master Skywalker to hold him back.
The remaining two human students, Garek and Celistin, who were dating, t
ried to comfort each other. “What can we do to prepare?” Garek asked, holding his g
irlfriend’s hand.
Anakin was about answer, when he felt a presence enter the space above t
he planet. All seven students looked at each other. “It’s here,” Foister said bluntl
y.
* * *
Snotzenxer’s Super Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace in the same lo
cation that Anakin had only minutes earlier. He had brought along a few extra I
mperial Star Destroyers, but didn’t think he’d need them. He had read all of the in
formation he could on the failed attack of Yavin IV nineteen years ago by Grand
Admiral Pellaeon. The Jedi students had been able to repel the fleet of ships b
y the use of some kind of Force blast. They had also destroyed most of the figh
ters and walkers by taking advantage of their forested surroundings. Snotzenexe
r had formulated two plans to easily thwart these two ploys.
Snotzenexer gave the order, and the small fleet of ships began to fire o
n the planet. They were not aiming at the temples, or even the students. The s
hips were instead clearing a huge strip of land of trees and bush. Laser blasts
from the Super Star Destroyer, the Dark Fist, were clearing enormous areas of l
and, and it didn’t take long for the ships to clear a ten kilometer strip about fo
ur hundred meters wide. The strip led right up to the Academy.
“Deploy the walkers, tanks, and bombers.” Commanders relayed the order to d
ifferent parts of the ship, and soon the huge mechanical monsters were shooting
down toward the planet accompanied by the swift bombers.
* * *
The students had left the building and were staring up at the sky.
“What’s up there?” Celistin asked.
“It’s the Imperials, I bet ya,” Jenstim said confidently.
“I’m not sure,” Anakin replied. “There seems to be some kind of bubble around t
he ships. I can sense the power of the engines and the displacement of space, b
ut I can’t tell how big or how many there are.”
“What could create a Forceless bubble?” Garek asked.
“Ysalamiri,” Jenstim said. He was the oldest, and none of the other student
s had studied the point in history where Thrawn had introduced ysalamiri into th
e Empire’s arsenal. Master Skywalker spent a lot of time in class on the subject
of ysalamiri. “It must be the Empire.”
The turbo laser bolts began to streak out of the sky. They all began to
dive for cover. “Wait,” Angelic screamed, “they’re not shooting at us.”
“She’s right,” her sister agreed.
They all watched as the bolts systematically cleared away a huge strip o
f trees.
“It looks like their making some kind of road,” Garek observed.
“A road for what?” asked Foister.
“Walkers and tanks.” Jenstim pointed to the sky. The barrage was over quic
kly and the students could see the projectiles coming down from the sky. They c
ould feel the machines touch down just over the horizon, right in line with the
treeless strip.
“We need a leader,” Celistin announced.
“I nominate Anakin,” Foister said quickly.
“He hasn’t even built a lightsaber yet,” Jenstim said. “I’m the oldest. I think
that I-”
Anakin made a slight gesture with his hand and Jenstim stopped talking,
not knowing why. Anakin drew his new lightsaber from underneath his cloak and i
gnited it. The students were standing in a circle, and Anakin pointed his weapo
n toward the middle of the circle. “I will lead you,” he said matter-of-factly, “but
you must listen to me. I have made some discoveries while I was at Endor. You
must not fight with any fear in your hearts, and at no time should you ever figh
t with anger at your enemies. These are not only Dark emotions, but they are we
ak ones. If you will fight with emotion, fight with love. Love for this Academ
y and its students. Fight to save the Academy, not to kill the enemy. Don’t figh
t defensively. Being hesitant to attack is also a weakness. Don’t be scared to t
ake the initiative in the attack. It is not wrong to start a fight as long as i
t is for a good reason. We will be fighting evil. An evil that has to be eradi
cated. We are fighting on the right side, the Light side. It will be necessary
for us to kill, but it isn’t wrong.”
The rest of the students all understood and nodded, even Jenstim, who wa
s still wondering what Anakin had done to shut him up. The six Jedi drew their
lightsabers and placed the lit blades in the middle of the circle over Anakin’s. “M
ay the Force be with us.”
They broke into groups. Anakin went with Foister, the twins stuck toget
her, and Garek, Celistin, and Jenstim made the last group. The TIE bombers bega
n to come in first. Although the Pellaeon attack on Yavin IV had happened well
into their history lessons, Luke had taught it out of order just for situations
like this.
Garek, Celistin, and Jenstim were familiar with the tactics used by thei
r predecessors to combat the Imperials. They reached out to the bombers, but fo
und that each of them too had ysalamiri on board. The trio scrambled quickly to
the top of the dormitory to try to get the bombers on the same level. There we
ren’t very many trees to use as weapons because of the earlier bombardment.
As the bombers came within range, they began firing on the temple. The
trio tried to bend the lasers away from their targets, but since it was hard to
pin point the lasers’ origin inside the Forceless bubbles, they weren’t very success
ful. Garek tried to make the best out of a bad situation and began hurling larg
e chunks of the broken temple at the bombers. The bombers were able to avoid th
e chunks for the most part, but a few inexperienced pilots dodged the chunks onl
y to crash into the temple or one of the few trees that were still standing.
Anakin, Foister, and the twins rushed the oncoming walkers. Scampering
across the burnt ground, the Jedi made clear targets and the two legged walkers
in the front took target practice. The Jedi held their ground as they worked to
deflect the laser fire. Anakin was able to bat some of the bolts back at their
source, destroying two walkers.
It soon became evident that Anakin was the most skilled fighter, and the
others were barely holding on. After Anakin destroyed his second walker with t
he returning bolts, the walkers stopped firing on him and focused on the others.
Anakin took the opportunity to move forward. Using the Force he ran faster th
an humanly possible and struck down the legs of the first walker he came to befo
re it even knew he was there. It took the felling of another walker before the
walkers adjusted their strategy a second time to now only fire on Anakin. This
gave the other Jedi the opportunity to do as Anakin had done, and strike the leg
s of the walkers.
The twins trained together a lot and enjoyed throwing things with the Fo
rce. They had made lightsaber boomerangs and were using them to chip away at th
e attacking machines. Through their combined efforts they were able to chip awa
y at the legs enough to make the walkers almost immobile.
There were originally ten walkers and now there were none functioning pr
operly. The Jedi’s feeling of success was short-lived because behind the prelimin
ary two legged walkers were many tanks and several four legged walkers. The yet
distant tanks began firing. They were not entirely accurate, but they were clo
se enough to make most of the Jedi scramble for cover. The large bolts didn’t pha
se Anakin and he held his ground. He even called a few of the close bolts to hi
s lightsaber and hit them back at the tanks. The tanks were strong and their ow
n lasers did little damage to themselves.
Foister saw the ease in which Anakin performed these tasks and stood by
him to help.
“Foister, go,” Anakin said.
“I will help you.”
“You’re not ready.” He batted another bolt back. “Not strong enough.”
Foister was hurt to hear his friend speak that way and stood more determ
ined. He tried to call lasers to him, but was unsuccessful. He was about to fo
llow Anakin’s advice, when the lightsaber in his hands started to move under the p
ower of the Force. It was a feeling he was used to. By throwing himself into t
he Force, it controlled his movements, automatically blocking the oncoming fire.
The tank bolt came in hard. Foister’s blade was there in time, but it exploded
under the impact. The bolt tore through Foister’s chest and hurled his now lifele
ss corpse several meters back.
“No!” In that instant Anakin emotionally detached himself from the situatio
n. Normally he would have felt rage and anger. Emotions that would have him th
row caution to the wind and charge in recklessly. He now saw his friend’s death a
s a tragic event. A wrong that needed to be rectified. Justice was needed, not
revenge. He charged, but with all caution. Bolts came in from either side as
he drew near the guilty tank. Anakin leaped high in the air, letting the bolts
flash by underneath him. He soared forward over twenty meters and landed on the
tank. He felt the Forceless bubble close in around him; he pushed back. Alway
s before when a Jedi had entered a Forceless bubble, there had been feelings of
despair, fear and apprehension. Anakin knew that the being projecting the bubbl
e was a simple worm like creature, not even sentient. The situation boiled down
to who was stronger. The ysalamiri shriveled up and died on the spot.
Anakin swung down from his position on the tank and took out the cannon.
The hatch popped open and an Imperial officer with a gun stuck his head out.
It wasn’t his gun for long. It exploded in the officers hand as a lightsaber cut
through it. The officer screamed as he fell back down the hatch. Anakin reache
d out with the Force and triggered the gun of the tank. He flipped off the tank
as he felt it try to fire out of its broken cannon. It backfired and exploded
internally.
Anakin went around the swarm of tanks striking at them with an uncaged f
ury. The tanks weren’t nimble enough to track this quick attacker and were smart
enough (unlike Imperial TIE fighter pilots) to know that if they missed Anakin,
they would hit themselves. Anakin struck out at the treads of one tank. With o
nly one good set of treads the tank was only able to move in circles.
The twins watched both the success of Anakin and the failure of Foister.
They knew their limitations and decided to work on the TIE bombers that were a
ttacking the temples. Their boomerangs proved very effective against the flying
enemies. The battle was going well until the bombers decided to target the stu
dents instead of the temple.
Standing on top of the temple, Garek, Celistin, and Jenstim stood out li
ke sunbathers on Hoth. The bombers soon found their targets, and Celistin suffe
red the same fate as Foister. Garek fell to his knees next to his love. He ros
e from her side a few seconds later with an evil sting in his eyes. He threw hi
s lightsaber at the offending TIE and sliced a solar panel clean off. He revele
d in his anger as he watched the TIE spin out of control and crash into the grou
nd. He was still looking at the crash when Jenstim called out his name.
Jenstim had detached himself emotionally like Anakin had said. As proud
as he was, he wasn’t unreasonable. Unlike Garek he could sense the new danger an
d had jumped off of the temple, screaming Garek’s name. Garek was to wrapped up i
n his revenge to feel the incoming bolt through the Force. The top of the templ
e exploded as the four legged walker’s blast shattered the structure. The blast k
nocked Garek unconscious and he fell with the rest of the ruble into the collaps
ing temple. Jenstim was floating down off the temple, watching the whole episod
e. He reached out to find Garek among the rubble and lift him out. He couldn’t f
ind Garek’s life signal amongst the stone and knew that that meant he was already
dead.
Anakin was still dealing with the tanks when he felt Celistin and Garek
die. He looked up from his fight and saw that the four legged walkers had moved
along the outside of the path and had approached the temples unscathed. Anakin
watched in horror as the huge mechanical beasts walked freely amongst the ancie
nt structures, tearing them down as if they were made of pebbles.
Anakin fought hard against the anger rising inside him. He threw it off
with a scream. Filled with new love for the ancient temples and the Jedi tradi
tion they had represented, he picked up one of the huge tanks and hurled it two
hundred meters through the air and into a walker. The two exploded in a terrifi
c fireball.
Anakin ran toward the temples, ignoring the remaining tanks. They fired
at his feet but Anakin made sure they all came up short. When he reached the t
emples he found nothing but rubble. Angelic was injured but still fighting. It
looked like she had been hit in the leg by falling stone. Jenstim and Angelina
still fought hard. Angelina had taken out the last of the bombers and was star
ting to help Jenstim with the walkers. They were smart enough to avoid the bolt
s from the walkers, but were finding that thrown rocks had little effect on the
large monsters. Anakin called attention to himself, knowing that his lightsaber
was strong enough to repel the massive fire power. Anakin swung a bolt back at
the head of one of the walkers, blowing it to pieces. The impact of the bolt s
ent Anakin sprawling but unhurt.
Anakin tried to draw more fire as Jenstim and Angelina ran at the walker’s
legs. The two Jedi’s lightsabers were not as strong as Anakin’s, but they were soo
n able to do enough damage to a leg to bring down the walker.
Anakin threw his lightsaber at another walker, taking out of the cockpit
. A walker saw his opportunity to take out the obvious leader and fired at the
unarmed Jedi. A Jedi is never unarmed. The Force was infinitely stronger than
Anakin’s lightsaber. Anakin simply caught the bolt and threw it back.
The remaining tanks were now closing in behind the Jedi and they found t
hemselves trapped. With walkers in front and tanks behind, they had no safe pla
ce to turn their backs. Anakin called his lightsaber back and called to the oth
er students. He couldn’t deflect fire from both front and back at the same time a
nd still be effective. The Jedi ran away from the destroyed Academy in the dire
ction that Streen and Tionne had led the younger students.
Anakin told the twins and Jenstim to meet up with the other students and
keep them a safe distance away. Anakin explained that he had to go back to mak
e sure of a few things. They had seen his performance and realized that he knew
what he was doing. They parted and wished each other luck.
Anakin had to make sure that his E-wing was safe. His E-wing. He was s
o used to calling it his that he forgot he was actually borrowing it from his un
cle. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of how mad Uncle Luke would be.
He didn’t even let Jacen or Jaina fly it. Anakin stopped short. Where were his b
rother and sister? And Lowbacca? They wouldn’t have gone with the younger studen
ts, would they? Their presence at the fight could have made a drastic differenc
e. Anakin shrugged his shoulders and continued running back toward the ruins.
He walked carefully amongst the rubble, keeping out of sight from the ta
nks and walkers that seemed to be everywhere. He had landed the E-wing in the s
ame secluded landing site that Lando had landed in about two weeks ago. He foun
d it undamaged and breathed a sigh of relief. He got inside and powered up. He
hesitated before lifting off, knowing that if he flew to the other students, he
would give away their position. He remembered a trick that his uncle had talke
d about once. Something about hiding your energy in the Force like hiding a cup
of water in the ocean. Anakin had never tried it, or even seen it. But he had
confidence in his abilities.
He lifted off and flew away from the grisly scene without one walker or
tank taking notice. He flew the craft in the general direction where he had lef
t the others. He reached out for Streen and found him two kilometers to the nor
th. Anakin set down the E-wing in a small clearing, unhiding it as he did so.
Streen and Tionne broke into the clearing leading a group of students.
Anakin popped out of the E-wing and met them. At the same time, the twins and J
enstim came into the clearing from the opposite side.
“What is happening at the Academy?” Streen asked the foursome.
“The Imperials attacked,” Jenstim said. “They killed Garek, Celistin, and Foi
ster and have destroyed all of the temples.”
“I suggest that we all stay here,” Anakin said. “I believe that they aren’t her
e to totally destroy the planet, just the Academy.”
“I agree,” Streen said, “but we should try to hide our presence.”
Together the group of students and teachers concentrated on hiding their
position and their life signs.
* * *
Snotzenexer read the battle reports. It had not started out well, but i
t had ended nicely. “Life signs?”
“It’s hard to tell with all of the jungle life out there, sir, but if you as
sume that if there are any left, they will stay in a group, then I read no large
groups of life forms.”
Good enough, thought Snotzenexer. He wasn’t ordered to exterminate the Je
di, just to destroy the Academy. All of the temples were reduced to rubble and
the troops reported three confirmed kills and four missing Jedi. “Call the troops
 back. We’re finished.”
* * *
The Jedi watched from the clearing as the shuttles came down to pick up
the officers. Walkers and tanks could only make the trip down. When they were
gone and the ships in space blasted into hyperspace, they all tried to relax.
“Where are my brother and sister?” Anakin asked Streen as soon as he had the
chance.
Streen dreaded telling Anakin, knowing what his reaction would be. He h
ad heard Jenstim’s report, though, and figured if anyone was going to go to Hastri
n, it should be Anakin.
Early the next morning, an E-wing shot out of Yavin IV’s atmosphere and en
tered hyperspace en-route to Hastrin.
Chapter 24 “Escape”
Han watched as Luke began to stir. It had been an anxious few days. Lu
ke had been in some kind of coma since the ordeal at the Arena. Han had spent t
he time since banging on the door to his cell and demanding medical attention fo
r his friend. He harassed the guards who brought their meals. He called for th
e doctor who he knew was stationed here. Han had been ignored. Han had hope th
at his friend was still OK. The conversation he had had with Luke right before
he fell into the coma implied that he had recovered some kind of Force skill. L
uke had put himself in comas before, but never for this long. Han had examined
the wound on Luke’s head and realized the reason for the prolonged coma. Han cont
inued to yell at the guards, though. He yelled for two reasons: he didn’t want t
he Imperials to think that Luke was OK, and he wasn’t one hundred percent sure tha
t Luke was OK. If Han had kept his silence the Imperials were likely to think t
hat something was up, that Luke wasn’t as badly injured as they had thought.
Han watched as Luke slowly rose to a sitting position. He moved slowly,
careful not to black out. He tried to stand but Han rushed to his side. “It’s OK,
don’t get up.”
Luke looked up at him. “I’m fine Han.” Luke pushed Han’s helping hand away and
got to his feet smoothly. He stretched his limbs and tested the wound on the s
ide of his head.
Han saw color return to his friend’s face, and for the first time Han noti
ced that Luke’s hair was back to its original color, the gray seemingly gone. “What
happened?”
“I have the Force again. I’d always had it, just I didn’t know it. You could
say the rancor knocked some sense into me.”
“It looked like he almost knocked everything out of you,” Han tried to sound
stern but was inwardly glad, and a smile slowly crept to his lips. “Oh, never ta
lk to me like that again.”
“Like what?” Luke looked confused.
“In my head. That’s reserved for Lea.” Luke looked a little confused. Han s
tarted to feel embarrassed, sorry that he had brought it up. “You know, that’s how
we talk when we, you know, . . .” Luke understood.
Luke changed topics quickly. “So you want to get out of here?” he motioned
around at the cell.
Han replaced his former expression with a smile. “Thought you’d never ask.
Do you have a plan?”
“Do we need one? I thought we’d just walk out.”
“Sounds good to me.”
The two of them walked up to the door. Luke paused slightly and the doo
r opened. They stepped out of the door, and Han noticed that the two guards lay
unconscious at their posts.
“You remember the way to the transport?” Luke asked.
“Yes I do, but I think that you should lead the way.”
Luke made his way down the hall with Han in toe. They were unnoticed an
d unmolested. Han was surprised that there weren’t any alarms. Then again, they
didn’t break the door down, and the guards probably didn’t have any time to signal t
he alarm before Luke had knocked them out.
The door to the outside slid open as they approached it. Outside two gu
ards turned around, only to have Luke knock them out with a wave of his hand.
“We’re heading to town right?” Han asked.
Luke nodded. “I figure it’s the safest place to hide.”
“We better take these guys’ uniforms then.”
“I can hide our identity.”
“What if we get separated or hit another ysalamiri field?”
“You’re right Luke admitted.” They stripped the two guards and took off their
own, now smelly, imperial uniforms. The uniforms they had been wearing might h
ave been good camouflage, but they had no rank and they smelled awful.
Han jumped into the driver’s seat, and Luke took his spot in the front. H
an knew the way to town and accelerated the little transport quickly. The terra
in was rough, but a path had been made off the side of the mountain.
They had just left the rocky mountain side when Han felt a little tug on
the transport. Luke felt it in the Force. “Someone is trying to keep us here.”
Han pressed the throttle to the floor. “Jacen, wanna bet?” Luke helped Han
through the Force but the craft still slowed. Suddenly the grasp let go and Ha
n couldn’t let up on the throttle in time. The transport rocketed forward, and it
was all Han could do to keep the craft from crashing into a tree as they sped i
nto the forest.
After Han regained control he turned to Luke. “What happened?”
“We hit a Forceless bubble. They probably surrounded their base with ysal
amiri. We’re through the field now.”
They continued on in silence for a while. As they approached the city H
an spoke up. “You better hide us a little bit. We were just at a trial, and abou
t fifty thousand people saw us in the Arena, we might be recognized. Is there a
nything that you can do that’s permanent.”
Han felt his face start to tingle. He took one hand of the wheel to fee
l his new growing beard. He could feel the hairs grow longer as Luke stimulated
the growth of each hair. Han looked in the rear view mirror and admired his kn
ew face. “Not bad, I might just keep it.” Luke assumed the identity that he always
used when he traveled abroad and didn’t wish to be recognized.
The transport sped through town and no one paid them a second look. Han
looked for a place to park the vehicle. He saw a few smaller speeders in a gar
age. As Han turned to park the transport he raised a concern that had been on h
is mind. “We don’t have any money.”
“I don’t think we’re going to need it. This just seems to be a planet side re
treat. They must have a space station somewhere, and this is where they take th
eir leave. The Empire isn’t going to try to make money off itself.” Han couldn’t arg
ue with the logic. He agreed with Luke fully when he wasn’t charged for parking t
heir ride.
They walked out into the street and looked at the passing groups of peop
le. Clones were freaky. Groups of four or five identical people walked by with
regularity. In fact Han had to look around for a while to find a diversified g
roup like their own. They walked down the street and entered the first bar they
came to. Luke took a seat at an empty booth and Han went over to talk to the b
ar tender.
“Hey, you’re new here. I don’t remember seeing any of your brothers around.”
Han remembered what Luke had said. “Yea well my shift just got off today.
You should see more of me pretty soon. Do you know of a good place to spend t
he night.”
“You mean besides your assigned quarters?”
Stupid! Of course the Empire would have housing blocks set up. “Well, yo
u know, they get so stuffy. I want a place where I can relax.”
“Ah, you’re looking for a little night time entertainment. There are a few
women working in a couple of the other bars in town. They’re the only thing that
costs anything down here, unless you’re into betting.”
“Good looking of course?” Han feigned interest.
 “The Empire only clones only the best, buddy.”
Han tried to hide his disgust. He had no intention of looking up a pros
titute (Leia would throw him out an airlock), but the idea of sleeping with a ma
nufactured test tube female gave him the chills. Han ordered two drinks, realiz
ing as he walked back, that Luke probably wouldn’t drink his.
Han sat down across from Luke. “So where are we staying tonight?”
“What?” Han asked. “You weren’t listening in on our conversation?”
“I was trying to pick up a little info from our bar mates. You know, ease
dropping.”
“Find anything?”
“Not much other than what we had already guessed. There seems to some kin
d station - the Dark Ring is what they’re calling it. I’m getting a bad feeling tha
t it might a huge bat-”
Luke was cut off as someone slammed a hand down on their table. Both Ha
n and Luke jumped at the sound. They looked up at a large man with a few specta
tors behind him. The man was looking right at Luke. Han was worried that their
cover might be blown. He looked over at Luke and realized that he couldn’t even
recognize the Jedi Master. The big man lifted his hand revealing a pile of cred
its. “One hundred credits says that I can beat you in a game of gungrat arm wrest
ling.”
Han nearly laughed out loud. Luke was anything but physically intimidat
ing, and the false identity he was assuming did nothing to compliment that form.
Luke looked at Han and Han realized that he didn’t want this distraction. Han m
outhed that they needed the money. Luke shrugged and turned back to the man. “Qu
adruple your bet and you’re on.”
A few spectators gasped at Luke’s boldness. Even the big man was slightly
taken aback. Han almost thought he was going to call the bet off. Who knows w
hat kind of clone Luke could be? “Let’s see your money first.”
“You don’t need to see my money,” Luke said with a wave of his fingers.
“Of course I don’t need to see your money.”
“Bert are you sure?” one of the men behind him asked.
“I know what I’m doing, Shrenk. Come on big spender,” he said to Luke. Luke
complied by standing and following Bert over to the wrestling table.
Han got up as well and fell in line with the rest of the crowd. He move
d over to Shrenk. “Has he lost before?”
Shrenk shook his head. “He claims that he can beat any clone that comes a
round. He challenges each new type he sees. You’re probably next.”
“What if he looses?”
“He won’t. One of his brothers did once, in another bar across town.”
“Has Bert challenged the victor yet, or at least one of his brothers?”
“She wasn’t a clone.”
Han looked incredulous. He gazed at Bert’s incredible bulk as he sat down
at the wrestling table. “A woman beat one of his brothers?”
Shrenk nodded but didn’t say anything else as the fight was about to begin
. The uniforms that Han and Luke had stolen consisted of a mid sleeve coat over
a short sleeve T-shirt. Luke took off his coat and rolled up his right sleeve.
Han noticed that Luke’s arm was quite a bit bigger than normal. It still didn’t c
ompare to Bert’s, but Han knew that didn’t matter.
Luke took his seat across from Bert and placed his elbow on the small pa
d made available to him. Bert gripped his hand in a vice, trying to break Luke’s
hand and end the fight before it started. Luke didn’t flinch, but clenched his ha
nd tight and flexed his arm. Han watched in disbelief as Luke’s arm swelled to an
incredible size. Muscles appeared from nowhere, swelling and rippling over eac
h other. Bert’s jaw dropped and his grip loosened. Luke responded by tightening
his grip, almost crushing Bert’s hand.
The judge for the match gave the starting word, and Bert launched his at
tack. He leaned with all of his incredible strength against Luke’s arm. Luke’s arm
bent back slightly, but as strong as Bert was, he was no match for the life for
ce of the entire universe. Luke sent Bert’s arm crashing down on the table so har
d that the thick wood cracked, and the entire table snapped in half. Bert was t
hrown from his chair and landed in the pile of wood that used to be the table.
Luke stood up and stretched is arm. The muscles faded one by one back i
nto his arm. He waited for Bert to regain his consciousness and collected his f
our hundred credits.
Han and Luke made an immediate exit and walked quickly down the street.
“Congratulations,” Han said in jest. “I was worried there for a moment.” Luke walked
in silence, he didn’t enjoy flaunting his powers like that, but Han was right and
they did need the money. “I think Jaina is in town,” Han said growing quickly serio
us.
“What makes you say that?”
“I was talking with one of Bert’s henchmen. He told me that Bert had never
lost before, but one of his clones had. He had lost to a woman. There aren’t ver
y many women I know that are big enough to accomplish that feat with out a littl
e help. And I know Jacen would not have come here alone.”
This revelation sent Luke into deep thought. He had gotten to know the
twins very well at the Academy and began to think that there was a very good cha
nce that Lowbacca was here too. His thoughts returned to Jacen. He would have
to confront him. Because of that incident as they were leaving the mountain, Lu
ke knew that Jacen knew that they were in the city and he would either be coming
for them or he would wait for Luke to come to him. Luke decided that he had to
take the initiative and go to Jacen. Luke was overcome with a feeling of de-ja
-vu. He had had to confront the last Lord of the Sith, his father, twenty-seven
years ago. He had gone into that confrontation with the knowledge that there w
as still good in Darth Vader and intentions of turning him back to the Light sid
e. He had managed to turn his father, but it had killed him. Luke hoped for be
tter results with Jacen. If it was only mind control that was influencing Jacen’s
actions then it would be easier to turn him back than if it had been his consci
ous decision. Somewhere inside Darth Solon was Jacen Solo trying to get out.
“We have to find her, Luke,” Han said.
“I have to confront Jacen.”
“We can find Jaina first, then we can go back to the base and get Jacen.
Together the two of you could turn him back.”
“Are you forgetting that it is very likely that Jaina has been brainwashed
as well. Besides we don’t know where to start looking. It’s best if we split up.
I’ll go back to the base and find Jacen. You stay here and look for Jaina, but r
emember she won’t know you, so be careful.”
Han wanted to argue, but realized that Luke was right. “Just remember tha
t Jacen’s my son, not some evil Dark Lord that the Empire has made him look like.”
Luke nodded and they separated. Luke headed back to the transport, and
Han moseyed off in a random direction searching for his daughter.
* * *
Darth Solon walked alone down the dimly lit corridor. His boots echoed
resoundingly in the hallway, and his black cape flowed gracefully behind him por
traying all the confidence he felt and more. He walked onto the main bridge of
the third quadrant of the Dark Ring and smiled to himself as he saw everyone in
the room straighten their posture and try to look busy.
Commander Skeener walked quickly up to Solon and saluted. Inwardly he h
ated having to salute, respect, and, unfortunately, fear this kid. In his estim
ation Solon could not be more than twenty-five years old. Skeener didn’t let his
contempt for Solon show too much, because he knew that Solon was the hand of Tal
lon and therefore indirectly the hand of Thrawn.
“The preparations for battle are progressing smoothly. All construction i
s finished on the weapon systems, and all systems are fully charged. We are cur
rently in the middle of staffing the fourth quarter. All personnel training sho
uld be finished by tomorrow. The Dark Ring should be fully operational in less
than twenty-four hours.” Skeener paused. “If I may ask, Lord Solon, why are we at
all worried about the New Republic’s attack? Surely this battle station could dem
olish the five biggest fleets in the galaxy at once. What have we to fear?”
 Darth Solon paused in consideration. ‘You don’t know, do you?’ thought Skeene
r. ‘Tallon has only told you what he wants. Vader always knew what was going on.’
Skeener felt a little tingle in his throat. “You are wise not to speak yo
ur thoughts. You would be wiser not to think them at all.” Solon released his gr
ip. “We have reason to believe that the New Republic has acquired the plans to th
e Dark Ring. They have taken one of our old weapon stations that might have con
tained the plans, as well as other confidential weapon information.”
“Good,” Skeener said with just a little crack in his voice, “that will give th
em a false sense of hope.”
“The same false sense of hope that they had at Yavin IV and Endor, Command
er?”
“Lord Solon, are you predicting a defeat?”
“I believe that we will crush the New Republic, if we are ready. If we ho
ld them in contempt they will crush us.” Solon held his hand and made a fist.
Skeener could feel his throat close again and immediately picked up on S
olon’s hidden meaning. “I don’t hold you in contempt, Lord Solon.”
Solon released his grip. “Let’s hope not, for your sake, Commander.” Solon t
urned sharply around and left the room quickly.
Darth Solon made his way back to the landing bay and his shuttle. He di
sliked these motivational trips that Tallon sent him on, but he realized that th
e officers in this battle station had to remain sharp. Without any adversaries
to fight against, Solon was glad to provide them with a sharp poke in the rear t
o keep them motivated. The turbo lift whisked him through the gigantic structur
e at speeds he did not care to calculate. His brother could probably calculate
them. He had always been good at ma-. What brother? Solon was an only child,
and his parents had been killed by the New Republic. Solon used his anger to fl
ush away the false conception of a brother. He should examine his memory someti
me soon, he couldn’t afford to have mental slips like that.
Darth Solon’s shuttle was waiting for him. His pilot saw him enter the ha
nger and rushed to take his spot in the cockpit. Without a word from either of
them, Solon sat in the back, and the pilot lifted the shuttle out of the hanger
and flew to the jump point for Hastrin.
The jump was short and uneventful. Solon spent the time formulating his
report. He was not used to giving reports. He had only been doing this for a
few wee-. He had been doing this for a couple years. Another false memory had
crept into his mind. He spent the rest of the trip in meditation.
Solon was refreshed with a renewed confidence when the shuttle jumped ou
t of hyperspace outside of Hastrin. After the pilot gave the orbiting fleet the
proper clearance codes, he steered the ship toward the planet. And after a sho
rt atmospheric trip, the shuttle touched down gently on the small mountain side
landing pad. Solon made his way to the turbo lift and descended into the lower
levels.
Darth Solon passed through the ysalamiri field located halfway down the
shaft. Solon hated the worm-like creatures, but acknowledged their importance i
n capturing Skywalker. The Forceless bubble continued all the way to the bottom
, and it took Solon a few seconds to walk out of it after he left the turbo lift
.
Solon made his way to Tallon’s office. He not only had information to giv
e, but he wished to learn about the current events on Hastrin. He walked quickl
y through the clean halls of the mountain fortress. Tallon’s office was not far f
rom the Turbo lift, and Solon didn’t waste any time.
Tallon looked up from his computer screen as Darth Solon walked. “Good ev
ening, Lord Solon. How fares our indestructible monstrosity in space?”
“It is approaching one hundred percent battle readiness. It should be rea
dy by tomorrow. How is our fleet doing?”
“The New Republic is scrambling to keep up. General Oskiman is doing a fa
bulous job of keeping them guessing as to our next move. The Academy has also b
een hit successfully. I hope you weren’t having any second thoughts, because ther
e is nothing to run back to.”
“Any survivors?”
 “The Academy seemed almost deserted when the attack force arrived. We too
k several casualties, but we were able to reduce all of the temples to rubble.
The little resistance that we met was crushed. There is a guess of about six Je
di lost.”
Solon felt no remorse. “What of Skywalker and Solo? How did they fare ag
ainst the rancor?”
Tallon’s face fell a little. “Better than expected, unfortunately. Skywalk
er took a vicious and near fatal blow to the head and is in a coma right now, bu
t Solo was able to make friends with the horrible beast, and the fight was calle
d off until a later date.”
Solon disbelieved in Solo’s ability to calm the rancor and immediately sme
lled foul play. He, unlike Tallon, was aware of the Force’s use in taming animals
. Skywalker had taken a blow to the head. The surgery! Solon closed his eyes
and reached out to the prison cell. He opened his eyes with a snap. “Skywalker h
as woken up.”
“From his coma?” Tallon asked, though he expected more from Solon’s tone.
“Yes, and from his Force slumber. He has regained his ability to wield th
e Force.”
“Impossible,” Tallon said. He didn’t so much doubt Solon as much as he wanted
an explanation.
“The blow to his head could have undone the surgery.”
“Not likely,” Tallon argued. “Dr. Kendel is an exceptional physician. He wou
ld have secured his work better than that.”
“Are you trying to compare the work of the Force with the work of a scalpe
l?” Solon had always been a little skeptic as to the security of the surgery, now
his fears had come to reality. “We must get to them before they escape.”
Tallon and Darth Solon moved quickly out of Tallon’s office. As they ran,
Tallon remembered what Thrawn had said at the Arena. Thrawn had been right aga
in. This shouldn’t have surprised Tallon, but it did.
“They are on the move,” Solon said.
Tallon activated his communicator and tried to contact the posted guards
. He got no response. He cursed his slow reaction. “Where are they headed?”
“They are going outside.”
Of course, they were going in the only direction they knew of. Tallon w
as able to reach the two guards outside.
“Yes, sir.”
“Be ready for Skywalker and Solo.”
“Have they esca-” the guards voice was cut short.
“They’re moving quickly,” Tallon said to Solon.
They got to the cell to find the door open and the two guards on the flo
or. Solon stooped to check the life signs of each. Tallon was a little shocked
at Darth Solon’s uncharacteristic concern for the guards. There was probably sti
ll too much of Jacen Solo in him. Solon got up and proclaimed that they were si
mply asleep.
They hurried down the corridor leading to the outdoors. The door was op
en and the transport was gone. Tallon squinted against the sun and saw it strea
king down the side of the mountain. Solon reached his hand out and tried to bri
ng the craft back. He endured a brief struggle with Skywalker before the transp
ort plunged into the darkness of the ysalamiri field.
“I’ve lost them,” Solon admitted. “Skywalker will come back to me.”
“They’re headed into the city. I’ll send a team of storm troopers in.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the voice came from behind them, and both Solon and
Tallon spun around to see Thrawn staring at the disappearing transport. “It appe
ars the surgery was indeed thwarted, Captain. I agree with Lord Solon that Skyw
alker will come back. I’m sure if you give it some thought you will come to the s
ame conclusion, but perhaps for different reasons.”
Jacen was Skywalker’s nephew, and Skywalker thinks that Jacen is the next
the Dark Lord of the Sith. Of course he’ll come back. Tallon wondered about the
prudence of bringing that fact up right in front of Jacen. “What about Solo?”
“I believe you have an operative in the city,” Thrawn said.
 Of course. Jaina would be perfect for the job. The irony was almost si
ckening. Han’s son would kill Skywalker, while his daughter would kill him. This
escape wasn’t so bad after all.
Chapter 25 “Skirmishes”
Captain Sanson looked down on the planet from her position of five thous
and kilometers above the colorful sphere. She could see the large, dark spots o
n the globe’s surface that she knew to be the huge mines for which the planet was
famous. Her last attack had been in conjunction with Commander Qwi’tek, as this o
ne was. They had attacked Gensiffery and Frection. They had not unleashed a sh
ot on the valuable resource planet of Frection, but had decimated the tropical p
lanet of Gensiffery. She regretted that they had not been as successful in thei
r last campaign as they had hoped and planned to remedy that this time.
Sanson pulled her gaze away from the planet and returned it to the space
battle around her. She wasn’t concerned about it either. The planet and small f
leet that she and Qwi’tek had trapped here, wouldn’t be going anywhere, except maybe
hell. She and Qwi’tek were using the same type of tactics that they had used in
their previous battle, dropping in from hyperspace on directly opposite sides of
the patrolling fleet. The New Republic fleet was forced to divide its ships, h
alf of them facing one fleet and the other half oriented one hundred eighty degr
ees opposite, facing the other one.
Sanson had ordered the fleet under her command to fire on the ships faci
ng Qwi’tek’s fleet, and she knew Qwi’tek’s fleet was firing on the ones facing her. Alt
hough the fleet trapped in the middle was larger than the sum of the fleets atta
cking, they were badly out positioned and greatly out strategized. With Sanson’s
vast knowledge of her enemy’s ships, she had her turbo lasers fire at the idle sub
light engines.
When ships are in an orbital pattern they use only their minor motivator
s, allowing the normal component of the orbital acceleration brought on by the p
lanet’s gravitational pull to propel them forward. In battle the main motivators
are sometimes activated, but Sanson was willing to bet that in the fleet’s awkward
and, mostly, stationary position, they had not changed from their orbital engin
es. It did not matter because whatever the case, their sublight engines were de
finitely not in use, and they were the most direct route to the ships’ main reacto
rs.
Sanson watched as the ships her fleet was firing on started to buckle an
d explode. A few of the ships began to realize what was happening and activated
their sublight engines. With the sublight engines engaged, the energy feed bac
k safeties were activated, but even at the smallest power setting, the sublight
engines propelled the ships toward Qwi’tek’s fleet and away from the protection the
pack had to offer.
Qwi’tek didn’t have the knowledge that Sanson had of the New Republic design
(Sanson had not told him, wishing all of the glory for herself - some things ne
ver change) and wasn’t causing quite as much damage as his female counter part. H
is success changed when the ships that Sanson was firing at, activated their sub
light engines, propelling themselves one by one into the middle of Qwi’tek’s fleet.
He hit the ships from three sides, and in many cases allowed the soon powerless
ships to drift harmlessly through his fleet.
The New Republic ships had very little choice. They could stay where th
ey where and blow up from a reactor overload, or shoot themselves suicidally rig
ht into the middle of the enemy fleet. The ones that stayed, exploded, and the
ones that attacked Qwi’tek head on, entered the gauntlet running and emerged from
the other end shieldless and powerless. Qwi’tek made sure that the ships leaving
his fleet were redirected enough that their path dropped them into a low orbit a
round the planet. Like a speeder bike tied to a tree, the gravity pulled them i
nto a downward spiraling orbit. Unlike the speeder, the doomed ships weren’t like
ly to make even one revolution before crashing into the planet.
The second half of the New Republic fleet noticed the first half’s poor pr
edicament, but were reluctant to turn their backs to Sanson’s unerring turbo laser
s to help. The commanders of New Republic had strict orders on how to respond t
o an Imperial attack. First you should call for assistance from the three close
st fleets, and at their discretion, they will send you reinforcements. Second y
ou never give up, but stay and wait for reinforcements. This was on the belief
that the men and recourses lost in a naval defeat, didn’t come close to the amount
of loses from a planetary bombardment. Third was, of course, to win. Everyone
in the New Republic recognized this moral builder for what it was. The New Rep
ublic was taking some heavy loses all over the border region, and any little wor
d of encouragement was sorely needed.
This battle was looking to turnout a lot like every other battle in the
past week. With the New Republic ships that had been facing Qwi’tek now tumbling
into the planet’s atmosphere, Qwi’tek, despite the fact that he didn’t know what to ai
m at, had the rear ends of the remaining New Republic ships laid out before him,
and they didn’t last long.
The New Republic realized that they were going to lose, but tried to fin
d a way to prolong the fight. The remaining ships faced Sanson and they turned
on their sublight engines, and as a whole, sped toward the Imperial fleet. In a
normal battle the charged fleet would have to hold its ground or let the chargi
ng escape. This wasn’t a normal battle. Sanson knew all the tricks and was prett
y sure as to what the New Republic’s orders were. She angled her fleet downward a
nd shot past and underneath. The New Republic found that it was now charging in
to empty space. They could launch themselves into hyperspace if they wished, bu
t they had no choice but to turn around and face the foe.
Qwi’tek was shocked that Sanson had given up her position so easily, not s
eeing that the New Republic charge had merely been a bluff. Sanson had called t
he bluff and found that the New Republic had been holding a flush - right down t
he refresher. Qwi’tek had first not seen the bluff for what it was and had ordere
d his ships to fire on the activated sublight engines in an effort to disable th
em and keep them from escaping. As the New Republic ships deactivated their sub
light engines to turn around, Qwi’tek realized the strategy that had allowed Sanso
n to disable her targets so much more quickly. The selfish no good . . . He wo
uld have to remember to congratulate her on her cunning battle prowess. He knew
when he had been beaten, although it was a little easier to take in the midst o
f a victory.
Many of the New Republic ships weren’t able to complete their turn because
of Qwi’tek’s recent discovery. They drifted at a perpendicular vector to the Imper
ial fleet, and Qwi’tek understood better the true meaning of the popular insult th
at his fighter pilots often threw at each other. If you couldn’t hit the broad si
de of a Calamarian Cruiser then you were indeed a horrible shot.
The few ships that were able to complete the turn found that Sanson had
wasted no time turning her ships around and both fleets bore down on New Republi
c ships. Ten short minutes later the battle was over.
Sanson contacted Qwi’tek and congratulated him on a job well done. She de
cided to keep her wise cracks on how she thought he would never take out a ship
until later. Now it was time to move on to phase two. This was the first battl
e that neither the Captain nor Commander had used fighters. The reason for Qwi’te
k had been simple. He had no more pilots. His earlier entanglement with the 18
5th had left him with three hangers full of fighters and bombers, but no one to
fly them. Sanson wasn’t in the same position but decided to not gloat over her pl
ethora of fighters, and fought the battle fighterless.
Phase two involved the fighters. Qwi’tek’s TIE’s were useless without pilots
and they decided to put them to good use. Instead of filling the cockpit of the
fighter with the bulk of a pilot, the Imperial flight technicians stowed severa
l massive explosives in the spherical cavity, also loading the torpedo tubes to
their capacity. Flown by computer the TIE’s streaked toward the unprotected plane
t. The TIE’s were much more accurate than the turbo laser fire that rained down a
round them, because unlike the light orientated lasers, the TIE’s underwent no ref
raction as they passed through the thick ozone layer of the planet. The TIE’s wer
e also controlled manually until right before contact.
Needless to say, the explosions that the beefed up TIE’s produced were ove
r 20-fold those of the lasers. Out of curiosity Sanson had loaded a few advance
d TIE’s with explosives and sent them on identical kamikaze runs. She had all of
the safeties removed from the fighter and right before impact, she had the advan
ced TIE’s enter hyperspace. Kinetic energy equals one half mass times velocity sq
uared. Force equals mass times acceleration. Momentum equals mass times veloci
ty. These equations flashed through her mind as she watched the TIE undergo nea
r infinite acceleration, attaining a velocity many time that of the speed of lig
ht before colliding into the planet. She got to experience the equation e = mc^
2 as well, as the fighter atomized into a two million megaton yield explosion, l
eveling over one thousand square kilometers of the capitol city. Neat.
The other TIE’s were aimed at the mining complexes. The unprocessed ore w
as turning out to be quite flammable and the pockets of natural gas produced fir
e works that were much more enjoyable for the Imperials at five thousand kilomet
ers than they were for the miners at about fifty meters.
It was with great regret that Captain Sanson received the hypercom messa
ge from Hastrin. Her pleasure for destruction did not eclipse her pleasure for
remaining in command however, so she followed the orders to pull back. The last
of the TIE bombs were sent down, and the fleet left the hapless planet below.
Two minutes after the Imperial fleet jumped out, the overdue reinforcements jump
ed in.
* * *
General Oskiman was finally understanding something that had puzzled him
for the past week. In Sanson and Qwi’tek’s original report on their battles over G
ensiffery and Frection, Oskiman had been troubled over a line from Qwi’tek’s report.
“We were bombarded by the expertly executed attack of three unknown fighters, fo
rcing our early disembarkment.” Oskiman did not question his commander directly,
knowing that he took defeat very hard, but he was perplexed as how only three fi
ghters could swing the entire flow of battle. He now knew.
* * *
Jon squealed as an energy bolt seared just under his left wing, but rela
xed as he executed a tight corner around a crowded hanger bay. The trailing Imp
erial wasn’t half as skilled, and he crashed into an exiting TIE. Jon notched his
counter up another digit.
The remaining two fighters of the trio picked up the chase where their c
omrade had failed. Jon saw his two tails and adjusted his side cannons to fire
straight ahead, instead of to a point. He took a sharp diving turn around the f
ar side of a Star Destroyer. There was another Destroyer flying in formation, a
nd it was a tight fit between the two large ships. The TIE’s had to fly tight to
follow. Jon used the zero turning radius of his fighter to flip around. Now he
was coasting backwards and facing his enemy. The distance between the closely
packed TIE’s was about equal to his wing span, and he loosed a few bolts into the
unsuspecting fighters. Jon punched his accelerator, pressing him back into his
seat. The W-wing groaned under the drastic change in momentum, but it was all w
orth it a second later when he shot through the dying explosion of his enemies.
Vince and Bep were again fighting together and basically picking up tail
s so the other one could take them out. Vince and Bep preferred to attack the S
tar Destroyers directly instead of messing around with the TIE’s, but on this enco
unter they had been on patrol when the Imperials had jumped in, so by the time t
hey had boarded and left their carrier, the battle was already engaged, and the
capitol ships were attacking each other. Jon was the only one that dared play a
round the Destroyers while the capitol ships exchanged fire. Not even the most
skilled fighter could avoid a beam weapon that traveled at the speed of light.
The W-wing had the strongest shields of any fighter, and although they could rep
el other fighters’ fire, they were quite useless against a heavy turbo laser.
The New Republic was out gunned again, but the fighters were proving to
be no trouble at all. Once the TIE’s were diminished enough to be almost totally
disregarded, the leaders of each squadron were assigned an Imperial capitol ship
 to harass. With this new strategy of five E-wings against a Victory class Star
Destroyer, the New Republic was able to even the odds somewhat. It wasn’t until
Jon took out an Imperial Star Destroyer by destroying the bridge, that the tide
actually turned to the New Republic’s favor.
Jon had used a trick that he had invented on the spot. Bep had equipped
each W-wing with a small tractor beam designed for towing crippled fighters bac
k to the carrier. Jon was able to lock it on to one of his tails with out the I
mperial noticing. The TIE must have thought he was an incredible pilot, staying
on Jon’s tail like he was. Jon’s rear shields were depleting quickly, and the trac
tor beam was draining a lot of power. He sped toward the bridge of the doomed I
mperial Star Destroyer at top speed. Normally the TIE would have had no chance
to keep up, but this oddity failed to register in the over zealous TIE pilot’s bra
in.
Jon unleashed a salvo of missiles at the Destroyer weakening its shields
and allowing his tractor beam to keep its hold through the disturbance of the d
eflector. The trail realized his fate too late. Jon pulled an impossible maneu
ver, jerked the flight stick back at the last second, yanking the nose of his ni
mble craft upward and out of danger. Jon released the tractor beam and watched
as the helpless pilot tried desperately to pull the same maneuver as Jon. He so
on realized exactly how much the tractor beam had been aiding him. The TIE paid
a personal visit to the bridge crew of the huge ship and rendered the mechanica
l monster driverless.
Oskiman saw the skill in which the pilot had executed the move and thoug
ht as Qwi’tek had that there had to be a Jedi in the cockpit. Oskiman dreaded the
fact that he might have to retreat his position, when the hypercom message came
in. He gladly complied with the message and relayed it to the rest of the flee
t.
Captain Tremon saw the Imperials leave and called the fighters back. Jo
n not wanting to return to his carrier with any torpedoes left unleashed the res
t of them at the retreating ships before complying with the order.
* * *
Everywhere the Imperial ships broke off their attack, and the New Republ
ic was happy to see them go. As if following the script of a story, the two col
lective fleets ended their minor conflicts and organized themselves together for
one final battle.
Chapter 26 “Quiet Before the Storm”
Leia was yapping at Wedge’s heels like a small dog as he walked briskly th
rough the halls of the Imperial palace on Coruscant.
“What about Han? Aren’t you going to send a second fleet? You can’t just str
and them on Hastrin!”
Wedge stopped as he approached the door at the end of the hallway. “Liste
n, Princess,” he turned to look at her, “I told you that we can’t afford to send a sec
ond fleet to Hastrin. We’ve barely scrounged up enough ships to make a decent fle
et as it is. We definitely can’t afford to sponsor another fleet to Hastrin to me
et who knows what.” Feeling that he had ended the conversation, he continued towa
rd the door. It opened with a swoosh, and Leia could see the inside of a hanger
. “If you really want to help see if you can find us some more ships,” Wedge threw
over his shoulder as the door closed behind him. Leia was left standing alone i
n the corridor. She was about to follow him when his words sunk in. More ships
- she could do that.
* * *
Leia waited, as her holo message was being connected and then answered.
The face of Teneniel Djo gazed inquisitively at Leia. “Yes, Leia?”
Leia reached out desperately for her diplomatic skills. “Good,” she paused,
searching for the right word, “morning,” she finally guessed. Teneniel nodded in c
ompliance. “Have you been able to restore the damage that hideous Imperial assass
in did to your beautiful dining hall.” Leia was sure to use adjectives that would
set up Teneniel’s emotions to her advantage.
“No we haven’t quite finished all of the repairs yet, but surely that isn’t th
e reason you called.”
Leia realized it would be hard to work with someone as professional as t
he Queen of the Hapes cluster. She decided to get right to the point. “Queen Djo
,” she started remaining professional, “we are in a terrible war with the Imperials
right now. A war that has even reached your capital through the acts of the ass
assin.” Leia had to throw that line in, not yet giving up on her diplomatic suave
. “We have grown strong over the past decade and felt that we were safe from outs
ide invasion. But recently the Empire has proven our idea of safety to be a fal
se one. They have struck many civilian targets, killing millions. They have us
ed tact and strategy that has always been thought to be out of the Empire’s reach
to reduce our fleet drastically in both size and strength. I call you now not o
nly as one friend to another, but as one government to another.
“We are presently preparing for a huge confrontation. The Empire has buil
t another behemoth of a battle station, and it has placed the lives of many in j
eopardy. We have received the plans to the super structure and are preparing fo
r an all out attack. The future of the entire galaxy may be resting on the outc
ome of this battle. If we were to lose, the Empire would gain the upper hand in
the power struggle, and would not hesitate to press that advantage. I won’t insu
lt your intelligence by spelling it out for you, but you can understand what it
would be like if the Empire were the dominant force in the universe.
“We are asking for ships. We realize that you will be hesitant in joining
a battle that will result in heavy casualties, but we ask you just the same. I
f you aren’t willing to risk the lives of your people, than at least consider send
ing unmanned ships for us to use. This cry for help comes from us at our most d
esperate hour.”
Teneniel paused considering the request. She made the obvious connectio
n that Leia had been hesitant to point out. She did not want a universe dominat
ed by the Empire. The Hapans mainly kept to themselves, but Teneniel wasn’t naive
enough to believe that the Empire would just leave them alone. They had fought
the Empire before when her husband’s safety had been in jeopardy, surely they cou
ld put forth some effort here when the safety of the whole galaxy hung in the ba
lance.
“Yes, Leia. The Hapan government will be willing to support your venture.
We will be happy to be part of the fleet that puts an end to the Empire.”
They exchanged information about fleet size and made the final arrangeme
nts right there. “Don’t you have to okay this decision with your government?” Leia as
ked.
Teneniel smiled broadly. “You forget Leia that I am the head of a matriar
chal society. I am the government.”
Leia thanked her one final time and disconnected. She had news for Wedg
e. The 75 ships that Teneniel had promised almost doubled the New Republic’s pres
ent fleet. She also knew that the Hapan technology was more advanced than their
own and their ships more destructive.
* * *
Wedge was speechless.
“We can send a fleet to Hastrin now, right?”
Leia had found Wedge in the hanger as he was helping to prep the ships a
nd pilots for the upcoming battle. She had finally managed to tug him away from
an X-wing squadron to tell him about the 75 Hapan ships she had gotten to add t
o their fleet. Wedge had been ecstatic at first, but now saw her, not so hidden
, agenda. “Now more than ever, we have to focus everything on the Dark Ring,” he sa
id. Leia’s face fell considerably so he continued. “Can’t you see that now we have a
formidable fleet and might have the scales tipped in our advantage. If we spli
t the fleet we might just lose that advantage, and it could cost us a victory.
However, now that we have a bigger fleet, we can be assured that there will be e
nough ships left over to make a Hastrin run.”
Leia didn’t want to argue anymore. She didn’t want to point out that if the
y did destroy the Dark Ring and Han and Luke were still alive, their victory mig
ht trigger her husband and brother’s execution. She didn’t want to argue that since
the Empire seemed to be pulling back from their attack, they probably had all o
f their ships protecting the Dark Ring, and all that would be needed for a succe
ssful Hastrin attack would be a few ships. She didn’t want to argue because she w
as the chief of state and fighting with the admiral of the military wasn’t in the
job description.
Leia was about to leave the hanger, when she spotted the Millennium Falc
on sitting in the corner of the hanger. She saw Lando and Chewie scrambling aro
und the underside of the makeshift ship, checking and fixing numerous systems an
d gadgets. She was suddenly hit with an idea. She made her way over to her fri
ends.
Lando looked up from his wielding job and saw Leia coming. He put down
his equipment and wiped is hands on his mechanic’s apron. “Good evening, Princess,” L
ando could see that Leia was coming over for more than just a friendly visit and
continued, “what’s the problem?”
“Wedge won’t send anything to Hastrin to check on Han and Luke.”
Lando had suspected that this was Leia’s concern, but knew there was littl
e he could do about it. He had reactivated himself into the New Republic milita
ry, but deferred his previous status as General, and merely took on the rank of
a fighter pilot. If he wanted he could regain his former rank and challenge Wed
ge’s decision, but that wasn’t his place. He was doing this for two reasons. He kn
ew that his mining operation would be in danger if the Imperials gained power.
He had left everyone back at the asteroid to continue the work and to protect it
. The second and more important reason was that he simply hated the Empire.
“You know that I can’t go against Wedge’s orders.”
Leia frowned. “I thought you still had some significant military pull?”
“I gave up all of that when I retired; however,” Lando was quick to continue
, noticing Leia’s crestfallen state, “we might be able to manage something.”
“What do you mean?” Leia was curious.
“After the attack, which we expect to end abruptly, all of the ships are s
upposed to jump out to a preset rendezvous point. From there we are going to co
unt our losses, refortify our ranks, and decide where to go from there. We coul
d forgo that order, skip the rendezvous, and simply jump straight to Hastrin. I’m
not really part of the military anymore, so it’s not like they can court martial
me. I’m in this fight as a mercenary.”
Leia looked a little hopeful. “Are you sure that the Millennium Falcon al
one will be enough?”
“It’s been enough in the past; it will be again.” This satisfied Leia. “You be
tter go,” Lando said. “Here comes Wedge. We wouldn’t want him to think anything was
up.”
Leia scurried off towards the exit while Lando busied himself with prepp
ing the Falcon. Lando feigned surprise when Wedge approached. They greeted eac
h other formally and then got down to business.
“Is the new firing mechanism in place and functioning properly?” Wedge asked
.
Lando nodded. “Chewie and I modified one of the torpedo tubes to fit the
new specifications. She should fire just fine.”
“You are remembering to be especially careful with the ‘igniter,’ right?”
Lando disliked the code name that the military had given the supernova w
eapon, but he went with the flow. “Yes, Wedge,” Lando responded in a sarcastically
exasperated voice as if he were twelve and speaking to his mother.
Wedge smiled. “You can never be to sure you know.” He glanced down at the
data pad he was holding. “On to bigger an better things. Did you and Chewie get
the coordinates for your jump yet?”
“Yep. We’re jumping in alone, separate from the rest of the fleet, right?”
“Separate from the rest of the fleet, yes, but not alone. I’m assigning our
 three best fighters to accompany you. You’ll be jumping in above the Dark Ring,
so you can see through the open end of the station. Our scientist say that beca
use most of the sun’s radiation is being reflected inside the sphere, the radiatio
n that escapes out of the holes in the north and south poles, will be tremendous
. Your sensors and navigation equipment will likely be useless. You will be a
sitting duck. Of course any enemy ships will have to get close to hit you, beca
use they won’t be able to get a lock on you either. Because your targeting system
s won’t work, be careful that you have a clean shot before you fire the igniter.”
Lando looked hurt. “Are you saying that I can’t hit the broad side of a sta
r?”
“No, I’m saying that you can’t accurately predict the radiation pattern that w
ill be shooting out of the top of the Dark Ring. It will be like the Great Aman
Coast on Calamari during a tropical storm. The waves will be incredible and un
predictable. Just make sure it’s on target before you let it fly. We only have o
ne shot at this, and we need to make sure it’s successful.”
“What about our escorts?” Lando asked. “Won’t their systems be inoperable too?
Or are they just there for cannon fodder? If that’s the case then I don’t want the
m.”
Wedge smiled and shook his head. “These guys probably don’t even use their
targeting computers.”
“Who are they, Jedi?” Lando had heard the story of how Luke had turned off
his targeting computer right before firing upon the first Death Star.
Wedge shook his head again. “You don’t understand.”
“Apparently not,” Lando agreed, hinting that he wished to become informed.
“Come with me and I’ll introduce you to the 185th fighter squadron.”
Wedge led Lando through the assorted collection of fighters. Lando saw
that the New Republic was really scrapping the bottom of the barrel for this fig
ht. There were Y-wings and A-wings being serviced and repaired for battle. Lan
do wondered if they were just cleaning the cobwebs off or actually doing mechani
cal labor on them. Those fighters had been decommissioned a long time ago. Lan
do thought privately that the X-wing should go next, but he knew that the popula
rity of the old ship, largely due to Luke and Wedge, would keep the out of date
craft around a lot longer than it should be.
Pondering the history of the X-wing and of the old days of the New Repub
lic, which had then been called the Rebellion, got Lando thinking about all of t
he giants this rag-tag bunch of fighters had slain. He hadn’t been there for the
Yavin battle, but he had heard enough about it after it had happened. He had be
en there against the second Death Star and he knew all about what the New Republ
ic had to go through to defeat Thrawn. Were these Rebels just lucky, or was the
re something else? If it was just luck, Lando hoped that he wouldn’t have to be t
here when it ran out. In all the many years that the New Republic had existed,
there had been few battles in which they had been the favorite to win.
Lando, like Han, hadn’t been a big believer in the Force, but just the his
tory of the New Republic’s many battles, disregarding what he knew about Luke and
all his students, made him more than a little curious as to if there was an over
ridding Force controlling the flow of history.
Wedge led Lando past the museum of ships, and they stopped in front of a
trio of fighters that Lando had never seen before. “We call them W-wings,” Wedge s
aid.
Lando frowned slightly at the name. He had never liked the New Republic’s
habit of naming ships after letters, but he had to agree that it was a proper n
ame. The centered cockpit swept back on either side into two engines and then b
ack up again into twin laser cannons. Lando could see the torpedo bay underneat
h the cockpit and immediately saw all of the maneuverability bonuses of the engi
nes without Wedge having to tell him.
“Who designed the ship?” Lando asked.
“I’ll let you meet them.” Wedge walked into the middle of the three ships and
found Vince, Bep, and Jon working on the ships. “Fellas, let me introduce you to
Lando Calarissian, the pilot of the ship you’re going to be escorting.”
The three of them got off their respective apparatuses that they had bee
n propped up on to work on their ships and walked toward Lando. Lando was immed
iately struck by their collective height. All three of them towered over Lando
as they shook his hand. The initial shock of their height quickly passed, and h
e proceeded to evaluate, who Wedge had called, the best squadron in the fleet.
All three of them appeared to be no older than 20 and they weren’t wearing
the normal pilot attire. “Do you guys mind if I take a look at your ships?” Lando
asked, always the curious mechanic.
They shook their heads collectively. “Go right ahead,” Bep said.
Lando walked over to Jon’s ship and noticed what he had called him away fr
om initially. There was a half-painted emblem of some kind on the side of his c
ockpit. Lando pointed to it with a questioning look on his face. “Do you know wh
at a wusket is?” Vince asked.
“Yea, it’s a three-eared bat from Corellia.”
“It’s our symbol,” Vince explained.
“Were the Flying Bats,” Bep proclaimed.
“The Three Wusket-Ears!” Jon added emphatically.
Lando smiled at the mascot for these misfit pilots. He could already ap
preciate all of the other comparisons they hadn’t pointed out. ‘They could fight th
e enemy blind.’ ‘Like bats in the night sky, they were deadly in space.’ And many mo
re that Lando was sure they spent sleepless nights thinking about. He made his
way over to the boarding ladder and climbed it to get a good look inside the coc
kpit. Vince hurried to get another ladder and propped it up against the other s
ide of the craft. He climbed it quickly so he could answer any questions Lando
might have about the controls.
Lando looked at the varied and numerous buttons and switches that crowde
d the cockpit. He saw that they didn’t crowd the cockpit too much because their s
eemed to be an enormous amount of leg room. Lando saw Vince on the other side o
f the nose of the fighter and asked him several questions about the contents of
the homemade spaceship. He had already guessed the answers to most of his quest
ions, until he came across a small bracket on the side of the interior. “What’s tha
t?” he asked, pointing to the item in question.
“It’s a blaster rifle bracket,” Vince replied.
“What you need a weapon for inside a one man fighter?”
Vince looked toward his two friends before answering. “You have to rememb
er that this is Jon’s ship.” Vince paused. Lando realized this piece of informatio
n should have some sort of special meaning to him, but it didn’t. Vince realized
this after he had said it and continued. “Jon used to fly in a depressurized cabi
n with a space suit on. After he would disabled an enemy fighter, he would pop
the hatch and finish them off with a rifle.”
Lando gawked at this new piece of information, wondering if he wanted th
ese guys as his escorts. Vince saw his reaction and smiled. “Don’t worry he doesn’t
do it any more. He found out it slows him down considerably, and gives him too
few kills.”
Lando remembered that Wedge had claimed this squadron to be the best in
the fleet. That recognition usually went to the squadron with the most kills.
He also noticed, obviously, that this squadron only had three members. “How many
kills does he have?”
Vince reached into the cockpit and flipped a switch under a small digita
l display. The display lit up, declaring the number ‘728.’ Again Lando gawked at t
he high number, but paused to consider all of the variables. “How many missions h
ave you guys flown?”
“Forty-eight,” Vince answered.
Lando did the math in his head. “That’s over fifteen kills a run!” Lando said
a little too loud.
“Are you bragging about me again?” a voice came from down below.
Vince leaned over the edge of the ship. “If your head gets any bigger wer
e going to have to get you an Ackgrogian fish tank for a helmet.” Lando could her
e Bep laugh at that comment and add his own insults aimed at Jon. Lando decided
these pilots would make fine escorts.
Chapter 27 “Family Ties” (Part I)
Han walked cautiously down the street. He just didn’t feel safe walking o
penly in an Imperial city. He knew that with the beard that Luke had given him
and the uniform he was wearing, he wouldn’t be easily recognized, but that didn’t so
othe his uneasiness. He stroked the rough whiskers on his face. He had seen hi
mself in a mirror earlier that morning and it had reminded him of a Dr. Kimble h
e once knew.
He didn’t want to stick out too much, so he tried to keep from asking dire
ct questions about Jaina, but without direct questions, he wasn’t getting very man
y direct answers. Han thought that the best way would be to just wander from ba
r to bar until he found her. He tried to formulate what he would say to her.
If Luke was right and she was under some kind of hypnosis, there wasn’t to
o much he could say that she would believe. “Hello, I’m your father,” didn’t seem to ho
ld too much water. He also had this sinking feeling that she might be looking f
or him. Han honestly doubted that the Empire would capture and brainwash a Jedi
just to throw her into their city as a nobody. The way that they had molded Ja
cen into the next Darth Vader, made him think that Jaina was probably some kind
of undercover operative, or something like it.
Han doubted that the Empire would simply let Han and Luke roam around th
eir city without trying to apprehend them. Han also doubted that they would sen
d in a whole troop of storm troopers. Not only would that kind of task-force ru
in the tidiness of this city, but the Empire knew as well as Han did, that storm
troopers were more than inadequate when it came to capturing him and Luke. It
was far more likely that they would have an inside operative either spy on them
or try to recapture them. Jaina seemed like the perfect choice. Han could imag
ine the smile on Tallon’s face when he gave the orders to Jaina to go capture, kil
l if necessary, her father.
Han had been to most of the smaller drinking establishments, and was jus
t about to enter another one, when a flashing sign caught his attention. “Imperia
l Bar and Lounge - Live entertainment every noon.” The building beneath the sign
was a large one. Han had been avoiding the larger buildings, and therefore most
of the people, as much as possible. He realized though, that he was much more
likely to find Jaina in one of these larger places than he was in a small one.
He had already found out that most of the women in this city were prostitutes, a
nd they always go where the men are. Han sincerely hoped that Jaina wasn’t involv
ed with the afore mentioned promiscuous activity, but if she was, this was where
she’d be.
Han threw away his old plans of trying to keep a low profile and walked
over to the Imperial Bar and Lounge. The inside was pretty crowded but Han was
able to find a solitary table in the back. He ordered a glass of ale and scanne
d the room. Most of the men inside were crowded around a large stage that was s
et up on one side of the main room. The words “Live entertainment” danced in Han’s mi
nd, and he hoped that everything that the Imperials did for entertainment didn’t i
nvolve sex. Han was about to leave when he noticed a sign at the top of the sta
ge proclaiming the next act. “Skywalker meets the Emperor: What really happened.”
Han pulled a 180 and went back to his table. This could be interesting.
Han knew what *really* happened on board the Death Star above Endor, and
he sincerely doubted that this fiasco was going to be one hundred percent accur
ate. The curtain lifted and Han saw what he took to be the throne room on the s
econd Death Star. The Emperor was sitting on his throne looking out of the fake
window toward the battle over Endor. The Emperor was looking young and healthy
, certainly healthier than any of the holos Han had seen of him.
A moment passed and doors opened on the far side of the stage. Darth Va
der was unmistakable, but the person he was escorting looked nothing like Luke.
“Luke” looked to be about sixteen years old. His hair was more than just a little
unkempt, and his pants were rolled up at the ankles, making him look like a kid
who was trying on his dad’s clothes. Father and son made their way up to the Empe
ror, Luke tripping on his pants the whole way.
“Welcome young Skywalker, I have been expecting you.”
“I’m not young!” Luke shrieked in a voice so shrill that Han’s glass quivered. “I’
,” Luke paused as he counted on the fingers of handcuffed hands, “twenty-one!”
Vader and the Emperor ignored Luke and continued their performance. Vad
er walked up to the Emperor and handed him Luke’s lightsaber. “Here is his lightsab
er, Master.” As the lightsaber changed hands, a few of the pieces fell off. Vade
r was quick to swipe them up and replace them.
“Hey,” Luke shouted, “it took me five months to build that!”
Han thought that they were over doing the “little kid” bit, but he scanned t
he crowd and found that the audience loved it. He was glad that Luke wasn’t here.
The Emperor turned the makeshift lightsaber over in his hands. “So you ha
ve built your own lightsaber. You are now truly a Jedi.” As he was looking at it
, it broke completely in half, and Han could see that it had only been held toge
ther by a few pieces of electrical tape in the first place.
Luke made another desperate gesture with his hands toward his beloved we
apon, but the cuffs inhibited him. As if on cue, the Emperor motioned with his
hands and the cuffs fell off. “You won’t be needing those.”
The cuffs fell off Luke’s wrists and landed directly on his foot, causing
him to yelp in pain. He reached down and grabbed his foot, hoping around madly
on his other one. All this motion caused his baggy paints to descend rapidly.
As the large waistline got entangled amongst his knees, he fell to the ground.
The audience roared with laughter.
It took several moments for the crowd to quiet and allow the actors to c
ontinue. As Vader led Luke to the window where his friends were fighting and lo
sing, Han searched the crowd of people for the first time since entering. He wa
s surprised to find absolutely no females in attendance. He had not expected to
find Jaina right away, but now wondered if he had to change his strategy entire
ly. Maybe the women of the city only appeared at night, or there might be place
s where women weren’t allowed.
Han turned his attention back to the actors on the stage. Luke was figh
ting Vader now, or at least trying to. His lightsaber, which was a bad prop to
begin with, kept blinking on and off. This made for long pauses in the battle w
hile Luke, using a roll of tape and a hammer, tried to fix his ailing weapon.
Finally Luke threw the useless piece of junk to the floor and ran off to
hide behind a pole on the edge of the stage. Vader watched him try to hide him
self behind the three-centimeter wide pole, but pretended not to know where he w
as. Vader rambled off to Luke trying to draw him out of hiding. Han listened t
o Vader’s speech with amazement. So far everything other than Luke’s childish antic
s, had happened pretty much as it had 27 years ago. Han wondered how the Imperi
als got their information on what had happened.
When Vader mentioned Leia, Luke could stand it no longer and ran out fro
m behind his pole, fell at Vader’s feet, and began to grovel. Han too could stand
it no longer and prepared to leave. He downed the last of his drink and looked
up at the door. He froze with his hands on the table. Jaina had just walked i
nto the building.
* * *
Jaina opened her eyes and groaned. The headache was incredible. She cl
osed her eyes, but the pain remained. She opened her eyes again with the grim r
eality that she was going to have to face the day sooner or later. She glanced
at her clock and realized that it was already later, so she slowly sat up and hu
ng her legs over the edge of her bed. What had caused this awful headache? She
searched back in her mind to the previous night. Alcohol. She definitely reme
mbered drinking a terrible amount of alcohol. Men. There were lots of men arou
nd. Noisy, obnoxious, drunk men. But there was one man in particular that stuc
k out in her memory. He was kind of cute. She sat up straight and looked quick
ly over her shoulder with a sickening feeling. She breathed a heavy sigh of rel
ief when she saw that the other side of her bed was empty. She looked at her dr
esser and was happy to see a rather large credit pouch that she didn’t recognize.
Many men had tried to find their way into her room, and although their money ma
de it without failure, Jaina made sure that they never did.
 Jaina smiled at this realization. As bad as her headache was, she was s
ure that where ever that cute man from last night was, he would have a much wors
e headache, if he had a head at all.
Now fully awake, Jaina decided to do something about the throbbing in he
r temples. She closed her eyes and filled her head with a soothing calm that sh
e drew from all around her. She opened her eyes to find the pain gone and herse
lf ready to face the day.
She totally removed herself from her covers and went over to her small b
athroom. She looked in the mirror and saw that she was going to need more than
just a splash of water in her face to make herself ready. After a long shower a
nd a cup of hot tea, the most ruthless killer on Hastrin was at last at one hund
red percent.
She walked over to her desk and turned on her small computer. She start
ed to scroll through the news of the day when she noticed a small blinking light
on the console, informing her that she had a message. She pressed the appropri
ate key sequence and her screen was filled with a picture of Han Solo.
“This is your next assignment.” Jaina loved how her superiors called her ta
rgets assignments. It made it sound like she was in school and her victims were
simply tests. She planed on graduating with straight A’s. “His name is Han Solo.
He has escaped from our mountain base and is presently suspected to be somewher
e in the city. He was scheduled for a public execution, but we would be appreci
ative if, as always, you didn’t make his timely demise all that public. Upon comp
letion of this task, you may pick up your payment from the usual spot.
“There are two catches that make this assignment a little more challenging
. The first is of no great importance, and is not likely to cause you that much
trouble. Solo is a con artist. Expect him to try to talk his way out of every
thing. We don’t expect this to be a problem with your level of professionalism, b
ut we thought it necessary to bring to your attention.
“The second matter is of much more importance. He escaped with Luke Skywa
lker.” At this point in the mission briefing Han’s face disappeared and was replace
d with that of Luke’s. “We don’t know if you are aware of him or not, but he is very
dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. We have reason to believe that So
lo and Skywalker have separated, so this too should not be a problem. However,
if upon locating Solo, you find that Skywalker is still with him, you should abo
rt mission. It is also possible that Skywalker will be able to detect your pres
ence. If a confrontation does occur, do not feel restricted by any of our usual
policies. A public confrontation maybe the only way out. If you should happen
to dispose of both Solo and Skywalker, four times your usual pay will be found
in the normal spot. Do not view this added payment as incentive to seek out Sky
walker. End of message.”
Jaina knew of Skywalker. He had visited her ancestors on Dathomir short
ly before she had been born. He had judged the night sisters to be evil and had
set out to destroy them. Her parents had escaped but only to be killed a few y
ears later by the New Republic. She knew of Skywalker’s strength and both hoped t
hat he wouldn’t be with Solo, and at the same time that she might be able to enact
revenge on him.
Jaina looked at her clock and saw it was almost noon. Solo would probab
ly be in a bar somewhere. She reached out with her inherited magical abilities,
searching for Solo. With a name, a picture, and a probable mental condition, s
he was usually able to find her victims without leaving her room. She settled o
n a man in the Imperial Bar and Lounge. He had a beard that the man in the pict
ure did not posses, but she was sure it was Solo.
After grabbing her invisi-blade and cloak, she made her way out of her r
oom. She left the building and entered the street in the same secretive fashion
that she always did, with her hood up and her presence concealed. The walk to
the Imperial bar and Lounge was a long one, so she had time to think of her tact
ics. If Skywalker was there, she might not be able to turn back. With that tho
ught, she stopped in the street and did a mental scanning of the distant eating
establishment. If Skywalker was there, he was hiding his presence from her. Sh
e continued walking after receiving a few odd stares, cursing herself for not re
hiding her presence before beginning the search.
If Solo was alone, she decided that she would have a little extra fun.
He would no doubt try to con her in some way, and it would be fun to play along,
for a while.
She entered the bar and saw that the entertainment was already in progre
ss. She took a few seconds to appreciate the form of Luke Skywalker groveling a
t the feet of Vader before she scanned the crowd. She removed her hood and look
ed around at all of the men seated there. Solo wasn’t hard to pick out. He was s
taring right at her. Jaina dispelled the initial shock of him staring at her wi
th a bit of logic. She hadn’t even thought about what clothes she had put on this
morning. In her line of work she so often played the role of the seductress th
at she owned plenty of revealing clothes. She knew she was wearing particularly
revealing ones now and used this to explain Solo’s sudden interest in her arrival
. She snickered at his state of total absorption in her appearance. Men trappe
d in lust were twice as easy to work with as men who were drunk. She swished he
r hips as she walked over to his table.
She ran through opening lines as she neared him. “Excuse me, is this seat
taken?” “Have we met before?” “How’s the show?” “You look lonely.” She didn’t get to u
of them, because Solo spoke first.
“Jaina! I’ve been looking every where for you!”
Jaina was shocked. Very few people knew her name, at least her real nam
e. If this guy was a con man, he was indeed quite good. No one, no matter how
good, could guess that well without any inside information. She looked around a
t the rest of the room to see if anyone else was in hearing range. Everyone els
e was busy watching Vader rebuke Skywalker and telling him not to act like such
a baby. No one was paying any attention to her and Solo.
She quickly sat down and decided against playing her seductive role. “How
do you know my name?” she asked. Normally she would have shrugged off such a com
ment, but she didn’t mind opening herself up a little bit to this man. After all,
nothing she told him would ever get repeated. Dead men don’t tell tales.
Han did some quick thinking. “Your father told me.”
“My father is dead. Strike one. Like in smashball, four strikes and you’re
out.”
“No he’s not. He’s part of the New Republic. He sent me to find you.”
“Strike two. My father was killed by the New Republic, so if he were to c
ome back to life, I sincerely doubt that he would join them,” Jaina was smiling.
Maybe she’d help him out. “If my father sent you, you know my last name.”
Han paused. He knew what it used to be. “Solon?” he guessed, remembering w
hat Jacen had called himself.
“Strike three,” she tried to ignore how close he was to Solok and gave him o
ne last try. “Tell me one thing that only my father would know.”
Han knew this answer. “You have a purplish birth mark on your upper left
thigh.”
Five points for a smashball banza, Jaina thought. She quickly grew seri
ous. Han felt his throat tighten in a Force grip. “Who are you?” she sneered.
“Your father sent me,” Han choked, sticking with his original story. Jaina
held him in her grip as she thought about the situation. Han was growing blue i
n the face and he was having a hard time keeping balanced on his chair. He moti
oned to Jaina that he wanted to speak and needed more air. She let him go, and
his chair slammed back down onto all fours.
The noise startled a few of the closer men. They glanced at the table a
nd saw Han panting heavily staring at Jaina. They also saw what Jaina was weari
ng, put two and two together, and decided to watch the father and son show on st
age.
“You better start making sense soon, pal.” Jaina tried to think of any othe
r way that Solo might know about that birthmark. None of the men she’d ever been
with had ever gotten far enough with her to discover that mark, at least none th
at she could remember. She looked at Solo still gasping for air. This man was
old enough to be her father; he had definitely never gotten that far with her.
“Your father sent me,” he started over. “Your parents aren’t dead. They weren’t
on the ship when it blew up.” Han took a risk in guessing the means of death that
the Empire had implanted in her head. He figured that it was a pretty safe gam
ble. “The New Republic was after someone else on the ship, so they kept your pare
nts off it. But in order to keep true motives safe, they had to keep your paren
ts in hiding, to complete the illusion.” This story made no sense to Han, but Jai
na appeared to be soaking it up. “As soon as that part of the war was over, your
parents began looking for you. I finally found you.”
Everything that Solo was saying made sense to Jaina. She had never seen
her parents actually get on that ship, and the whole memory was a little bit ha
zy. She stopped her line of thinking at once. She had been told that Solo woul
d try to talk his way out of everything, and here she was buying into his story
like some kind of amateur. But she couldn’t just discount everything Solo had sai
d. He had recognized her right away and did seem to know a lot about her.
“What are you supposed to do now?” she asked. “Surely you know that I’m working
for the Empire now and have no love for the New Republic.” Jaina didn’t care if sh
e was telling this man highly classified information. She had already done a sw
eep of his person and found he didn’t have any type of recording or broadcasting d
evice on him. He didn’t even have a blaster.
“You’re supposed to come with me so I can show you further proof.”
“Where are we supposed to go?”
“Coruscant.”
“Whoa, buddy. Aren’t we getting a little over anxious? I’m not going anywher
e near Coruscant.”
Han knew that Coruscant was a stretch, but he felt that he would need Le
ia’s help to turn her back. She should be back from Hapes by now.
Jaina considered this change in events. She doubted that her superiors
would let her go to Coruscant, but then if she went, she wouldn’t tell them anyway
. There was something deep inside her, something she couldn’t identify, that was
telling her to trust this man. Something telling her that he was an old family
friend. She nodded slowly. “Okay, Solo, how do we get to Coruscant.”
Han couldn’t believe his ears. He hadn’t really expected Jaina to go along
with him. “Well,” he started, “I don’t have a ship here. I came in on a transport from
the Imperial station. This is where you come in.”
This last comment won Jaina over. If he was really trying to trick her,
he wouldn’t have admitted that he had no way off the planet, placing his fate in
her hands. She still had doubts about him but they were now reclusive. “I can ge
t us a ship,” she said.
The two of them got up and left the bar, just as Vader was heaving Skywa
lker down the elevator shaft.
Jaina led the way down the street with Han in toe. Han was looking arou
nd at the people they were passing. He wondered why some of them were giving hi
m a look like he was going to his own funeral. He paused to regard his daughter
in front of him. What kind of reputation did she have in this city? Han felt
the sooner that Jaina remembered who she was, the better.
They walked to the edge of town where Han had never been. Jaina picked
her way skillfully through a thick crowd of men who were pouring out of one of t
he near by buildings. A noise caused Han to turn his gaze to the sky. The tran
sport that had just dropped off these men was now leaving. He looked back down
and it took him a while to relocate Jaina in the thick crowd. She was making he
r way to a less busy space port.
Han wondered how they were going to get past the guard at the door, but
Jaina produced a small card from beneath her cloak and the guard let them go thr
ough. Jaina moved through the clean halls with a quick step, and Han could bare
ly keep up. The maze of hallways soon led to a large hanger with several shuttl
es.
Jaina stopped and turned to Han. “Don’t be surprised how easily it will be
for us to get a ship, or how strangely some people might act toward me. I have,”
she paused searching for the right word, “a certain ‘way’ with people.”
Han nodded. “I know of your Force skills. Your mother has them too.”
This last statement only strengthened Jaina’s resolve that she was doing t
he right thing. Nobody could know about her mother’s ability except a family frie
nd.
As they made their way to the nearest shuttle an Imperial officer ran up
to them. “Excuse me. This is a restricted area. These ships aren’t for the publi
c use.”
“We can use this ship,” Jaina said with that eerie quality to her voice Han
was so used to.
“You can use this ship,” the officer repeated.
“You will get it prepped for take off for us.”
“I’ll get it ready for take off for you,” he said, and scrambled away to do ju
st that.
Ten short minutes later, Jaina and Han were aboard the shuttle as it lif
ted away from the city. They were soon in space, and after gaining clearance fr
om the patrolling fleet, they blasted off into hyperspace.
Han wasn’t in the cockpit when they left. He didn’t feel comfortable next t
o his daughter. This thought angered him. The Empire had tried to kidnap his k
ids for a long time, and it had made his life as a parent horrible. Seeing what
they had turned Jaina and Jacen into nearly drove him to tears.
Jaina walked into the room where he was sitting. Han composed himself a
nd looked up at her. He could tell that she was tired of waiting. “Okay, Solo.
I just disobeyed about a hundred different Imperial regulations, and I don’t even
really know why. I want some answers right now, or I’m turning this ship around.”
“I’ve told you everything I know,” he tried, but he knew that she was going to
need proof.
“You have to have some kind of hard evidence. If you came here to bring m
e away from Hastrin without evidence, then you’re not a very good family friend.”
An idea started to form in Han’s mind. “You can read minds, right?”
“If someone lets me, yes.”
“Then you can see if I’m telling you the truth.”
Jaina paused, looking for a trap. Seeing none, she nodded slowly. She
sat down across from Han, and he watched as she closed her eyes and began to con
centrate. He could feel a little tingle in the back of his mind and he tried to
gain control of his thoughts.
He knew that he had only one shot at this, if he failed then Jaina would
never take him to Coruscant, and would probably kill him, like she was supposed
to. Han closed his eyes and began to think about his life with Jaina. Somewhe
re in the recesses of Jaina’s mind she still had her true memory, Han just needed
to jog it a little. As quickly as he could he ran through his memories of Jacen
and Jaina. He remembered their birth and his immense joy. He ran through the
all of the attempted kidnappings; the birth of Anakin; all of the games of hide
and seek that they had played; the first flight they had together in the Falcon;
the trip they had taken to Corellia and all of the dramatic events that it had
entailed; the time Jaina had broken her arm and he had rushed her to the medical
center in his arms; the time he had dropped them off at the Academy; all of his
many visits to the Academy; and finally of their graduation less than a month a
go.
Han opened his eyes and found the sassy, hard-edged assassin that had be
en sitting across from him when he had closed his eyes, was now his crying 22-ye
ar-old daughter. Jaina held her face in her hands, and was shaking violently. “J
aina?” Han asked.
“Dad,” Jaina looked up from her hands, tears running freely from her eyes.
Han rushed over to her and embraced her, as a loving father should. “Dad,” she star
ted again, “I’m so sorry. I,” but she was choked of by her continuing sobs.
“It’s okay,” Han promised. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
They remained locked in their embrace for what seemed to Han like hours.
He would gladly have stayed there, holding his daughter forever, but she broke
off suddenly.
“Jacen and Lowbacca.”
“What?” Han asked.
“All three of us came to rescue you and Uncle Luke.”
 “Luke’s fine,” Han answered her unasked question.
“We were captured. They must have brain was-,” she started to cry again. “I’ve
killed so ma-” she fought against the tears. “I was supposed to kill you.” The tear
s began to flow again. Han moved in close again, but she shook her head and cle
ared her throat. “I’m okay, but we have to go back for Jacen and Lowie.”
Han nodded. “Luke is going after Jacen, but we didn’t know where to look fo
r Lowbacca or if he had even come with you.”
Jaina was now almost back in total control of her emotions. “I think I re
member over-hearing some men talking about how there was a new wookiee at the Ar
ena who was the best fighter they had ever seen.” She looked over at her father.
“Do you know what the Arena is?”
Han nodded, not wanting to tell that story now, seeing as how he didn’t ev
en fully understand what had taken place with Luke. That story could wait for a
nother day. Both of them ran off to the cockpit. They left hyperspace, turned
the ship around, and set a new course for Hastrin.
Chapter 28 “Family Ties” (Part II)
Luke found the ground transport where he and Han had left it. He wasn’t q
uestioned or approached as he boarded the craft and flew it out of the building.
The streets were crowded and Luke had to move slowly through them to avoid hit
ting anyone. Once out of the city, Luke could move more freely and he accelerat
ed to a modest speed.
Luke had to think about what he needed to do. He had been part of, or a
spectator to, several of these types of confrontations before. He knew that th
ere were several different ways to go about such a confrontation.
When Luke had confronted Darth Vader on Bespin, he had every intention o
f killing him. It was a very naive notion, Luke realized now, but it had been h
is motivation at the time. He had gone into that confrontation with blaster fir
ing and lightsaber swinging, trying to save his friends. Luke thought that this
time the situation warranted a different approach.
On Wayland he had gone again to destroy C’boath, but he had allowed a litt
le room for trying to turn him away from the Dark Side. There had been no good
in the evil clone, and Luke had been forced into a battle to the death. Luke kn
ew that there was good in Jacen, but it would be likely that Jacen would not rem
ember it.
The situation varied only slightly from Endor for that same reason. Luk
e had gone to face his father, knowing that Vader remembered who Anakin Skywalke
r was and what he used to be. Jacen wasn’t likely to remember who he used to be.
Luke knew that they had planted false memories in Jacen of his time at the Acad
emy, and Luke doubted that they would even remotely compare to the actual time J
acen had spent there. Also when Luke had faced his father above Endor, he had f
reely surrendered to the Empire. Now, since Jacen had no agenda involving a Dar
k Skywalker, he would have Luke killed on the spot. To top everything off, Luke
had no weapon. He could get a blaster from the first guard he met, he had no d
oubt about that, but a blaster, even in the hands of Luke, was no comparison to
a lightsaber in the hands of a Jedi.
Luke decided that he must go about this confrontation like a combination
between Endor and what he saw take place between Obi Wan and Vader on the first
Death Star. He needed to go into the mountain complex looking for his lightsab
er, knowing that he would eventually run into Jacen. Luke only hoped for a bett
er out come than Obi Wan had gotten. Jacen would try to cut down Luke with out
hesitation, unlike all of the conversation that had taken place on the second De
ath Star. Luke needed that conversation. He had been brainwashed before, and h
e knew how to over-come it, but he first had to talk his way into Jacen’s mind, an
d that wouldn’t be easy.
Luke slowed the transport as he neared the edge of the forest clearing.
He hid the vehicle amongst the trees and moved cautiously toward the base. He
scouted the outskirts of the mountain. There were a few patrolling storm troope
rs and a couple stationary guards. Luke had only been in and out of one of the
doors and knew very little about the inside of the fortress. He reached out wit
h the Force to try and get a sense of where the largest mass of people was. He
ran into the ysalamiri field. Luke shook his head in frustration. This wasn’t go
ing to be easy. He had to find a place where he could cross the field without b
eing seen.
Luke moved through the forest looking for an opening in the base’s defense
s. Luke couldn’t see any of the ysalamiri that were causing the field, but rememb
ered that most of this base was underground and so were the ysalamiri, most like
ly. Luke finally found a spot were there didn’t seem to be any stationary guards.
Luke began timing the passage of the patrols and found that they operated on a
n organized time schedule. Tallon sure kept the base operating in a secure mann
er. Luke hid himself with the Force and crept to the edge of the ysalamiri fiel
d. He paused as he timed the guards passing. He didn’t know how wide the ysalami
ri field was, but he only had a 15-second window to work with between patrols.
Luke saw the storm troopers round the corner of the cliff, and he bolted forward
into the Forceless bubble.
* * *
The E-wing dropped out of hyperspace and into the ocean of life that was
the Force. Anakin had practiced this transition from hyperspace to invisibilit
y in real space before he tried it outside of Hastrin, but here in the midst of
a large Imperial fleet, it worked perfectly. Anakin guided the fighter through
the orbiting ships without once showing up on any of the Star Destroyer’s sensors.
Anakin broke orbit and descended into the atmosphere. He allowed his ship to
free fall several kilometers before he activated the planetary repulsers, knowin
g that the surge in energy would be hard to hide in the Force.
The E-wing skimmed over the treetops and instinctively made its way towa
rd the large mountain range on the horizon. Anakin placed his fighter down neat
ly next to the Scavenger. Anakin was glad to see his siblings’ ship in one piece.
Jacen and Jaina had thought that they had kept the ship a secret from everyone
, but Anakin had always known about it. In fact several times at night he would
go check out their progress. He had checked over their work meticulously. Wor
king with machines had always come naturally to Anakin, and he had used this ski
ll to fix a lot of problems that he had found wrong with the ship during his nig
htly inspections. He smiled, knowing that if Jaina had known that all of her pr
oblems that had fixed themselves “miraculously” in the night, were actually being fi
xed by her little brother, she would have thrown a fit.
Anakin locked down the E-wing and walked into the woods toward the mount
ain fortress armed with only his lightsaber. He had no idea what he was going t
o find inside. Lowbacca, Jacen, and Jaina had left Yavin IV two weeks ago, so t
hey’d been here for a little over a week now. Anakin feared the worst, and hoped
the best, though he couldn’t think of what that best would be.
As he neared the base he reached out with the Force but ran into a block
ade. Ysalamiri. Anakin had to use only his eyes to see what he needed to. Thi
s side of the base mostly consisted of cliff faces and rocky slopes. Anakin fig
ured that the other side of the base was the front and contained all of the entr
ances. Anakin didn’t see too many patrols walking around, but even if there were,
they didn’t bother him. Anakin spotted what looked like a landing pad at the top
of one cliff and he thought he could make out a turbo lift shaft going down int
o the mountain. Seeing that as the only entrance so far, he walked toward the c
liff.
Anakin approached the same cliff that his brother, sister, and friend ha
d a week earlier. Just like they had, Anakin felt the ysalamiri field closing i
n around him. Unlike the earlier trio, Anakin knew how to fight back. He drew
on the Force and pushed back against the small creatures. One meter beneath him
, in the tunnels of the base, Anakin could feel the creatures cry out in protest
and shrivel up. With his mind clear again, Anakin started up the cliff.
* * *
 Darth Solon strode purposefully into Tallon’s office. “Skywalker has return
ed.”
Tallon looked up from his computer. “What do you want me to do?” He didn’t m
ind taking the back seat when it came to Skywalker and the Force. Tallon knew t
hat Solon had a lot more experience with these things.
“Where is his lightsaber?” the Dark Lord asked.
Tallon opened a drawer in his desk. Inside were two lightsabers, Skywal
ker’s and Lowbacca’s. Tallon picked up Skywalker’s lightsaber and offered it to Solon
. Solon shook his head. “Keep it here, he will come for it.”
“You mean to set a trap for him?” Tallon said. He wasn’t so much asking the q
uestion as he was trying to get all of the details out of him. Solon told him t
he details.
* * *
Luke found himself on the other side of the ysalamiri field in less than
ten seconds. He quickly hid himself in the Force just as the second patrol cam
e around the bend a full four seconds early. There were only four of them and L
uke rushed over and rendered them unconscious. Luke needed all of his concentra
tion for the task at hand, so he unhid himself. Luke thought of all of the spli
t concentration exercises that he put his students through and wondered what the
y would think of him now.
Luke picked up one of the blasters, changed the setting to stun, and mov
ed to the nearest entrance. Luke took out both guards with two well-aimed shots
and defeated the security lock with the Force.
Luke crept slowly into the hallway beyond the door and used the Force as
a flashlight, illuminating the path ahead of him. He came to a fork, sensed fo
ur people down one path, and took the other route.
Jedi develop a special link with their lightsaber during its constructio
n, and Luke used this link to try and locate his weapon. Luke became extra wary
when he realized the path of least resistance through the building was also the
path leading him to his lightsaber. He smelled the trap right away, but saw no
way around it. Luke paused at a door that was tugging at him in the Force. It
was locked, but Luke defeated it easily, and it slid open.
The room was empty except for a large desk and a chair behind it. Luke
moved quickly to the desk and opened the drawer. He saw his lightsaber and one
that he immediately recognized as Lowbacca’s. He had no belt for either of them s
o he put Lowbacca’s in his pocket and held his in his hand.
“Hello, Luke Skywalker.”
Luke spun and faced the door. There stood Tallon wearing a nutrient fra
me fully equipped with an ysalamiri. He was holding a blaster aimed right at Lu
ke. Luke quickly ignited his lightsaber and stood ready.
Tallon knew what Solon’s plan was, but he thought it was too risky. “I gues
s this is the end of the line for you.” Tallon fired two quick shots at Luke, not
knowing how far the ysalamiri field spread. Luke deflected both bolts smoothly,
sending the second bolt back at Tallon. Tallon flinched but had no time to rea
ct. The bolt wasn’t aimed at him, however, but blew his nutrient frame to pieces.
The ysalamiri lay on the floor dying. Tallon looked from the floor back to Lu
ke. He knew when he was beaten. He turned and fled out of the room.
Luke made chase. He came out of the room and was faced with 20 armed st
orm troopers. Not wishing to try his luck, he bolted off down the nearest conne
cting hallway.
“After him!”
As he ran, Luke let his lightsaber trail behind him, deflecting a few ra
ndom shots. He came to a sudden fork. He didn’t have enough time to scan with th
e Force so he picked the path with the fewest storm troopers. He cut down three
men in white and black while five more shot at his back.
If Luke had taken the time to scan, he would have definitely chosen the
other path because this hallway not only ended in a dead end, but a Forceless on
e. Luke pulled up fast as he felt the fringes of the ysalamiri bubble. He turn
ed around and saw that the 20 storm troopers had been joined by 20 of their clos
est friends and were ready to have a party at Luke’s expense. They weren’t firing y
et, respecting Luke’s ability to redirect their lasers, but they were closing in f
ast.
Luke glanced over his shoulder at the dead end, looking for some way out
. He saw a turbolift door that he hadn’t seen before. He reached out with the Fo
rce, straining against the unseen ysalamiri, and just managed to open the doors.
Luke turned his back to the storm troopers, took two big steps, got shot in th
e leg, and leaped into the lift. He scrambled for the switch to close the doors
, and they slid shut just ahead of the storm troopers.
Tallon watched the scene unfold in front of him. He guessed that Solon’s
plan was going to have to work after all.
* * *
In the lift Luke waited patiently for the ysalamiri field to disappear.
He recognized this turbolift as the one that had brought him and Han down into
the base when they had first arrived. Finally the field disappeared, and Luke c
ould tend to his injured leg. It wasn’t that bad of a burn. The bolt had just gr
azed his knee. After a few seconds of healing, it was strong enough to stand on
, and Luke was confident that it would heal completely.
Luke saw that the turbolift was almost to the top, and he stood waiting
for the doors to open. Just as the lift stopped moving, Luke could feel a stron
g presence in the Force, and he tensed himself. The doors opened revealing the
cliff-side landing pad where Han and Luke had first landed on Hastrin. Standing
right in the middle of the sandy area was Jacen.
“We meet again, Skywalker.”
Luke stepped out of the lift just before the doors closed.
“Jacen, I’ve been looking for you.”
Jacen grinned. “So, we are on a first name basis now, Luke?” Jacen drew bo
th of his lightsabers and held them unlit in his hands. “Before I was only a stud
ent, but now I am the Master.”
“Only a master of evil, Jacen. You used to be in control of good.” Luke be
gan to sweat as he watched Jacen pace slowly with both lightsaber handles in his
hands. Luke hadn’t even thought about how he was going to fight Jacen. After Lu
ke had watched his prized student make mincemeat out of the fighting remotes bac
k at the Academy, he promised himself he would never fight Jacen. He wasn’t sure
what the effect on the students would be if their Master lost to a student. Luk
e was sure he could beat Jacen if they each used only one lightsaber, but the tw
o twirling blue blades of Jacen were hard enough to trace, much less parry.
Jacen saw Luke’s apprehension and smiled. “Perhaps I shall make it fair and
fight with only one blade.” Jacen made a motion to put one of the blades back. “O
r maybe not.” Both blades lit up, and Jacen charged.
Luke had deactivated his weapon in the lift, but he opened up his blade
now and managed to thwart the initial attack by batting both blades wide with tw
o quick parries. Luke flipped forwards over Jacen and ran into the middle of th
e clearing, giving himself more room to work with. Luke felt the bulge in his p
ocket, remembering he had Lowbacca’s lightsaber with him. The idea left him as so
on as it had come. He had never trained with two blades, and Jacen was only abl
e to do it because he had shrunk his blades to a custom length.
Jacen turned to face Luke. “What are your parents’ names?” Luke had to get h
im talking.
Jacen sneered at the desperate attempt. “They’re dead, what does it matter?”
Luke charged this time, sweeping and stabbing. Jacen pinched the attack
between his blades and spun it wide. He followed the vigorous parry with a sla
shing blue ‘X.’ Luke had to move quickly to get his blade parallel to the ground to
block the attack.
“What are their names!” Luke shouted, adding a little hypnotic suggestion th
at he didn’t think Jacen would be ready for.
“Hanson and Leon Solon!” Jacen screamed back as he blocked a sideways swipe
from Luke. Jacen followed through with two swipes of his own, one high and one
low. Luke blocked the high one and leaped over the low one. With their blades
still in contact high, Luke used his weapon’s extra length to force Jacen’s blade do
wn and across his body. Luke rotated his wrists down and around, bringing his b
lade down onto Jacen’s prone figure.
Jacen’s double swipe left his arms crossed and both blades pointing down.
It was only because Luke didn’t wish to cause Jacen harm that allowed the youth t
o recover instead of retreating. Jacen brought his top blade back up to block t
he attack and sent his lower blade in search of Luke’s legs.
Luke was so worried that he might strike Jacen, he didn’t see the low atta
ck until it was too late. Jacen picked his spot well, and the blue lightsaber s
lashed across Luke’s already injured leg, undoing any healing that had taken place
in the lift and causing still more damage.
Luke hobbled backward on his good leg and tried to see if his bad one co
uld hold his weight. It couldn’t. Jacen got up from his crouch and saw his enemy’s
helpless state and smiled.
“What’s your brother’s name?” Luke asked.
Jacen paused for half a second. Did he have a brother? He remembered t
he false memory he had had of one. Or was it false? This confusion angered him
more. He began to twirl his blades around him in an ever-accelerating display
of swordsmanship. “What are your parent’s names?” he asked as he struck out at Luke.
“What’s your sister’s name? How old are you? When’s your birthday? What’s your favorit
e color?” With each question, Jacen slashed at Luke.
Off balanced, Luke couldn’t even hope to block the attacks. A blade hit h
im in the side, nicked him in the shoulder, and burned his thigh. Luke went to
one knee and noticed that he was at the edge of the cliff. He grabbed his bleed
ing side with his real hand and tried to fend of Jacen’s onslaught with the other
one.
Jason attacked the mechanical hand, severing it at the base of the finge
rs. Luke’s lightsaber flew over the edge of the cliff. Luke was in a crumpled st
ate of pain as he looked up at his nephew. Jacen still wouldn’t let him in his mi
nd, and Luke was out of tricks.
Jacen stood over his former master, definitely in control of the situati
on. “What would you like on your tombstone?” he asked one final question as he lash
ed out with his booted foot. He kicked Luke squarely under the chin, sending hi
m both into unconsciousness and flying over the edge of the cliff.
* * *
Anakin heard the noise from the top of the cliff and reached out to see
who was up there. Anakin was quite good at spilt concentration tasks and manage
d to keep climbing up the cliff while he scanned the area above him. As good as
he was, he almost lost his grip when he found out who was fighting.
What was wrong with Jacen? Anakin could feel something clouding his min
d and emanating an evil aura. Had the Empire turned him to the Dark Side? No, t
here was something very false about the emotions he was projecting.
When Luke’s lightsaber came flying over the edge above, Anakin doubled his
pace. He didn’t see his uncle’s body fly over the edge right away, but he could fe
el Luke leave the conscious plane. Anakin saw Luke tumble to the ground out of
the corner of his eye and caught him a few meters above the ground. Anakin lowe
red him gently the rest of the way and put him in a meditative trance.
Anakin looked up and could see Jacen looking over the edge two meters up
. Jacen smiled when he saw Luke’s body lying at the bottom of the long drop. Ana
kin scrambled up quickly, not wanting to get caught on the edge of the cliff.
Jacen couldn’t feel anything from Luke and took that to be because he was
in the ysalamiri field when actually it was because Anakin had hid his presence
in the Force. Jacen turned away from the cliff side scene satisfied that Luke w
as finished. As he turned he noticed movement to his left and saw Anakin scramb
le onto the plateau.
Both of Jacen’s lightsabers were still activated, and he turned to face th
is new foe. Anakin stood still, his lightsaber still dangling from his side. J
acen saw the lightsaber immediately and picked Anakin out as a student come to s
ave his master. “You’re too late,” he sneered, “I just through him off the cliff.”
“That you did, brother.”
Jacen took a step back, reevaluating this newcomer. He was getting rath
er sick and tired of people constantly implying that he had siblings when he was
an only child. “Who are you?”
“I’m your brother, Jacen.” Anakin tried to keep the hurt out of his voice fro
m being unfamiliar to his own kin. Anakin could feel a lot of confusion from Ja
cen, and he tried to reach out to his mind, but Jacen shut down hard.
“You’d be wise to stay out of my mind, brother,” he spat out the last word, an
d Anakin wasn’t fooled by Jacen’s supposed turn. Jacen charged Anakin, seeing his p
recarious position, standing on the edge.
Anakin didn’t flinch. “I don’t want to fight you.”
Jacen slashed through his motionless brother and realized that he wasn’t r
eally there, but his image was being projected via the Force. Jacen spun away f
rom the illusion, which faded as he turned, and found Anakin standing behind him
with his lightsaber drawn and the blade pointed three centimeters away from his
chest. “I don’t want to fight you.”
Jacen batted the blade away with a one two strike combo and followed the
strike with a spinning double low, double high strike. Anakin’s blade moved almo
st magically quick, deflecting each strike with precision. Anakin flipped back
and away from the flurry of blue that was his brother.
“A worthy opponent,” Jacen said when he saw the skill in which Anakin had de
feated his attack.
Anakin conceded that the fight was unavoidable. “A rematch,” he said bluntl
y.
“Only this time I have the clear advantage with two blades to your one.” Ja
cen rushed in, but paused halfway when he realized what he had said.
“You remember our last fight together,” Anakin said realizing that his real
brother was beginning to surface out of this fake.
Jacen staggered, almost falling to the ground. Memories were washing ov
er him, memories he didn’t know he had, memories he didn’t want. With a shout of ra
ge he threw them out of his head and focused on Anakin.
Anakin backed away from the hate machine that was staring him down. “I’m go
ing to kill you, Anakin,” Jacen said coldly and matter-of-factly.
“You remember my name.”
This was too much for Jacen. He had just fought the battle with his mem
ories, but now they came back with renewed vigor and intensity. Jacen dropped b
oth of his lightsabers and fell to his knees.
Anakin reached out to his brother and found that his barriers were down.
Anakin took a deep breath and jumped into the utter turmoil that made up Jacen’s
consciousness. It was like a dream world, Anakin couldn’t tell at first which me
mories were real and which were fabrications. After closer examination, Anakin
found one characteristic that was unique about some of the memories; they were w
ithout the Force. The Force had always been with Jacen, and each of his real me
mories should have had some sort of Force stamp on them. Jedi see the world dif
ferently. They can see the emotions of others. They can feel the power around
them and generally have a heightened sense of awareness. There were some memori
es that didn’t have these qualities. If the Empire had implanted them artificiall
y, then that would explain their lack of the Force. Anakin tried to show this t
o Jacen. He grabbed him by the mental shoulders and shook him into coherence.
Together they walked through his mind, throwing away the false memories and all
of the false hatred that went with them.
After what seemed like hours, but was actually only a few seconds. They
both opened their eyes. Jacen’s eyes were rimmed with tears at the horrors that
he had been apart of. “It’s not your fault,” Anakin soothed.
Jacen tried to get up but couldn’t. He felt nauseous. He looked around t
he cliff trying to get a clear bearing on what was happening. He saw the blood
stained dirt where he had kicked Luke off the cliff. “No!”
 Jacen scrambled over to the cliff, strengthened by his sudden anger. An
akin felt his anger and realized the danger. “He’s okay. Uncle Luke is going to be
fine.”
“I threw him off this cliff!” Jacen screamed at Anakin as if he didn’t underst
and what had happened.
“I know. I caught him. He’s hurt, but he’ll live.”
The doors to the turbolift opened and both brothers spun to see who was
coming. Tallon stood in the open lift and stared at the scene. It didn’t take hi
m long to figure out something wasn’t right.
“You!” Jacen screamed. “It’s your fault!”
One of Jacen’s lightsabers leapt off the ground and flew to Jacen’s hand. B
efore Anakin could stop him, Jacen hurled the weapon at his former commander. T
allon scrambled for the door switch as soon as Jacen summoned his lightsaber. T
he doors slid shut just as the sword hit the lift, sinking into the metal up to
its hilt. Tallon was flattened up against the back of the lift while the blue b
lade protruded from the door, ending only forty centimeters away from his chest.
Tallon was about to relax when the blade suddenly grew thirty-five more centim
eters. Tallon didn’t move a muscle, praying that the lightsaber didn’t have another
length setting. By now the lift had started its descent, and the handle got ca
ught on the ground outside of the lift. The blade made a clean vertical cut alo
ng the door and finally through the roof of the lift before it left.
Anakin ran over to his brother and put a hand gently on his shoulder. “Le
t go of the anger, Jacen. Whoever that was, he’ll pay in due time. But not becau
se of revenge, because of justice.” This seemed to cool Jacen somewhat. He calle
d both his weapons back to him and placed them, deactivated, on his belt.
They both turned and leaped off the cliff. They floated like leaves to
the ground, and Jacen quickly bent over his uncle’s prone form and checked his vit
al signs. The bleeding from his side had stopped and all of his wounds had a wa
rm feel to them as the Force worked to heel them.
“We need to get out of here,” Jacen said, looking around.
“Where are Lowbacca, Jaina, and Dad?”
“Dad’s probably in the city, but I don’t know what the Empire did with Jaina a
nd Lowbacca. If the Imperials have touched a hair on Jaina’s head, I’ll . . .”
Anakin could feel the anger rising back to the surface. “Justice, not rev
enge. Always remember that. And remember that she’s my sister too.”
Jacen nodded, not feeling awkward accepting advice and correction from h
is younger, but seemingly, wiser brother. “Uncle Luke probably took the speeder t
hey stole when they escaped. It should be hidden in the forest on the other sid
e of the base.”
“It looks like we have a mountain to climb then,” Anakin said. Jacen rushed
off to retrieve Luke’s lightsaber, pausing only briefly to regard the remains of
the severed hand. The two of them helped each other move their uncle and starte
d off into the forest in search of a good place to cross the mountain range.
* * *
Tallon waited as the lift lowered itself back into the depths of the bas
e. He wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation with Thrawn that he knew was un
avoidable. Thrawn had given him free reign, only occasionally suggesting certai
n courses of action. Tallon had been quick to follow those suggestions and had
been met with undeniable success. It was only recently that failure started to
creep into the works. Tallon had forgotten to follow Thrawn’s advice regarding th
e possibility that Luke’s surgery might have been undone. That problem had now ba
llooned into an even bigger problem, with ramifications of which Tallon was sure
he had not yet seen the end.
The doors opened at the bottom of the shaft, and Tallon saw that he was
going to have the dreaded confrontation sooner than he had thought. Thrawn gaze
d quizzically at Tallon as he stepped out of the lift. Tallon called on all of
his training to try to remain rigid in front of the all-knowing eyes of the admi
ral. Thrawn wasn’t fooled. He could tell from the initial shock in Tallon’s face f
rom his presence, that Tallon didn’t have any good news to tell. Also the cut in
the turbolift doors was still smoking, meaning that Tallon had just survived an
attack from the Jedi.
“Report,” Thrawn demanded, growing impatient with the game Tallon was trying
to play. The two of them started walking down the hall.
“I’m uncertain of all the details, sir, but I was just attacked by Darth Sol
on.”
“And why would our most trusted Lord of the Sith attack his commanding off
icer?” Thrawn asked with a ring of sarcasm.
He no doubt knew the answer, Tallon thought. “I’m not certain.” Thrawn stare
d at Tallon, not accepting that answer. “It is possible that he has been turned a
way from the Dark Side.”
“Do you think that this might have anything to do with the fact that the p
erson who beat you to him was Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master? The only person in k
nown history who has successfully turned a Dark Lord of the Sith away from the D
ark Side.” Tallon stood fast under the rebuke that he knew he deserved. “In Vader’s
case, he ended up killing his master, the Emperor. Feel lucky that Jacen only a
ttacked you.”
“This is only a minor set back,” Tallon tried to salvage the situation. “We w
ill still crush the New Republic at Danzig 359.”
“Minor set back?” Thrawn questioned Tallon’s judgment. “Jacen was to play a maj
or role in the upcoming battle at Danzig 359.” Tallon understood that Thrawn had
used C’boath in the past to coordinate his fleet attacks and had been planing to d
o the same with Jacen. “Now we have the Solo boy and Skywalker loose on Hastrin.
Have you received any word from Jaina?” Tallon shook his head. “When was the last
time Jaina has taken this long to perform a job?”
“She has never taken this long before,” Tallon gave the answer that Thrawn a
lready knew.
“I believe that it’s quite probable that Solo has had a little more luck tha
n we figured on. If that’s the case we have three Jedi loose on Hastrin. That is
of course before they get to Lowbacca.”
Tallon knew that Thrawn didn’t have all of the facts. “I saw another Jedi o
n the landing pad next to Jacen. I didn’t recognize him.”
Thrawn had expected news like this to come out. He had received reports
from a concerned hallway guard that two of the ysalamiri in the perimeter had s
uddenly shriveled up and died. The spot was just below the landing pad and had
happened when Luke was still in the base. If this new Jedi had powers strong en
ough to repel ysalamiri, something that Luke couldn’t even do, then they were inde
ed in trouble.
“So we have a potential of five Jedi on Hastrin,” Thrawn said.
Tallon was beginning to see that they were in more trouble than he had t
hought. “I’ll organize a storm trooper squad equipped with ysalamiri to hunt them d
own.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Thrawn said and stopped in the middle of the
hallway to face the much taller Tallon. “I am from this point on assuming command
of this outpost. You will go up to the fleet in orbit around the planet and se
t up a planetary shield. If we can’t find the Jedi quickly, we can’t allow them to
leave either.”
Tallon had wondered when this transfer of power was going to take place.
He had looked forward to serving under Thrawn, but hadn’t foreseen that his fail
ure was what was going to bring about the transfer. Tallon saluted smartly, and
went off in search of the shuttle hanger.
Chapter 29 “The Dark Ring” (Prelude)
Wedge watched from the command deck of the Calamari Cruiser, The New Fro
ntier, as the Hapans dropped out of hyperspace. The New Republic was in orbit a
round Endor. Wedge was skeptical about using the forest moon as the jumping spo
t simply because it seemed way too cliché. He had been here 27 years ago fighting
the Death Star, and now they were going to fight another Imperial super weapon.
Wedge had been hesitant, but the advantage of this spot was too great to pass
up. Endor was only eight hours outside of the Danzig system and meeting at a pl
anet also helped hide the number of ships from any probes that might be on the a
lert. The planet of Endor also provided a large moral booster, but the real mor
al booster was the 75 Hapan ships that were dropping in right now.
Leia was in the hanger of The New Frontier when Wedge came down to get h
er. Wedge walked up to the Millennium Falcon where Leia was helping Lando and C
hewie prepare the ship. Wedge and Lando had finally been able to convince Leia
that her place was not on the Millenium Falcon. Back in the days of the Rebelli
on, they had needed as many people as possible, but now her presence was not nec
essary. Her position in the New Republic government was far too valuablle to ha
ve her risk her life in battle. Lando had also managed to convince her, without
insulting her skill as a gunner, that he could find an adequate replacement for
her on the Falcon.
Though they had convinced her that her presence on the Falcon wasn’t neede
d, they couldn’t keep her from helping them prepare her husband’s ship. “Leia,” Wedge s
aid, pulling her away from her work, “the Hapans have jumped in. I thought you mi
ght want to be there when we speak.”
Leia nodded. “Thanks Wedge. Let me get cleaned up, and I’ll be there in a
second.”
A few minutes later Leia was standing next to Wedge looking out of the w
indow at the large fleet of Battle Dragons and Star Destroyers. The number of I
mperial ships that the Hapans had been able to capture over the years impressed
Wedge. Over half of the ships the Hapans had brought were Imperial made. Wedge
had made sure that the few Star Destroyers the New Republic owned had come alon
g, but now they were much better equipped.
As good as the many Star Destroyers were, and as much as they helped Wed
ge’s battle plan, he was much more appreciative of the 20-some Hapan Battle Dragon
s that had joined the fleet. The rust-colored disk-shaped ships were known thro
ughout the galaxy as some of the most powerful. It was these ships’ reputation th
at had allowed the Hapan cluster to remain safe from smugglers and thieves over
the years.
“Sir, the Hapan fleet is sending a message.”
Wedge turned to the officer who had spoke. “We’ll receive it in my office.”
Leia and Wedge moved into his office just off the bridge. They stood in
front of the computer on his desk to receive the call. Leia was quite surprise
d to find Tenel Ka on the other end. She was also happy to see that the young l
eader was wearing her lightsaber.
Wedge dispensed with the pleasantries and got down to business. He sent
her all of the battle information and they wished each other luck. After the t
ransmission ended Lando looked at Leia. “I don’t know if I like having someone that
young in control of the fleet.”
“Trust me, Admiral,” Leia reassured him, “the Hapans are in good hands.”
* * *
Danzig 1 was huge. No, it was bigger than huge; it was gigantic. It wa
s the biggest star in the entire Danzig system, and, for that matter, the bigges
t star in all the Core systems. It was the only known star that actually had ot
her suns as satellites.
The Danzig system was devoid of planets. The sheer number of stars and
relative closeness of them didn’t allow any atmosphere to survive. If ever there
had been a planet in the Danzig system, it had been burned into an asteroid and
rendered lifeless many eons ago. Because of this, most of the stars stood alone
. Some had a few asteroids orbiting around them, but these orbital patterns wer
e not stable, and the asteroids would often jump from one star to another.
Danzig 1 was different. Danzig 1 had five other stars in a constant orb
it. Danzig 2-6 (in order of orbits) were among the smallest stars known in the
galaxy. Danzig 6, the smallest of the five stars, was only slightly bigger than
an average planet.
This phenomenon was stable, but at the same time, very fragile. It was
nothing that the Empire was concerned about, however. In order to alter the cou
rse of an orbiting planet, a super weapon had to be used. The Imperials didn’t th
ink that even a Death Star would be able to affect a gaseous body, even if it wa
s in a delicate situation. Though the Empire was correct in thinking that it wo
uld take an incredible amount of force to change the orbital pattern of a star,
they didn’t quite appreciate the significance of the orbiting stars.
Stars, even small ones, produce enormous gravity wells. When an object
orbits a sun, it gets caught in the outer rings of this well. Every mass create
s its own gravity field and the sun’s well has to be great enough that, at the dis
tance of the orbit, its own well is greater than that of the satellite. If it i
s too much greater, the satellite will decay in orbit and if it is too weak, the
satellite will fly off on its own. A sun’s density is so much greater than that
of a planet, that in the Danzig 1 arrangement there was a lot less room for erro
r. In order to orbit another star not only does the central star have to be pro
ducing an incredible gravity well, but also each of the orbiting stars has to be
in exactly the correct orbiting distance. Even the smallest change in the orbi
ting distance or velocity, will change the orbiting pattern exponentially.
None of these facts were even remotely considered by the Empire while it
prepared for the coming of the New Republic fleet.
Chapter 30 “The Dark Ring” (Part I)
Commander Skeener paced impatiently on the bridge of the third quadrant
of the Dark Ring. The third quadrant was starting to rotate out of position, an
d he thought that he would soon have to move to the fourth quadrant. He had met
with all of the military leaders and Thrawn just a few hours ago. Thrawn hadn’t
been there in person, but he had done most of the talking. There were plenty of
strategies that were discussed and as usual, Thrawn had dissected the battle pl
an to pieces.
Skeener had come to a similar conclusion as Thrawn though not identical.
The “front” of the Dark Ring had been decided as the section that was facing New R
epublic space. The front was the obvious place for the New Republic fleet to ju
mp in, being the closest one to their space. It was for that simple reason that
Thrawn, and Skeener, had thought that the New Republic would jump in at the rea
r of the Dark Ring. Skeener had thought that the New Republic would jump part o
f its fleet in at the front, try to draw all of the ships and fire power in that
direction, and then jump the rest in at the back.
Thrawn disagreed. He had taken that thinking one step further. With ju
mping in at the rear being the ploy in this battle, the strategy that Skeener su
ggested was the most obvious, Thrawn dismissed it. He suggested that the New Re
public would jump in immediately at the rear. Skeener thought that this would d
estroy their surprise attack completely, using their trick right away.
Thrawn carried his idea one step further saying that the defense the Dar
k Ring would have ideally for the New Republic would be one ready for the trick
of the rear entrance, but expecting a front one. The Empire would then be force
d to scramble around back to fortify the few ships that they had left in the rea
r to prevent the “trick.” Skeener had made the connection immediately. That would
leave the front open for attack.
Skeener was no longer in the rear of the Dark Ring. For the past twelve
hours he had been moving from quadrant to quadrant, always trying to keep himse
lf in the rear where most of the ships were. Skeener moved to a turbolift that
whisked him to the fourth quadrant. He began thinking about the upcoming battle
and the hopeless situation that the New Republic was facing. Surely even the l
argest fleet couldn’t stand up to the Dark Ring, but the Empire had most of its fl
eet here as well. Skeener ran through the list of fleet commanders in his head:
General Oskiman, Captain Sanson, Commander Snotzenexer, Commander Qwi’tek, and ma
ny more. All of them were exceptional leaders. Skeener was beginning to wonder
if the Empire even needed the Dark Ring. He doubted that the New Republic stoo
d a chance against the fleet alone.
In his movement through the Dark Ring, Skeener bumped into the two Salyn
oids. He could tell that they were exited. This was mainly their creation, and
 it was the Dark Ring’s first real test. They recognized Skeener as the commander
of the station, saluted him, and kept going on their furious checking of the sy
stems.
Skeener walked onto the bridge of the fourth quadrant just as the New Re
public ships jumped in.
* * *
Calamari Cruisers were the first to jump in, followed by the carriers, w
hich were quick to unload their fighters, and finally the smaller Frigates and C
orvettes. The smaller ships moved into flanking position and the fighters sped
ahead, eager to engage the enemy. For all of the New Republic pilots, this was
the first time they had ever seen the Dark Ring and many were hesitant to contin
ue the battle. Even Wedge, who had tried to prepare himself for the mechanical
monstrosity that they were going to be facing, felt a little queasy at the sight
of the wall in space. This was way bigger than any Death Star that he could po
ssibly imagine.
Wedge thought of their plan to use the Sun Crusher torpedo on the Dark R
ing and was glad for that plan. He had studied the plans for the Dark Ring, as
had all the generals, and he had come up with no flaw in the design. To be hone
st, it didn’t appear to be related to any other Imperial device he had ever seen b
efore.
The Empire tended to make things big, but foolish. Everything had an ob
vious flaw in it. Star Destroyers had their shield generators located in plain
sight and very accessible. Wedge had never understood the reason that this obvi
ous design flaw wasn’t ever remedied. The Calamarian Cruisers’ shield generators we
re tucked away neatly behind the large engines, feeding off the same fusion reac
tor.
TIE fighters though fast and nimble had absolutely no shields to speak o
f. One well-aimed shot from a New Republic fighter could take one down. Even t
he A-wing fighter, the New Republic’s weakest, was equipped with shields able to a
bsorb several bolts before failure.
Of course there was the obvious exhaust port fiasco with the first Death
Star, and while the second Death Star had no obvious flaw other than its incomp
letion, it had been taken out by only a few shots. This battle station had no c
entral power source to aim at, other than the sun. And that sun was producing e
nough energy to sustain its particle shields with out the aid of a planet below.
The Dark Ring had a strong energy shield too, but Wedge had reasoned from the
blueprints that they wouldn’t be able to keep the shield up and fire their Death S
tar lasers at the same time.
Their battle plan was the same as it had always been: distract the enemy
while the true strike force attacks the main power source. Wedge looked at his
chronometer. It would be another two minutes before the Hapans and the rest of
the fleet jumped in on the other side of the Dark Ring, and then another five m
inutes before Lando and the 185th were due. Seven minutes. It wasn’t that long u
nder normal circumstances, but in war, with people dying all around you, each se
cond dragged on for an hour.
Wedge checked out the scene before him. Not a shot had been fired yet,
but as the X-wings and E-wings sped towards the Star Destroyers, Wedge knew that
that was going to change.
* * *
Oskiman looked out at the New Republic fleet from his vantagepoint aboar
d the Doomsday Hammer. He was surrounded by his best military leaders, all aboa
rd Imperial Star Destroyers. He watched as the cluster of New Republic fighters
met the incoming swarm of TIE fighters. They met like opposing water waves, ca
using massive destructive interference. The New Republic capitol ships were sti
ll out of range of the Star Destroyers, but Oskiman knew that the Dark Ring had
a rather impressive range.
 As the capitol ships began to form a strategic ring, Oskiman scrutinized
the band of ships that came to attack. He was impressed with their fleet size.
The Empire had a large information net and had just engaged the New Republic i
n several skirmishes, so they had a good idea of how many ships they had. The n
umber in front of him matched the estimated number, and Oskiman smiled at their
wealth of knowledge on the enemy.
Oskiman was curious, though, about the make-up of the fleet. To his kno
wledge, the New Republic had captured several older Star Destroyers, but they we
re no where to be found amongst the New Republic’s fleet. Oskiman smiled again wh
en he realized when they’d show up. He had at first thought as Skeener had, that
they would use this “back door” as a counter attack, or a trick, not, as Thrawn had
suggested, as their main means of attack. It was only Thrawn’s strategy that had
placed as many ships behind the station as there were. If it weren’t for their fo
reknowledge, they would likely be scrambling right now to try to bring the fleet
around the huge Dark Ring from the front.
Oskiman was very pleased with the situation. He almost laughed out loud
at what he knew must be going through the minds of the New Republic leaders. T
he Imperial fleet behind the Dark Ring was actually smaller in size than the New
Republic’s, but as far as total ship strength went, the Empire had the distinct a
dvantage. The leaders of the attacking fleet likely thought that they had succe
ssfully lured the whole Imperial fleet away from the front, when in actuality, C
aptain Sanson and Commander Snotzenexer waited on the other side with the Empire’s
other Super Star Destroyer and almost as many Imperial and Victory class Destro
yers.
* * *
Wedge watched the flanking procedure of the Imperial fleet curiously. H
e tried to figure out the logic of their maneuvers. Instead of remaining betwee
n the New Republic fleet and the Dark Ring, the Imperials were moving into a lar
ge ring, almost creating a bull’s eye for the enemy to shoot on. All of Wedge’s que
stions disappeared when, from the middle of the bull’s eye, the Dark Ring fired, v
aporizing two Calamarian Cruisers and one Frigate instantly.
* * *
Skeener waited patiently as General Oskiman moved his ships out of the w
ay, clearing an alley for the Dark Ring to fire. As soon as the circle had grow
n large enough to give three super lasers open range, Skeener gave the order to
fire at will. He watched eagerly as the three lasers lanced out, instantly vapo
rizing the puny ships in the New Republic fleet.
Because the Dark Ring collected its power from solar panels, it took a v
ery large area of the inefficient panels to power a Death Star laser. A lot of
the energy was stored in huge batteries, but all of the energy could not be draw
n from a battery at once or it would overload. It took about fifty square kilom
eters of solar panels to fire one super laser, this seemed large at first, but i
t was less than a millionth of a percent of the total area on the inside of the
Dark Ring.
Because of this incredible accumulation of energy over a very large area
, it took about 20 seconds to fire again from any specific laser orifice. Skeen
er had the computer on the Dark Ring calculate the area the New Republic covered
and the amount of super lasers that would be in range. Skeener was very please
to see the number 7 appear brightly on his screen. Once the Imperial fleet got
out of the way he would be able to take out 21 ships a minute.
Skeener was a little mad that these were not his orders. He was only su
pposed to take occasional pot shots, killing no more than a few a minute. Oskim
an had insisted that the fleet needed more practice against live targets. Skeen
er shrugged in frustration. Oh well, he thought, only a “few” a minute. Skeener sm
iled as he thought of a very loose translation of the word “few.” He gave the order
to fire again, this time from four super lasers.
* * *
Snotzenexer waited patiently on the other side of the Dark Ring. He had
been the only person who had initially agreed with Thrawn’s evaluation of the sit
uation, and so he had been the only one who had volunteered to sit and wait for
the fleet. He had just gotten the report from the other side of the Dark Ring t
hat the first part of the fleet had jumped in. The Dark Ring blocked all commun
ication between the fleets, and everything had to be relayed through the Dark Ri
ng. This caused for a slight time delay, but it was a minor inconvenience.
Snotzenexer scanned the list of ships that were being reported. Absent
from the list, as he had suspected, were the Imperial ships that he knew the New
Republic had captured. The New Republic was trying to make it look as real as
possible that this first fleet was their entire attack.
Sanson walked up behind him to read the information for herself. This s
ituation had been odd for the fleet. Sanson had the rank of captain, just below
General Oskiman. Snotzenexer, although he only had the rank of commander, had
always been thought as the next in command to Oskiman. Sanson had willingly joi
ned Snotzenexer on this fleet assignment.
Many of the Imperials were a bit skeptical as to the reason for her will
ingness to serve under a lower ranking officer. It wouldn’t have been that odd fo
r anyone else - there were several other captains who could have served under hi
m - because Snotzenexer was very well respected, but Sanson was definitely the m
ost defiantly independent officer. Of course many people had a different idea e
ntirely as to why Sanson had accepted Snotzenexer’s invitation.
Rumors had been generated over the past few months about a relationship
between the two successful military officers. These rumors had never been confi
rmed or denied. Nobody feared what Snotzenexer would do if people started talki
ng. The shy genius wasn’t very aggressive, and nothing seemed to bother him. But
Sanson was likely to rip the larynx out of anyone who so much as hinted about s
uch a relationship. Only Tallon knew the truth, and he wasn’t going to tell anyon
e.
Sanson patted Snotzenexer gently on the butt as she approached her comma
nding officer from behind. She glanced over her shoulder at the underlings hudd
led around the computer consoles, daring anyone who had seen her sly movement to
start whispering. No one did.
“Yes, dear?” Snotzenexer asked, guessing that none of his male officers woul
d be bold enough to slap his rear.
“What have we got?”
“It appears that the New Republic is indeed using the strategy that we pre
dicted. The rest of the fleet should be jumping in shortly. Though I don’t belie
ve it will be very big.” Snotzenexer did the math in his head. “The remaining ship
s in the New Republic’s possession consist of Imperial ships they have stolen and
number fewer than fifteen. Unless . . .” a thought crept into his head. He knew
about Laya and her lack of communication over the past few weeks. It was possib
le that Laya had been put out of commission, and if the Hapans knew about the Em
pire’s role in her actions, then it was possible that . . . The second New Republ
ic fleet jumped in and confirmed Snotzenexer’s fears.
Sanson and Snotzenexer watched as the Star Destroyers and Hapan Battle D
ragons organized themselves into an attack formation. Snotzenexer didn’t know if
Sanson knew what the saucer-shaped ships were, or who they belonged to. Snotzen
exer was hesitant to tell her that they belonged to the Hapans and that this une
xpected alliance probably sprung up because of the Laya incident, which he wasn’t
sure if she knew about either. He didn’t want to sound insulting. If Sanson alre
ady knew what they were, she might not feel pleased about being made to look lik
e an uninformed officer. If she didn’t know, she probably wouldn’t stoop to ask, bu
t would like to be informed just the same.
Snotzenexer turned to face her, but she spoke first. “Enlarge one of the
Battle Dragons.” Without a word, Snotzenexer moved over to a computer, brought on
e of the saucer ships up on the screen, and enlarged it. “See those small slots o
n the rim of the ships?” she asked, pointing to the screen.
Snotzenexer zoomed in a little closer and confirmed her observation. “Tho
se slots are for space mining probes. They’re used to mine hyperspace to create a
temporary interdiction zone. It’s not likely that they will use them, because it
would be pointless to trap an immobile station in space, so they’d only be hurtin
g themselves. The probes themselves are highly explosive. Tell your fleet to t
arget the slots, but only the fighters will be able to get close enough. The Ha
pans are advanced technologically and have developed a cloaking device against l
arge weapon locks.”
Snotzenexer realized that there was a good chance Sanson did indeed know
what the saucer ships were. He took this in stride. He was not offended that
she had given him what sounded like a direct command. After all, she did out-ra
nk him. “It would be pointless then for the Dark Ring to target them.” It was more
of a statement than a question. Snotzenexer turned to his bridge crew and rela
yed the information to all of the fighters. He then contacted the Dark Ring and
told them to concentrate fire upon the Star Destroyers.
Snotzenexer had already moved his fleet into a ring by guessing, and gue
ssing correctly, where the incoming fleet would jump in. The front side of the
Dark Ring had the same orders as Skeener and the backside of the battle station
had: Don’t take out too many ships, but let the fleet have some practice. Snotzen
exer watched as the Dark Ring took out two Victory class Star Destroyers belongo
ng to the New Republic. He noticed that the fleet of Star Destroyers was quite
substantial. He would have to read the history of the Imperial involvement with
the Hapans. They had way to many Imperial ships.
Snotzenexer waited for the Dark Ring to fire again, and then remembered
Oskiman’s orders. The man was a fool, Snotzenexer thought. He meant to give the
New Republic a chance by letting them tackle the fleet instead of the Dark Ring.
A compassionate Imperial leader should never have made it to the rank of Gener
al. Snotzenexer understood Oskiman’s intentions and knew that they were far from
compassionate. The idea of giving the fleet practice during a crucial battle wa
s an error. No matter what advantage you had over an enemy, if you held them in
contempt by saying that you don’t have to try your hardest to beat them, then you
will lose. If you stop trying, it makes the enemy try all the harder, and they
will gain the edge.
Snotzenexer did not wish to buck the orders. He had no intention of get
ting a court marshal over a matter that in the final out come, probably wouldn’t m
atter. It wasn’t okay to take this risk, but they weren’t quite walking across a ti
ght rope without a net. Snotzenexer knew that the Dark Ring was just about the
biggest net you could find anywhere.
While Snotzenexer had been contemplating these things in front of a moni
tor, Sanson had moved down amongst the crew ordering the targeting assignments f
or the entire fleet. Snotzenexer admired her technical knowledge and appreciate
d her help more than he disliked her over stepping her bounds.
Sanson knew all about the old Star Destroyers they were attacking. She
told the fleet that the weak spots on the shield towers weren’t the globes themsel
ves, but the supports holding the globes, in particular, the central power cable
. She explained where the weak spots were on the hanger doors, and once the doo
rs were gone, where they should fire torpedoes to get the best chain reaction.
She explained that toward the back of the Victory class Destroyers there was a s
mall oxygen intake valve used during inner-atmosphere travel. There was a door
closed over it during space travel, but if taken out with lasers, a well-aimed t
orpedo could enter the valve and travel straight to the main fusion reactor. Sh
e explained where the thinnest parts of the Battle Dragons’ hull were and which io
n cannons were routed directly through the main reactor and which ones ran off s
eparate batteries. She also recognized some of the Imperial class Destroyers as
an older type of ship that had been discontinued for some over looked flaws. S
he explained how a few well aimed ion shots at the forward sensor arrays could s
hort circuit the entire system of long range scanners and scramble their targeti
ng system for a few minutes.
Snotzenexer listened to her rattle off strategy after strategy, becoming
 more and more impressed with her knowledge every passing moment. In simulation
s, she had come the closest to beating him in a fleet battle, which is to say at
the end of the battle she was only outnumbered four to one. Snotzenexer unders
tood his supremacy in fleet command, but also knew all about Sanson’s strengths.
Snotzenexer moved down off of the elevated command section of the bridge
and began to coordinate the fleet beside his fiancé.
Chapter 31 “The Dark Ring” (Part II)
Lando checked the hyperspace chronometer for the sixth time in the past
seven seconds. He was fidgeting with the controls involuntarily. Chewie barked
at him again to calm down, but the reality of what he was going to do started t
o nag at him. He was going to blow up a star and kill over a billion people.
Lando had felt similar feelings after the battle of Endor, when he reali
zed that Luke had just gotten off the Death Star in time. When he thought about
it, his mind raced through all of the people that didn’t make it out and had died
a fiery death. Lando had a long conversation with Luke about it later. Luke h
adn’t justified the death of all the Imperials. He reminded Lando that he had kil
led just as many in the first Death Star. The only comfort the Jedi could give
was that they had to choose the lesser of two evils. Killing a billion now woul
d save trillions later. Luke had also launched into a sermon on preserving the
Light Side of the Force. Lando hadn’t paid too much attention at the time, but no
w, with all of his experiences with Jedi, he understood better what Luke was tal
king about. Everyone had a presence in the Force, even non-Force strong individ
uals. In order for history to continue in good instead of evil, the Dark Side h
ad to be defeated or, in many cases, killed. Lando understood that this battle,
on the surface, simply looked like a battle between two empires struggling for
power, but it was really Light versus Dark. This battle had larger ramification
s than Lando could accurately discern, but he knew that a loss here, failing to
blow up the Dark Ring, would lead to very Dark times.
Lando swallowed down a lump that had been forming in his throat. He loo
ked again at the chronometer. There was one minute left until they jumped in.
Lando yelled back at the passengers to buckle up. Land had picked up two young
fighter pilots who’s ships were inoperative. Lando would rather have people he kn
ew and trusted to fire the Falcon’s guns, but he had been assured that Haivven and
Bremmy were excelent marksmen.
“Is the cloaking device working properly?” Lando asked his copilot. Chewie
barked an affirmative. At the last second, Lando had decided to attach the devi
ce that they had “borrowed” from the Imperial crystal mine. He knew that it wouldn’t
work in the radiation they would be flying through, but he didn’t think they’d be in
the radiation all the time.
Lando watched the countdown descend from thirty. He hovered his hand ov
er the hyperspace lever. His hand started to shake from nervousness, and he dro
pped his hand down onto the lever to control the shaking. Sweat began to bead u
p on his forehead. His voice cracked slightly when he told Chewie to get ready.
Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, . . . He looked back over his shoulder t
o make sure that the two passengers where secured. He had never jumped into hea
vy solar radiation before and didn’t now what kind of turbulence they’d experience.
He turned to look back at the countdown and the ship shook violently. T
houghts of pure horror began running through his mind. Had the nav computer mis
calculated their jump? Where they flying through the sun, or worse, the Dark Ri
ng in hyperspace. Suddenly the star lines disappeared and they were back in nor
mal space. Lando looked down at his hand and saw that he still had the lever in
the hyperspace position. The chronometer was just now ticking down to zero.
“An interdiction field!” Lando yelled. Chewie roared in agreement. They an
d the three W-wings were still a ways away from the Dark Ring, and they weren’t hi
dden in the radiation field. “Chewie,” Lando called, “we have a blown hyperspace fuse
. We’re going to need to make a fast get-a-way pretty soon and it needs to be fix
ed. Haivven and Bremmy we need people at the turret guns. The Imperials know w
e’re here.” Chewie barked at him. “Right! Of course, I forgot.” Lando reached over a
nd activated the cloaking device.
* * *
Skeener received word that the second fleet had jumped in. His orders w
ere clear: Activate the interdiction as soon as all of the enemy ships had jumpe
d in. Skeener planned on waiting a few minutes yet. He didn’t think that the New
Republic actually expected to pull off a victory with just these two fleets, th
ey had to have something else up their sleeve. If it was another fleet, he want
ed to trap it too. If it was a secret weapon, he wanted to keep it out.
It was now almost five minutes since the second New Republic fleet had j
umped in, and Skeener was getting anxious. “Activate the interdiction field and l
ock it,” Skeener gave the order. The Salynoids had built a locking mechanism so t
hat if an attacking fleet managed to take out a section of the Dark Ring, the in
terdiction field wouldn’t go out. Normally all extra-curricular activities would
be shut down, in a structural break down, but now the interdiction field was on
for good until deactivated from the control room.
As soon as the interdiction field went up four blips appeared on the rad
ar. Skeener saw them. “What do we have here,” he said to himself. His timing coul
dn’t have been better. He wanted to make sure that all of the ships could join th
e party. “How far away are the four new comers?” Skeener asked his officers.
“They are within gun range, sir,” the officer replied, knowing why Skeener h
ad asked. The four new ships had jumped in above the hole in the north pole of
the station where the only Dark Ring guns were on the rim of the hole. If they
were too close, the angle of fire would be too great, and they would be out of r
ange. Also they would be in the radiation storm. “Do you wish to fire on them, s
ir?”
Skeener didn’t know what the ships were doing there, but he knew they didn’t
pose much of a threat. At the angle from which they were approaching, they wou
ldn’t be able to target any vital systems, save perhaps the most vital of all - th
e sun. Skeener laughed to himself at the idea of the small fighters trying to l
oad the sun with laser fire. He finally decided that the angle of their approac
h was due to the fact that it kept them out of range of the Death Star lasers. “I
f they’re not bold enough to challenge us directly, we won’t honor their presence.
Inform the fleets, however.”
* * *
General Oskiman looked down at the message that was being relayed to his
command post. He had noticed the ships when they had popped on the radar a few
moments ago, but had yet to recognize their presence. The report from the Dark
Ring told him that Skeener was going to ignore them. Oskiman looked out at the
fleet battle in which he was engaged. He didn’t have time to chase after four fi
ghters that couldn’t even jump in at the right coordinates. If they were to incom
petent to follow the rest of the fleet, then they didn’t deserve his attention.
* * *
Snotzenexer didn’t bother to read the report. Sanson was bent over the sc
reen, and Snotzenexer watched her for her reaction. Snotzenexer knew that he wa
s advanced in IQ far above the rest of the imperial commanders, he had idolized
Thrawn when he was growing up, and like him he tried not to let his style become
cocky or arrogant. He had noticed the ships of course, and this message could
only concern them, as nothing else of any significance had happened. He also kn
ew what everyone else must be thinking because it was what had first flashed thr
ough his mind. Sanson nodded to herself after she had finished reading the mess
age, and Snotzenexer was disappointed that she agreed with the idea that these n
ew fighters presented no threat.
“How many TIE squadrons should we deploy to engage them?” Snotzenexer asked
her as she turned to let him read the message. “Five? Seven?”
Sanson wasn’t surprised at the fact that Snotzenexer knew what the message
 had said without reading it. He had done a lot more impressive things than tha
t before. She was surprised however, that he thought these ships needed their a
ttention. “You don’t share the idea that these ships are harmless.”
“Why should they be?” Snotzenexer queried, wanting to hear her reasoning.
“They obviously erred in their jump and came out of hyperspace not only la
te, but in the wrong area.”
“It does look obvious, doesn’t it. Maybe they planned it that way.” Sanson k
new what he was getting at. He and Thrawn always put themselves in the enemy’s sh
oes, taking the thinking process one step further. “Did you happen to look at the
ir radar signatures.”
“They don’t mean anything to me,” Sanson said, getting impatient. Now was not
the time for a strategy lesson.
“I have committed several of the New Republic’s ships’ radar signatures to mem
ory. The larger fighter is the Millennium Falcon and the three small fighters a
re of the same design as those that attacked Commander Qwi’tek during your Gensiff
ery attack. I’m sure you know all about the Falcon, and Qwi’tek told you about the
proficiency of the three smaller fighters that single handily defeated his fleet
.”
“We have no reason to believe that anyone of importance is at the cockpit
of the Falcon, and you can’t tell if they are the same fighters that attacked us a
t Gensiffery.”
“We also have no reason to believe that they aren’t the same ones. The one
thing that the Empire has to learn about fighting, is never underestimate the en
emy.”
“What could they do from the angle which they are flying?”
“We don’t know anything about the fighters, and the Falcon is constantly bei
ng upgraded. It is possible that they have developed some kind of shielding tha
t would allow them to fly inside of the Dark Ring amongst the radiation. They c
ould have a new kind of explosive weapon that they wish to attach to the inside
of the battle station. What ever they plan on doing, I don’t think that they just
accidentally fell out of hyperspace at the wrong time. Also remember that they
were yanked out of hyperspace by the interdiction field. They could have been
headed somewhere else.”
“If that is the case,” Sanson responded, “I suggest that we should deploy no l
ess than ten squadrons to intercept them.”
“Consider it done. They were sent while you were reading the report.”
Sanson gave him a cross look for going behind her back, but it changed i
nto a smile at the sly way he had gotten her to agree with his already made deci
sion.
* * *
Thrawn paced his office methodically. He had had the interior of his of
fice filled with a plethora of plants and small trees, that made up an accurate
representation of the decorative plants that were in the palace on Coruscant. H
is habit of collecting the art work of his enemy, had met a small road block whe
n confronted with the New Republic. They didn’t have any prolific artist, and wer
en’t much for decoration. Thrawn had, as Snotzenexer had, at first looked past th
e plants, but now he realized that these plants better described the mind set of
the New Republic, than anything else could have.
He looked at the Fraynion powel shoots. They were a colorful bunch of r
eeds that grew from seed to a full grown cluster in a mater of weeks. Thrawn re
membered how quickly the New Republic had sprouted up and grown into maturity.
Thrawn walked next past the Corellion amber tree. This was still a youn
g tree, and it stood alone in its large clay pot, but Thrawn knew what it was li
ke in the wild. It was a strong sturdy tree. When it reached adult hood its br
anches would latch onto the branches of surrounding trees. Unlike a parasite vi
ne, when the amber tree latched on to another tree, it supported it and fed it n
utrients. Together, both trees would grow stronger, and then they would branch
out again. The direct relation to the New Republic was too obvious for thoughts
.
He next came to the Tatooine silver bud. This beautiful flower was natu
rally located in the hot desserts of Tatooine. At first he wasn’t able to get the
flower to grow in his office. He had imported the finest soil from many differ
ent worlds, but the flower kept dying. Thrawn wasn’t a botanist, but he soon real
ized that the flower needed the parched sand to grow. With out the adverse cond
itions, the flower never reached its full potential. The New Republic also seem
ed like it flourished during bad times.
Thrawn finally stopped walking when he reached the Maltha ice vine. Thi
s plant was actually a weed. Although it was multicolored and somewhat attracti
ve, it was still a weed. The New Republic had found it on the planet Maltha Obe
x before the Qella had returned. Thrawn’s vine was mounted on an ice frame. Ther
e was metal tubing winding upward in a spiral on which the ice was kept frozen.
The vine grew right out of the ice. The root structure was very visible inside
the hardened, transparent water. There were few nutrients in the ice, and thos
e that were there, were frozen in place. The New Republic scientists had claime
d the phenomenon impossible, and some kind of Qella trick, but on further inspec
tion, the vine was proven to be authentic. Since no one had returned to the Qel
la home world after they had returned fifteen years ago, the plant was very rare
and expensive. Thrawn had found that cloning was much cheaper.
He stared at this vine for a long time. He seemed mesmerized by the con
trasting of colors. The red roots, the dark green stem, and the bright, almost
florescent, green leaves glowed when intertwined around the crystallized water.
This plant demonstrated the part of the New Republic that worried Thrawn the mo
st and the one that he was considering now. It was impossible for a rag tag bun
ch of fighters to defeat a fully operational Death Star. And it was just as unl
ikely to find a plant that grows out of ice as it was to find a ground force, ou
t numbered ten to one, that could defeat the enemy to bring down a shield genera
tor, and allow a fleet of ships, out numbered fifteen to one, to attack and defe
at a deadly battle station.
Could the New Republic win today at Danzig 359? Their chances were less
than one in a million. Thrawn looked again at the ice vine. What was its poss
ibility of existence? Biologically this vine was an impossibility, but it was r
ight in front of him.
Thrawn didn’t feel like he had all of the facts he needed to make the conn
ection he was looking for. He went over to his desk and flipped on his computer
. He began scrolling through all of the information of the past few weeks while
he thought about the battle going on right now. The information flowed past hi
m and he tried to collect it all. His great intellect allowed him to grab all o
f the bits of information, twirl them around in his mind, examine them from all
sides, seeing every angle of possibilities, and comparing them to the battle. I
nformation about the recent fleet attacks flowed up the screen, as did informati
on about the attack on Yavin IV, the attack at the crystal mine, the failed terr
orism of Laya, and the first clash at the Dark Ring with the small New Republic
fleet.
As the information of the crystal mine flowed past him, he paused it and
requested the complete history of the outpost. He examined each name, each dat
e, and every little detail that might be a clue. His mind ran into the one poss
ible means of defeat in the battle just as his eyes rested on the name Qui Xux.
As before the New Republic had always targeted the power source of the stations
, in this case the sun. There was only one known weapon that could destroy a su
n and Qui Xux had designed it. All of the pieces were falling together. If the
New Republic had a sun crusher torpedo then that would explain their apparent s
uicide run.
Thrawn reached over to his com switch and punched in the code for the Da
rk Ring. He waited the few seconds that it took for the hyperspace signal to re
ach the station, but after a minute, Thrawn realized that they must have already
activated the interdiction field. Thrawn was too late!
The admiral was known for his cool demeanor, but now his temper flared q
uickly. How could he have over looked such an obvious situation? He looked ove
r at the Maltha ice vine. It seemed to sneer at him, defying the odds the way i
t did. Thrawn tried to gather some relief with the knowledge that Snotzenexer w
as out there with the fleet. Compared to the Commander, the rest of the officer
s were morons, but with Snotzenexer in command of one of the fleets, there was s
till hope. No, the New Republic would win again, they always did. He could mak
e a stand here on the planet. He had the Jedi trapped on the planet. He could
keep them here, and defend this planet from attack until the he could regroup.
Tallon wasn’t a genius, but he was better than Pellaeon had been. Thrawn thought
back to the time he had fought the New Republic by roaming through space without
a stationary base. He might have to do that again.
He got up from his desk, deciding to count the Dark Ring as a loss, and
move on with the rest of his plan. He turned to leave and found the ice vine fa
cing him. He thought he could hear it laughing at him. Thrawn allowed his ange
r to peek once more as he ripped the screen out of his desk and hurled it at the
ice frame. The glass and ice shattered as the vine fell off the frame and lay
amongst the ruins of its life source on the floor. Thrawn laughed to himself as
he walked from the room.
Chapter 32 “The Dark Ring” (Part III)
“Fighters coming in!” Lando shouted over the Falcon’s com.
“We see them,” Haivven said from the ventral turret gun.
“Bats,” Lando called, “are you still with us?”
“Copy that,” Vince voiced back. “We’ll plow the road.”
The TIE’s came in fast, but the 185th kept their squad leader’s promise and
evaporated the six leading fighters. Jon decided to keep a mental count instead
of constantly flipping his counter. He did this for two reasons. Since they w
ere in wide open space, he didn’t have the luxury of ducking behind a capitol ship
while he flipped the counter. Also he figured that with the sheer number of fi
ghters that they were facing, his finger would get too tired.
All three fighters split up, encircling around the cloaked Falcon like b
ees swarming protectively around their queen. Haivven and Bremmy fired conserva
tively, not wanting to hit the W-wings, which were darting all over the place.
Bep had designed the strategy that the W-wings were using. By linking the compu
ters through the coms of each fighter, the complex navigational computer was abl
e to weave the three fighters in a dizzying collage of spiraling twists and turn
s that left the enemy fighters in a quandary.
The TIE’s were at a loss of how to track the unique fighters flying in a c
omputer generated randomized pattern. The orderly trios of TIE fighters soon br
oke into a scrambled array of pods and solar panels as they tried to enter the f
ray of W-wings.
The Jon, Vince, and Bep weren’t making many kills at all, only firing occa
sionally when a TIE happened to wander into their sights. However, once they ag
reed that the TIE’s were effectively scrambled and out of their strong formation,
Bep activated the derandomization program. The complex pattern began to alter s
lowly until, as if by magic, all three fighters pulled out of the pattern side b
y side. The three ace pilots resumed control of their ships and began to attack
the TIE’s.
The TIE’s were badly out of position. Many had stopped all together to tr
y to get a bead on the twirling crafts. Now they sat scattered all over the fre
e space like stationary asteroids. The W-wings split up, attacking the scattere
d enemy ships, often finding the broad side of a stationary solar panel as their
target.
The invisible Falcon had been totally forgotten, and it was allowed to c
ontinue its intercept course with the Dark Ring. The TIE’s tried to regroup, but
do to their cramped positions and slow speeds, their attempts simply put them in
large groups making for easier targets. Jon shrieked with adrenaline as, in on
e pass, he was able to take out three TIE’s who were trying to regroup into their
traditional triangle formation.
Vince and Bep were up to their normal tricks, confusing the TIE’s more tha
n they already were. Jon found the fighting uninteresting and left to follow th
e Falcon.
Lando watched the fighters perform their tricks, glad that Wedge had ass
igned them to accompany him. He had brought the Dark Ring up on his targeting d
isplay. The missiles had locked on to the huge structure almost immediately, bu
t he had no intention of firing the missiles desperately at the super structure.
Instead, he simply used the targeting system to tabulate the distance between
him and the colossus structure. The New Republic scientists had informed him wh
at to expect when he got within three thousand kilometers of the orifice in the
Dark Ring, and Lando planned to be ready for it. The targeting display told him
that he was now five thousand kilometers away, and Lando could already feel the
control of the Falcon begin to get a little edgy. The sensors started to fade
as he went further into the radiation emission field, but he could see a small b
lip of his left side.
“Bremmy, I’m reading a fighter on our tail, can you confirm?”
“It’s a friendly,” he replied.
“Lando, thought I’d come along for the view,” Jon said over the com. His voic
e began to break up, and Lando knew that they wouldn’t be able to maintain radio c
ommunicate for much longer.
“Glad to have you, but it’s going to get a bit rough, so hold on.”
* * *
Wedge analyzed the battle and was pleased to see that they were holding
their own against the Imperial fleet, but was more than a little distressed abou
t the Dark Ring. It had fired only occasionally, with deadly accuracy. Wedge h
ad been told by a group of scientists who had analyzed the plans for the Dark Ri
ng that it would be capable of firing rather rapidly, but Wedge was yet to see p
roof of that. He wondered if the Empire was simply playing with them.
Wedge snapped his mind back into the battle and tried to find weaknesses
in his enemy’s formation. He saw two E-wings chase several TIE’s into what Wedge c
ould see was a trap. The TIE’s lured the two ships in-between two Star Destroyers
when four more TIE’s appeared from behind the two Destroyers. Wedge cursed the f
act that the doomed E-wing pilots couldn’t have seen the trap from their vantage p
oint, but he also saw a possible advantage to the unfortunate situation. Both S
tar Destroyers moved away from each other slightly to give the TIE’s more room to
work on the E-wings. Wedge contacted a Calamarian Cruiser that was near the fro
nt lines and had taken minimal damage and told it to punch that hole.
The Cruiser saw the hole and altered its course accordingly. The Destro
yers saw the Calamarian Cruiser coming but didn’t have enough time to close off th
e hole, and not wanting a collision with the large ship, they were force to make
the hole bigger. The Cruiser hit the hole hard, causing sever damage to the si
de of one of the Destroyers. The hurt Star Destroyer was forced forward into th
e waiting guns of two more Calamarian Cruisers.
Wedge smiled as he waited for the outcome. It wasn’t the outcome he had e
xpected. The Dark Ring fired two direct hits on the waiting Calamarian Cruisers
, evaporating both of them into fire balls. Wedge saw that this was much more t
han the loss of two ships. Now the injured Star Destroyer, with its forward vel
ocity, could penetrate the New Republic’s front line, while the lone Cruiser that
had started the maneuver had lost its back-up and was now hopelessly surrounded
by enemy ships.
The Dark Ring was watching the battle like a father watching his son pla
y with a wolf cub. He allowed the child to tumble around with the dangerous ani
mal, but as soon as the animal showed any teeth, the father jumped in to kill th
e wolf. Wedge frowned to himself, when had it ever been easy.
* * *
Tenel Ka was having a bit more success on her side of the Dark Ring. Th
e super lasers weren’t able to get a solid lock onto the Battle Dragons, so her sh
ips were able to fight straight up with the Imperial fleet. Despite the fact th
at her ships were more advanced than the Imperial fleet, she found that she was
being terribly out strategized. Her mother had sent Tenel Ka on this mission wi
th full confidence in her skills as a military leader. That confidence had not
been misplaced. The students at the Academy underwent military strategy trainin
g taught by Ackbar. Master Skywalker had had the foresight to realize that many
of his students would be called upon to lead military forces simply because of
their status as Jedi, and he didn’t want them to be ill-prepared.
Tenel Ka examined her strategy again. It seemed flawless, except for th
e fact that the fleet she was facing seemed to expect her every move. At first
she had laid out a strategy that was taught at the Academy, but she discarded it
with the idea that any Imperial commander who had studied past battles, would p
ick up on her tactics immediately. Improvisation was the key, but it seemed tha
t she was simply dancing to the tune of the Imperial commander she was facing.
Neither side was taking serious losses; however, almost all of the stole
n Imperial ships had been destroyed by the Dark Ring. Tenel Ka understood her m
ain priority was to keep the fleet occupied while the thrust of their attack com
menced against the sun, but she didn’t want to be cannon fodder either.
Oh, well, she thought after another advance had been thwarted, let’s try a
nother strategy.
* * *
Snotzenexer was holding back, waiting. He recognized the tactics of his
enemy and was simply taking his time. He had sent two Imperial Star Destroyers
after the Millennium Falcon and the three fighters after he saw that the W-wing
s had dispatched the TIE’s easily. He was curious as to why Oskiman had not sent
anything after the isolated enemy ships. Snotzenexer didn’t try to figure out wha
t the squat General was thinking, because normally he came to the conclusion tha
t the question wasn’t about what he was thinking, but if he was thinking at all.
Snotzenexer didn’t want to commit to the battle with the Hapans totally be
cause he wanted to keep an eye on the activity by the north pole of the Dark Rin
g. He figured that the two fleets that had jumped in were just a diversion.
Sanson walked up to Snotzenexer with a questioning look on her face. “It’s
the four fighters, isn’t it?” He nodded. “If you’re that concerned about them, why don’t
you send half of our fleet against them?”
Snotzenexer shook his head. “We can’t let them know that we know their plan
our they might turn desperate. Besides I still can’t see what kind of strategy t
hey could be applying, unless they plan to attack the Dark Ring from within. If
that’s the case, then they are poorly informed, because they’ll never be able to na
vigate in the radiation storm. The solar wind will tear them apart.” Snotzenexer
looked out the window at the Hapans. He had just typed another message to some
of his commanders and watched as the sly encircling tactic that a few Battle Dr
agons had been attempting was thwarted. “We’ll just have to wait until they show th
eir hand and then hope that they’re bluffing.”
* * *
The cloaking device finally gave out as they approached thirty-five hund
red kilometers. Jon hadn’t known how close he was to the Falcon, and backed off a
few kilometers. Both ships were buffeted by the solar radiation as they flew s
till closer to the burning sun. Though the cloaking device was inoperable in th
e disturbance, both ships were invisible to all but the naked eye. However, bot
h Vince and Bep were active and visible and now faced with dealing with two Impe
rial Star Destroyers armed to the teeth.
“Options?” Vince asked.
“Follow Jon into the radiation,” Bep offered.
“Not an option,” Vince replied. “Although they might be invisible to the Dest
royer’s weapon sensors, all the laws of probability that I know are telling me tha
t the Imperials will get lucky with at least one shot, and our buddies’ shields ar
e at their limit right now. No, we’re the distraction.”
 “You mean we’re the meat they through at the banthas to keep ‘em quiet,” Bep cor
rected. “I don’t like it.”
“If I remember that trick correctly, there is usually poison in the meat.”
This last comment awakened the fight in Bep. They had defeated bigger o
dds before, but it had never been just them. There had always been a fleet to d
ivide the Imperials’ attention. “Well they’re almost here. I hope your lasers are po
wered up.”
“Roger that.”
“Let’s get ‘em!”
* * *
Lando was watching the targeting display and was growing concerned. The
y were now twenty-five hundred kilometers away. Lando didn’t want to fire until h
e was at least fifteen hundred kilometers away. He knew that all he had to do w
as get the missile into the hole at the top of the Dark Ring, and Danzig 359’s gra
vity would do the rest. He was afraid that if he shot too soon, the radiation i
nterference would redirect the shot into the Dark Ring supper structure. Lando
also knew that the interference was getting much worse than he had expected. It
was tough to predict what the radiation would do, because nothing like the Dark
Ring had ever been built before. Normally a sun can vent its furry over billio
ns of square kilometers, but now that radiation was contained and only let out o
f two relatively small holes, magnifying it many times.
As Lando approached two thousand kilometers, he knew that if he went too
much further, he wasn’t going to be able to pull up before he followed the missil
e. Chewie, who had returned from fixing the hyperdrive, growled his concerns ab
out the situation. “I know! I know!” Lando replied. “Just a little bit closer.”
Chewie voiced his disagreement, adding a little more urgency. “OK, but yo
u realize that this is our only chance.” Chewie growled something about wishing t
o be alive to attend the victory party. “Bombs away!” Lando reached over and flipp
ed a switch, opening the slot were the special sun crusher missile was located.
Lando crossed his fingers and pressed the big red button.
The missile shot away from the Falcon at a great initial speed, but Land
o immediately saw that the fuel storage compartment of the missile didn’t hold eno
ugh propellant to fight against the radiation. Lando thought that the missile w
as probably designed to simply project itself toward the targeted sun and allowe
d the sun’s gravity to do the rest. Normally a projectile in space will keep its
speed without to much friction, but the missile buffeted in the radiation violen
tly several times, and as Lando pulled the Falcon out of the disturbance, he had
the sickening feeling that the missile was off target.
Jon had the same feeling, and he didn’t pull out of the radiation, but sta
yed on course, chasing the wayward projectile. The super nova weapon had a huge
lead on him, but his engines had better lasting power. By the time Jon caught
up with the missile, he was only twelve hundred kilometers away from the Dark Ri
ng. The missile had been thrown to the edge of the radiation, and it became obv
ious that it would crash into the super structure if Jon didn’t do something about
it.
Because the missile was near the edge of the radiation, Jon’s sensors were
coming back on line. He pulled his ship ahead of the missile so he was leading
it slightly. He didn’t know if his tractor beam could latch onto something as sm
all as a missile or if it would hold on through the radiation, but it was his on
ly option.
“Arnine,” Jon said to his astromech droid mounted in the back, “I’ll need your h
elp on this one. You’ve got to tell me what’s going on with the missile, OK.” The R9
droid beeped a confirmation. Jon activated the tractor beam and waited a few a
nxious seconds before the R9 droid confirmed a successful catch. “OK,” Jon said out
loud, talking to himself as much as the droid, “I have to take it easy without to
many sharp maneuvers or I’ll loose the grip.”
Jon was about a thousand kilometers away from the target now. The missi
le hadn’t gone too far off course, and Jon figured that if he could get it in the
center of the zone within five hundred kilometers, that it would stay on target.
Jon pulled the craft slowly back in line with the hole in the top of the
Dark Ring. His droid kept him constantly informed of how far the missile lagge
d behind. When the distance got to big, Jon slowed a little to let the tractor
beam reaffirm its weak grip.
When Jon reached the five hundred kilometer mark he came upon the grim r
ealization that he was going to have to lead the missile the whole way in. All
of Jon’s past missions began flashing by in his mind. He had never really come th
at close to death before. He had been hit very few times, and those had only be
en glancing blows off his strong shields. He had never really considered death
before, but if he went into the inside of the Dark Ring, he knew that his chance
s weren’t too good for coming out.
Jon swallowed his fear an kept going forward. One hundred kilometers.
Fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, ten, in. The inside of the Dark Ring was mesmeriz
ing. Billions upon billions of solar panels, all glowing with blinding brightne
ss.
Jon snapped out of his trance and let go of the missile. As he watched
it head toward the sun, he realized that, at its present speed, it would take ho
urs to reach the still distant sun. As if answering Jon’s concern, the back of th
e missile lit up as its second stage thrusters kicked on. It must of had a rese
rve fuel tank that activated when it reached a certain proximity to the sun, Jon
thought.
Now that he had gotten the super nova device to its destination, he had
to get out of the Dark Ring. Jon pulled back on the flight stick, knowing that
the one hundred eighty degree turn that he needed wasn’t going to be possible. Th
e shields were being pressed to their limit and about to overload. There just w
asn’t enough power to counter the maelstrom that existed inside the Dark Ring.
Jon managed to get his W-wing to complete ninety degrees of the turn and
now faced a head on collision with the inside of the Dark Ring. Quick and pain
less, Jon thought and he increased his velocity. As he kept his futile attempt
to pull out, he watched the distance between him and the inner wall of the Dark
Ring fall beneath fifty kilometers. There was no way he was going to pull out i
n time.
Jon scanned his computer display as he counted down the seconds. He loo
ked at the energy levels all pressed to their limits. The shields were about to
short out. The engines were slowly loosing power, and they would cop out prett
y soon, but Jon didn’t think he was going to be around to notice. The laser batte
ries were long since drained since Jon had funneled all of the power into the sh
ields and engines. There were still five green lights left on his display amids
t all the red. Jon looked at the lights as another light slowly dawned in his m
ind. Torpedoes! He never bothered with the clumsy things in fighter to fighter
combat, so he was still full.
Jon looked down at his proximity meter and saw that he had about fifteen
kilometers left. He fired three of the torpedoes straight ahead and watched th
em explode against the solar panels. Jon slowed himself as much as possible, bu
t could only pray that his torpedoes had opened a big enough hole for him. Oxyg
en flooded out of the hole as that small section of the Dark Ring decompressed.
The out-flow of air helped to slow Jon’s W-wing, but it also fed the flames of th
e explosions, so that Jon flew blindly into the ball of flame.
The few split seconds seemed like an eternity to Jon, as his ship flew i
nto the hole. He expected to crash into the interior of the Dark Ring at any in
stant. He knew that the Imperials built their super weapons with a lot of space
inside, and Jon hoped that that would help him out now.
The smoke cleared suddenly, and he found himself staring at a dead end l
ess than a four hundred yards ahead of him. He thought he saw an opening downwa
rd and shoved the flight stick forward. The space below was extremely cramped,
and it was only Jon’s skill that kept him from crashing into each pipe and fixture
that he shot passed.
Suddenly after a sharp maneuver that had squeezed him in-between two par
allel pipes, he found himself inside a huge, straight tunnel. From what he coul
d tell, the tunnel led in the direction of the outside surface of the Dark Ring.
Jon had sudden sense of hope and throttled forward. As he flew down the multi
-kilometer stretch, he looked down at his sensor display, noticing that the read
outs were present once again now that he was out of the solar interference. He
also noticed that he was picking up a huge power surge from behind him.
Jon watched curiously as the power surge grew astronomically. He had no
idea what could cause that kind of power surge until he took a closer look at t
he tunnel he was in. He had looked at the specs of the Dark Ring before the mis
sion and was aware of only one thing that could be this big. He was in one of t
he super laser tunnels, and it was about to fire!
Jon spared nothing to the engines. As he approached the end of the tunn
el he saw that it wasn’t open to space. He knew how the laser worked; Vince had t
old him. The main beam was split into several separate beams, each of the new b
eams was magnified, they were focused outside of the station to a point, and fir
ed. Jon could see the large crystal that was used to split the beam ahead of hi
m, and he knew that past the wall it was mounted on was open space.
Jon let go his last two torpedoes, and they exploded a huge hole in the
thin wall. Jon ignored his sensor readouts that told him the weapon was firing,
and focused on aiming his ship at the hole in the wall. The W-wing passed thro
ugh the hole just as the laser hit the huge crystal. The hole Jon had made had
shaken the entire section and had shifted the crystal’s position slightly. The su
per laser was split into its component vectors, but because of the shift, the ap
propriate sensors did not pick up the components. Instead, the lasers tore thro
ugh the tunnel walls surrounding the large focusing area. As Jon shot out of th
e hole, the entire section behind him exploded as the massive weapon misfired.
* * *
Lando had watched Jon toe the missile into the Dark Ring and had waited
to see if his W-wing would reappear, hoping against hope that the ship was truly
a superior vessel. He caught a glimpse of the small ship rocketing toward the
inner wall of the Dark Ring, and then a large explosion engulfed the small fight
er. Lando exhaled the breath he had been holding. War was a horrible thing. H
e knew that Jon had successfully guided the missile back on target, but he had b
een hoping to congratulate the courageous pilot afterward.
Lando reached for the com to inform the other W-wings of their partner’s d
emise, when a huge explosion on the surface of the Dark Ring caught his attentio
n. Lando stared transfixed at the sight of one of the Death Star lasers misfiri
ng, wondering what could have caused it. He was about to chalk it up to poor Im
perial engineering, when he spotted a small fighter flying just ahead of the exp
losion.
“He flew through the Dark Ring and out of a super laser tunnel!” Lando screa
med. Chewie was no less impressed and said so. Lando continued his reach for t
he com, but signaled Jon instead. “You OK, buddy?”
“Never better,” came Jon’s nonchalant response, but Lando could hear the tensi
on in his voice. “I just had to correct your horrible shot.”
Lando wished he could sit there and chat with Jon all day, but he knew t
hat the sun was about to go nova, and he wanted to be no where near it when it d
id.
* * *
Wedge was overjoyed to receive Lando’s signal, being that his battle wasn’t
going well. He relayed the information to the rest of the fleet and ordered the
m to start calculating the hyperspace jump to the rendezvous point. They were g
oing to have to cut it rather close because the interdiction field was still up.
Wedge expected the interdiction field to collapse during the star’s collapse and
that should give them a window of a few minutes at least, probably much more, t
o jump out. Wedge wasn’t sure exactly how fast the nova weapon worked. They had
seen it work before, but this was a much smaller star than any of the others had
 been, plus it was confined inside a sphere, which might or might not affect it.
* * *
Tenel Ka was also glad to receive word that the task had been completed.
She relayed the information to the rest of her fleet and waited.
* * *
Snotzenexer and Sanson watched the explosion on the surface of the Dark
Ring, and neither of them missed the fighter flying away from the explosion.
“An interesting tactic,” Sanson pointed out. “It would appear that the New Re
public did indeed obtain the plans to the Dark Ring.”
Snotzenexer looked at her as if she had grown another head. “Do you reall
y believe that that is what the New Republic planned on?” It was the first time S
notzenexer had ever spoken to Sanson in contempt.
“What else?” she asked, knowing that she was about to be proven wrong. She
had never known Snotzenexer to be wrong about anything.
“That type of strategy has kamikaze written all over it. To get through t
he Dark Ring’s shielding through the top, enter the inside of the of the super str
ucture by taking out the solar panels, weave through the infrastructure until yo
u come to the firing tunnel, and then disorient the focusing crystal is a suicid
e mission. And I know from experience that when a pilot flies knowingly into a
suicide mission, they make a point not to make it out alive. Besides, other tha
n a pretty neat explosion, what did that attack give them. There are over one t
housand super lasers scattered all over the Dark Ring, most of them located in t
he center of the station. Not only would the elimination of each, or more reali
stically, a few of the super lasers take an extraordinary amount of time, the su
ccess rate is almost incalculable. No, I believe that they are up to something
else.”
“But what?” Sanson asked, not thoroughly convinced. “Surely you don’t think tha
t they were attacking the sun. Why in order for that tactic to make any sense t
hey would have to have a . . .”
They both looked at each other as they mentally finished Sanson’s sentence
.
Chapter 33 “Interlude”
Deep inside the core of Danzig 359, a bomb exploded.
Chapter 34 “The Dark Ring” (Part IV)
Borock and Thorock were busy studying the performance readouts of their
creation when the power surge hit. The two Salynoids were very satisfied with t
he Dark Ring’s performance thus far and were rather perplexed as to the cause of t
he sudden increase in power.
They quickly checked all of the systems on the station to see if anythin
g had shut down. All appeared to be normal, yet the power surge continued to gr
ow. The Salynoids were thoroughly perplexed as to what could be going wrong. T
hey had designed the solar panels to be able to handle about one thousand times
more energy than normal, knowing that stars were prone to violent solar flares,
and they didn’t want to have to repair panels and circuits each time Danzig 359 ha
d a solar flare.
This wasn’t a simple solar flare. The power readings were increasing ever
ywhere, and the increase was much to uniform to be resulting from a chaotic sola
r flare. They had to be missing something. The two of them went to work franti
cally checking and rechecking everything.
In the command center Skeener was getting reports from all over the stat
ion about the power increase. “I don’t want to hear about what it’s doing, any more,” h
e said to the latest report. “I want to hear how and why.”
Meanwhile, the Salynoids were mesmerized by the power increase. The gro
wth was far exceeding anything they had ever conceived when designing the statio
n. The exponential growth kept climbing without any sign of slowing down. They
were afraid to do anything with the solar panels, not knowing what reflecting t
hat kind of power would do to the sun. They didn’t dare disconnect the power syst
ems, fearing that the immense power would explode the entire station if it had n
owhere to go.
Skeener was pacing his command post when an explosion rocked the command
center. He stopped his pacing suddenly. “What was that?”
“One of the batteries just overloaded, sir. We can’t absorb this much power
.”
“Fire all weapons then. For crying out loud, we’re in the middle of a war.
If you can’t find a productive use for a little extra energy, I’ll find someone who
can.”
“Yes, sir.”
Skeener returned to pacing but noticed that his left leg felt a little h
eavy. He flexed it slowly, trying to loosen the muscles that seemed to have sti
ffen. He tried to take another step and noticed that his right leg was stiff to
o. He bent over to grab his leg and noticed that his torso was also stiff. He
tried to stand up, and it felt like he was wearing a very heavy backpack. “What’s g
oing on?!” he yelled. He looked around at his officers and noticed that they were
struggling to against some unseen resistance as well. “I said, what’s going on?!”
“It must be the interdiction field, sir. By routing the power through the
offensive systems, as you requested, the interdiction field generator is produc
ing an extreme amount of heavy space.”
“Then turn the thing off!”
The officer reached over and pulled down on a large lever. Nothing happ
ened. “It’s still locked on, sir. The power surge must have fried the locking mech
anism.”
Skeener was finding it increasingly hard to move, and even his jaw muscl
e was stiff. “How much worse will . . . it . . . get?”
“Unnnknnoownnn . . . siiiir,” the officer said straining to get out each wor
d.
Skeener tried desperately to fight against the pull of the “heavy space,” bu
t his efforts were wasted against the much more powerful interdiction field.
* * *
On the New Republic ships they were experiencing the same thing. Wedge
ordered all of ship commanders to have their hands poised over the hyperspace le
vers, realizing that their window might end up being shorter than expected.
* * *
Snotzenexer was still contemplating the idea that the New Republic might
have a super nova weapon, when the interdiction field began to influence his sh
ip. His mind raced through all of the possible causes and came up with one solu
tion that fit all of the parameters. “Calculate a hyperspace jump to Hastrin,” he o
rdered. No one questioned this odd order. Snotzenexer relayed this information
to the rest of his ships just before total immobility hit.
* * *
All of the fighting broke off everywhere when the heavy space began to i
nfluence each ship. Vince and Bep were glad for the break in action, having fai
red fairly well despite the odds, but the stop in the fighting had probably save
d their energy depleted ships.
Lando had just transferred the hyperspace coordinates to the three W-win
gs when he went immobile.
* * *
 The huge Dark Ring fed off the energy of the collapsing star. The elect
rons of each individual atom began falling out of their outer shells and descend
ing to the nucleus, giving off high-energy photons. The solar panels accepted t
hese high-energy photons and transferred their energy into electrical power. Th
e immense power was being fed into the interdiction field at an incredible rate.
All of the power had been fed into the offensive systems, and while there had
been an attempt to correct that error and all of the other offensive weapons wer
e turned off, the interdiction lock had been welded into place.
The field grew in size and strength over the next few hours as the star
continued to collapse. All of the ships remained motionless around the Dark Rin
g, as the normally fluid space became as solid as a brick. The size of the fiel
d extended far out into space. It was felt in some way throughout the entire Da
nzig system. It was especially felt by Danzig 6. The small star was just passi
ng through the outer edge of its elliptical orbit when the heavy space began to
surround the star.
The small star slowed down as the space around it began to thicken. It
was caught right in the middle of a fierce tug of war. Danzig 1 was acceleratin
g the small star normally, while Danzig 359, with the help of the Dark Ring, dem
anded that it stayed put. Danzig 6 was like a small stone in a sling shot, and
the longer the tug of war went on, the further the elastic sling was pulled back
.
Everything within range became totally motionless, frozen in space - alm
ost everything. Danzig 359 was creating the power that ran the interdiction fie
ld. The Dark Ring obeyed the laws of thermodynamics, and thus didn’t have one hun
dred percent efficiency. For that reason, Danzig 359 was always just a little b
it ahead in the power struggle and was allowed to continue its collapse.
Danzig 359 was reaching the point of total collapse. The singularity th
at was being created had a near infinite density, and normal space was not used
to such an immense property. Stability was quickly becoming a factor as the sta
r continued to fall in on itself. Finally the shear weight of the singularity t
ore through the space time continuum, tearing the very fabric of existence and c
ausing a dramatic explosion in every dimension.
Danzig 359 went nova.
The star had shrunk to a very small size, but now it expanded rapidly, s
ending a uniform shock wave out in all directions. The perfectly spherical shoc
k wave met the perfectly centered Dark Ring all at once. The Dark Ring stood up
against the shock wave much in the same way that a wet tissue stands up against
a brick. Seventy-seven years of construction disappeared in a fraction of a se
cond. The terrific force of nature obliterated the monstrosity.
As soon as the Dark Ring exploded, everything was released from its grip
. Everywhere commanders stumbled forward as their momentum was suddenly returne
d to them. Men, who had been straining against the heavy space for the past few
hours, found themselves suddenly free again, and they crashed into whatever the
y were near.
For General Oskiman and his men, this sudden freedom was short lived. T
he shock wave hit his impressive fleet of Star Destroyers, reducing them to spac
e dust like a child kicking over a collection of sandcastles.
Wedge had warned his fleet to be ready, but the few seconds that they ha
d to enter hyperspace once they were free, were not enough for some, and only ab
out two thirds of the remaining ships made it into hyperspace ahead of the shock
wave.
Snotzenexer had also warned his fleet, but his Super Star Destroyer was
the only Imperial ship to escape. The Hapans had a one hundred percent success
rate of escape, though none of the stolen Imperial ships made it.
Lando and the 185th also made it to hyperspace ahead of the shock wave,
but they weren’t headed the same way that the rest of the fleet was. They were fo
llowing Snotzenexer to Hastrin.
* * *
 Danzig 6 was suddenly freed from its stationary position, releasing the
enormous potential energy that it had stored up. The star shot off into space,
free from the orbit it had traced for the past eternity. It had now been turned
into the largest comet in existence as it sped through space at one tenth of th
e speed of light.
Chapter 35 “Taking Leave”
The shuttle floated serenely through the void of space, portraying none
of the uneasy tension that was stored inside it. Tallon watched from the shuttl
e’s aft window as the Imperial class Star Destroyer loomed ever bigger before the
small shuttle. He exhaled the breath he hadn’t been aware he had been holding and
then waited as the fog on the glass dissipated. Once again the Star Destroyer
appeared before him, but he now saw it as his new home.
He had been, in no uncertain terms, banished from the planet below. Wit
h the banishment, came the removal of all of his previous command and authority.
He was now to set up, monitor, and defend the planetary shield. Though Tallon’s
status as Captain had not been revoked, he knew that with Admiral Thrawn now ac
tive in the command of the Empire, he might as well be a Lieutenant. Tallon wou
ldn’t be surprised if, on his return from the Dark Ring, Snotzenexer would be prom
oted past him.
The Dark Ring! In Tallon’s last on screen conversation with the admiral,
Thrawn had said that the Dark Ring was no more. Tallon had found that more than
a little hard to believe, especially since at that time they had received no ne
ws what-so-ever on the battle. But now as that news had been delayed for more t
han a day, Tallon began to wonder. Surely the New Republic hadn’t been able to de
feat the Dark Ring. Maybe they just knocked out the communications. Then why h
adn’t any of the ships reported in?
Tallon heard a low humming noise and looked out the window to see the tw
o lower fins on the shuttle folding up as the craft nimbly entered the shuttle b
ay. The shuttle settled itself down gently on its pilons and with a sharp relea
se of hydraulic pressure, the ship relaxed its weight onto the deck of the landi
ng bay. More hisses followed as the interior of the ship depressurized, matchin
g the outside air pressure. Tallon was escorted to the descending ramp, and dis
embarked the ship to find a small greeting party.
Tallon eyed the Luitenant Commander suspiciously. He wondered how much
this young officer knew about Tallon’s placement aboard this ship. Normally the c
ommander of an Imperial Star Destroyer would be required to literally bubble ove
r with gratitude for having such an honored guest. However, if the Luitenant Co
mmander knew that this was actually a demotion, he would be wise not to rub too
much salt into Tallon’s already festering wounds. “Welcome Captain Tallon,” the offic
er said curtly. “If you follow me, I’ll show you to the bridge.”
The bridge was no different from any other Tallon had been on. In fact
the bridge was identical to every other bridge he’d been on, right down to the off
icers manning their respective stations. With cloning as the means for manning
the ships in their fleet, the Empire had found no need for being fancy. Every I
mperial Star Destroyer had the exact same person at each station. It was a simp
le theory really. For each job there had to be one person who was more qualifie
d than any one else, so it seamed foolish to place anyone else there. Since the
Empire could clone with ease, the only problem was finding out what job each pe
rson was most qualified to do. In many cases, one person was the best an two or
three different jobs, and as Tallon looked around the bridge he noticed that he
had a few twins on board.
Tallon turned to the former commander of the ship. “Are the ships aligned
in formation to generate the planetary shield?”
“Yes Captain.”
“Contact all of the other ships and tell them to commence.”
“Yes sir.”
Deep inside the Imperial Star Destroyer, the main fusion reactor began t
o increase its steady pulse almost imperceptibly. It sent a strong pulse of ene
rgy up the back of the ship. The large power cable branched apart in the shape
of a “Y” and sped two equal energy surges towards the twin force field generators si
tting on the top of the huge space ship. The two globes began to pulsate on the
ir own now, each one sending out its own field of transformed energy. Both of t
he generators also began receiving electronic information, requiring them to alt
er the configuration of the force shield they emanated. The coil inside each wa
s shaped to send out an elongated, triangular shaped field, but now the coils be
gan to flatten out. The field began to flatten like-wise. Soon the front of t
he ship was outside of the field. When the transformation became complete, the
force field was shaped like a huge sheet centered on the generators. The sheet
took on a slight spherical curve and began reaching out into space, expanding on
its already enormous size. Soon the field came in contact with another field g
enerated by a nearby ship. The two became one and soon joined with others. Exa
ctly point three seconds after the fleet had activated the planetary shield, the
entire planet of Hastrin was cloaked in a heavy particle shield.
The field was stretched outside of its normal limits, but because all of
the ships were joined together, they could strengthen each other. Every third
Star Destroyer was designated as a energy ship, and all of its weapons and extra
systems were taken off line so it could put all of its available energy into th
e force field.
Tallon looked out into space at the invisible shield. He watched as sma
ll bits of space rock and debris that were caught in the planet’s gravity well, ac
celerated into the field and exploded in small bursts of light. The Jedi wouldn’t
leave the planet.
* * *
Danzig 6 sped through space faster than the speed of heat. The small li
feless asteroids that lay in its path had no warning at all as to the suns appro
ach. The normal immense heat that surrounds a sun was trailing in the unusual c
omet’s tail. The asteroids were swept into the center of the sun and left charred
and molten in the heat trail.
Danzig 6’s course was sketchy at best. It wove from side to side as it sl
alomed through the many gravity wells in the Danzig system. It came perilously
close once to falling into a particularly large star, Danzig 49. Only Danzig 6’s
inertia had allowed it to survive the gravity tug of war that had ensued between
the two stars. The incredible pull that Danzig 6 had snapped between itself an
d Danzig 49 had caused Danzig 49 to recoil like a taunt rubber band. It became
immensely elongated, lost all stability, and in the blink of an eye, went nova.
The explosion only propelled Danzig 6 faster, giving it enough energy to escape
the Danzig system completely.
Danzig 6 shot away from the system, leaving its former brotherhood of st
ars far behind. Its course and destination were unknown to it. All it knew was
that anything in its path short of a black hole was doomed.
* * *
“I don’t know if this is such a bright idea.”
“Relax, Dad. No one’s going to recognize us.”
Han rubbed the thick beard that Luke had given him and looked at his dau
ghter who had transformed her appearance to that of a young man in an Imperial u
niform. Han and Jaina were sitting in the Arena watching two power boxers slug
it out. Everyone around them was milling about, not really paying that much att
ention to the two men fighting to the death. Most people were there to watch th
e main event. Han and Jaina were no exception. They had been drawn to the Aren
a by the flashing advertisement on the outside: “Come watch Lowbacca win his twen
ty-seventh battle in a row as he takes on a Foyo Master.” Jaina insisted that the
y try to fit in, and she had gone off to find a concession stand. She came back
a few minutes later just as one of the boxers below knocked the head off his op
ponent’s shoulders.
“Shouldn’t we be ready to help Lowbacca if he gets into trouble?” Han asked as
 Jaina handed him a shiny wrapped specimen.
“You don’t think that the Empire would let Lowbacca die do you? He’s their ch
ampion. Besides, I’ve seen Lowbacca fight back on Yavin IV. I think he’ll win.”
Han shrugged, hoping his daughter was right as he unwrapped his “tasty mor
sel.” The slender tube shaped piece of meat that he found inside was nestled snug
ly in a bun and covered with several condiments. Han’s hesitant first bite tested
the food carefully, but remembering that he hadn’t had anything decent to eat in
the past few weeks, helped him finish the hot dog in four bites.
The Arena below was a bustle of activity as clowns scurried about cleani
ng up after the last fight. Han could sense a feeling of good cheer in the way
the clowns ran about their duties. He gathered that it was due to the fact that
no animals were fighting tonight and their lives weren’t in jeopardy.
The lights dimmed; the music started to play. “And now,” the loudspeakers p
roclaimed, “the fight you’ve all been waiting for. First the challenger.” The spotli
ght moved to the right side of the Arena to a parting curtain and an emerging fi
gure. “Hyrink Freew has won all seven of his fights including defeating two corin
hounds. His unique battle style has made him one of the most entertaining figh
ters at the Arena.” Freew stood almost two meters. His arms and legs were thin b
ut corded with muscles. He drew the two curved swords from his belt and swung t
hem about in a dizzying display of swordsmanship. The spotlight left him and we
nt to the other side of the huge building. “And our champion with a winning strea
k of twenty-six victories, from the forest world of Kashyyyk, LOOOOOWWWWBAACAAA!
!” The Arena erupted with noise.
Lowbacca strode through the curtain into the spotlight. Jaina almost sn
ickered at his outfit, but Han was getting more and more disturbed with the whol
e situation. “Can’t we do something? We can’t just let them kill each other.”
Jaina smiled at her father. “Don’t worry, everything’s been taken care of.” Ha
n stared at her with confusion written boldly across his worried face. “I’ve alread
y contacted Lowie.” She tapped her temple. “His brainwash wasn’t very thorough, and
since I had been under the same type of hypnosis, I knew how to get around it.
We already had an extensive mental conversation.”
“You mean he’s back to normal? Just like that?” Han asked. Jaina nodded. “The
n what’s he doing down there?”
“He’s going to entertain us,” Jaina smiled. She noticed that her father’s grim
face still hadn’t changed, so she grew serious. “It’s the only way, Dad. He can’t just
walk out now. Everyone will be looking for him.”
“How’s he going to get out of this fight without killing his opponent? A Fo
yo Master is no one to play around with.”
Jaina shrugged. “I don’t know, Dad. Lowie said he was going to take care o
f it.”
Han turned his attention back to the main event on the floor. Lowbacca
and Freew paced each other in a slow circle. Freew made the first move, drawing
his swords and rushing the unarmed wookiee. Lowbacca ducked once and nimbly ev
aded the other blade as he thrust a hairy fist into the Foyo Master’s chest. A we
aker man would of had all the wind thrown from him, but Freew just stumbled back
. He gathered himself and prepared a defense.
Lowbacca came on tentatively, trying to find some kind of opening in-bet
ween the curved swords. Freew went for one of Lowbacca’s feints and his right bla
de went low. The wookiee followed his opponent’s mistake by hitting the blade fur
ther down and away, leaving his right side exposed. Freew tried desperately to
bring his left blade to bare, but Lowbacca had him. The Kashyyyk native grabbed
both wrists of his opponent, twisted his arms, and delivered a stunning head bu
tt in-between Freew’s gaping eyes. Freew dropped both blades in order to keep his
arms connected to his shoulders and stumbled backwards. Lowbacca grabbed both
the swords, and the crowd erupted in a cheer of expectation. Instead of fightin
g the master with his own weapons, as was Lowbacca’s tradition, the wookiee let ou
t a terrific howl and thrust both blades down into the floor. Both three-quarte
r meter long swords shuddered as they sank up to their hilts in the hard packed
ground.
Han watched the display of strength and expected the crowd to be awed, i
nstead they jeered. Han’s confusion was increased as he saw Wertrin, the guard wh
o had led Luke and him to the Arena for their fight, talking with a man sitting
near the edge of the Arena. What was he there for? Was he more than just a sec
urity guard? Storm troopers, even captains, out of uniform were just civilians.
Han returned his gaze to the battle to see Lowbacca and Freew sparing. A Foyo
Master specialized in hand to hand combat, but Han was sure that Lowbacca’s stren
gth would bring him out on top.
The crowd was growing continually restless towards Lowbacca’s half-hearted
effort. Han too was growing restless as he watched the man Wertrin was talking
to reach for a com switch. All of the exits quickly filled with storm troopers
, and Han could see the white-clad troopers start to move into position around t
he Arena. Han looked at Jaina, but she seemed oblivious to the subtle changes i
n their surroundings. “Jaina,” Han said, shaking her out of her semi-trance, “we’re in
trouble. I think our cover is blown.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean Lowbacca isn’t putting on a convincing show and this place is fillin
g up with storm troopers faster than a detention block on the Death Star.”
Jaina’s head spun around, taking in all the sights, sounds, and feelings i
n a well-rehearsed motion. “You’re right.” Now Jaina was the one who looked concerne
d.
Han wasn’t going to wait for storm troopers to make the first move. He mo
ved to the aisle amidst the mostly standing audience. With Jaina in toe, he sho
ved his way down to the bottom level. The storm troopers had now completed a ri
ng around the Arena. Lowbacca was finishing the fight with his hands around Fre
ew’s neck. After a few seconds struggle, Freew collapsed to the ground, unconscio
us and clearly not dead. Lowbacca raised his arms in triumph, but the crowd was
stilled, seeing the ring surrounded by storm troopers, and realizing for the fi
rst time that something was wrong with their champion.
Han understood the situation clearly. Whoever was running the show for
the Imperials was on guard with Luke and Han loose. Jaina had reported back to
her unknown superiors that she had finished the task and killed Han, but they mi
ght not have believed her. If Luke had been successful in finding and turning J
acen, then the Empire knew that they would have to come get Lowbacca. Basically
he and Jaina had just walked into a trap, and had gotten Lowbacca snared as wel
l. Han looked over at Wertrin and the man he had talked to. They were sitting
behind a massive control panel, calling all the shots. Wertrin was probably put
in charge down here, Han thought. He was supposed to keep an eye on Lowbacca t
o see if he started acting strange.
The storm troopers raised their weapons. Lowbacca was just now beginnin
g to realize his dire position, trapped inside of a force field with no where to
run. Lowbacca needed a distraction in the worst kind of way, and Han came thro
ugh. Han drew the weapon Jaina had given him and fired twice, hitting the neare
st storm trooper and the force field controls. The invisible shield flickered o
ff, but the storm troopers were more interested in their fallen comrade. Han an
d Jaina blended into the thick crowd, milling about the chaos Han had started.
People were shouting and stampeding towards the exits. The storm troopers were
unable to hold their ground and gave up their posts at the doors.
Lowbacca had no such cover, and as soon as Wertrin was able to regain co
ntrol of his berserk troops, he reminded them of their main target. Lowbacca hi
t the ground rolling as the first few laser bolts whisked over his head, scorchi
ng his fur. His roll brought him to the two swords he had imbedded in the groun
d. With a tremendous Force aided heave, he brought the two blades up and just i
n time two block three well aimed shots.
Han heard a snap hiss next to him, and watched his daughter cut down tro
opers to make it to the center ring. Han could hear the hum of the blade as the
young Jedi swung it about, but familiar yellow glow of his daughter’s weapon was
absent. Watching Jaina block laser fire with her invisiblade was truly spectacu
lar. The bolts seemed to explode against nothing and shower down in a frenzy of
sparks. Han knew that they couldn’t hold off the storm troopers forever, and alr
eady the huge building was clearing, offering them less and less cover.
 Jaina and Lowbacca thought likewise, and they made a conscious effort to
work themselves off of the battle ring, and into more cover. Han, with his ide
ntity still safe made his way through the thinning crowd to join his companions.
Han came up short suddenly as he bumped into a very broad chest. He found him
self staring up into the eyes of Wertrin. Wertrin looked deep into Han’s eyes and
recognition struck him. “Well, well,” Wertrin said, his deep voice managing to car
ry over the throng. “Allen, look who I caught.”
The force field operator turned away from his smoking station to look at
Wertrin’s prize. Han tried to get away, but Wertrin’s grip on his arm was like a v
ise. Allen stood from his chair and walked over to Han. “I don’t suppose you want
to fix my computer.” Allen’s hand dropped to his holster incredibly fast, and Han c
ould see that this man was much more than just an operator. His blaster came up
and exploded in his hands. All three spun around to see Jaina holding her dece
ivingly activated lightsaber in her hand.
“Let him go,” she demanded coolly.
Han didn’t wait for Wertrin to comply, but rapped him on the head with the
butt of his blaster and slipped free from his grasp. The crowd of unarmed spec
tators were quick to see who were the good guys and who were the bad guys, but t
hey had no intention of getting in the way of either, and Han, Jaina, and Lowbac
ca found their way clear before them.
“This way!” Han yelled as he tried to get Jaina and Lowbacca’s attention. He
thought he remembered the way that he and Luke had come in. Though there were s
everal tunnels leading from the lower levels of the arena, Han was pretty sure t
hat the one in front of him was the same one they had traversed to get in.
“Wait, Dad,” Jaina said, running up to her father. “Lowie says that he knows
a quicker way.” Jaina pointed over to a tunnel that seemed to be totally unguarde
d.
Han saw through the ruse immediately. “No, they know that Lowbacca knows
this arena. They will expect us to take the more direct route. There is most l
ikely a trap down that tunnel, that’s why it’s vacant.” Jaina nodded in comprehension
, and followed her father down the tunnel he had pointed to.
Han glanced back over his shoulder to see that the troopers were finally
fighting their way through the sea of civilians that had separated them. A few
stray shots streaked over their shoulders, and Jaina fell behind the group to g
ive them cover as they ran. The tunnel they were running to was still guarded b
y three storm troopers, but a few neatly blocked shots by Lowbacca, and four qui
ck shots from Han’s blaster, eradicated the pathetic blockade. The threesome plun
ged into the relative safety and darkness of the tunnel.
* * *
Wertrin watched as the trio made their way into the tunnel. “Thrawn was r
ight,” Allen said as he walked up beside Wertrin, still rubbing his sore hand.
“He always is. Little did they know that the other tunnel had no one in i
t.” Wertrin brought his com up from his belt. “Commander, they are coming your way
.”
* * *
The lights were out in the tunnel, and though Jaina had her lightsaber,
it produced no light. The smell of animals soon began to creep into their nostr
ils. Han saw the glint of the metal cages that he remembered from down here, an
d he could here a few animals pacing restlessly in their cages.
“Which way now?” Jaina asked. They were in a small area of cages. There we
re a few small tunnels leading off in several directions.
“I think we came in from that direction,” Han said and started running in th
e given direction. Laser fire lit up the small room. “Then again . . .”
Storm troopers envaded the privacy of the room. They walked in cautious
ly, holding their fire, knowing of the Jedi’s proficiency in blocking the blaster
ammunition and wanting to hit them all at once. The trio spun around to find th
at the route they had come in was also filling with troopers. Han saw another e
xit out of the room, and not caring where it led, ushered the group down it.
* * *
“Progress report,” Wertrin’s com sounded.
“I have just received word that they have taken flight deeper into the bow
ls of the arena, Admiral. We should have them shortly.”
“Good,” Admiral Thrawn said. “Don’t over concern yourself with taking them aliv
e. Little bits and pieces are also acceptable.”
* * *
Han, Jaina, and Lowbacca walked cautiously, not caring to run anymore.
They all realized that this tunnel hadn’t been guarded for a reason. It was proba
bly that same reason that they didn’t hear any boots coming from behind. Walking
into a trap when you know it’s a trap is much worse than not knowing.
After several long moments of silence they came to a large cavern. The
light was awful, but all three could get the sense that they were not alone. “Com
e out, come out what ever you are,” Han said, breaking the silence.
Three things happened at once. A loud clang came from each side of the
cavern, two invisible beasts came rushing towards the trio, and a trap door open
ed under Han. Han slide down a crude shoot and was dumped unceremoniously onto
a hard, cold concrete floor. He quickly scampered to his feet only to find that
the room he was in was even darker than the one he had just left. Off in the f
ar corner of the room, he heard a long deep growl. Something began walking towa
rd him slowly. Han could tell from the sound of the foot-falls, that it was big
.
Thirty feet above Han, Jaina and Lowbacca barely avoided getting crushed
by two huge black panthers. The two young Jedi tried to position themselves in
a ready stance against the unseen foe. In the dark the black cats blended perf
ectly with their surroundings. Both Jaina and Lowbacca could sense their presen
ce with the Force, but the cats were so quick that the Jedi could only tell wher
e their foes were a second ago.
Lowbacca decided to take charge of the situation. He had spent the last
few weeks fighting so many different animals that he understood better than any
one the tactics of these kinds of hunters. Wait in the dark until you are ready
to pounce. Rarely do such cats have to take up the defensive, and accordingly,
they aren’t very good at it. Lowbacca rushed the nearest one and swung his large
swords. The panther was totally unprepared for such bold tactics and got hit s
everely on the shoulder.
Jaina saw the technique and was a quick learner. Together she and Lowba
cca chased the two cats around the room until both were out of commission. As t
he two Jedi stood over their fallen enemies, they noticed for the first time tha
t Han was no longer with them. They also noticed that storm troopers were final
ly following them down the tunnel. Hoping that Han was OK, they continued their
flee down the tunnel.
As they ran, they began to get hopeful when they saw light ahead, but as
they got closer, they recognized it as artificial light, and more importantly,
it was coming towards them. The sound of an armored transport became audible, a
nd its headlights shown in the two escapees’ eyes as it rounded the corner ahead o
f them. They both spun on their heels to see that the storm troopers had finall
y caught up with them. They were hopelessly trapped.
The storm troopers slowly advanced on the two young Jedi, cautious, but
confident that there would be no escape this time. The wall of the narrow tunne
l suddenly exploded, covering half of the troopers. The other half was soon swe
pt away by a huge fist. Jaina and Lowbacca watched stunned as an enormous ranco
r came through the hole in the wall. They were even more stunned when they saw
Han sitting high on the neck of the beast. Han looked down toward his companion
s. “Hello,” he said all too cheerfully. “I ran into an old friend of mine.”
 A shot rang out, and a section of the wall next to the rancor exploded.
The small group turned back toward the armored vehicle coming towards them. Ja
ina got ready for a suicide charge, but the rancor beat her to it. The beast pi
cked up a huge piece of the wall and hurled it down the high tunnel. The tank e
xploded on impact, tearing yet another hole in the tunnel. This time the light
that they saw wasn’t artificial.
“Jaina, Lowbacca, I’d like you to meet Rachtog. Rachtog, my daughter Jaina
and her friend Lowbacca.” Instead of responding, Rachtog scooped the two Jedi up
in his huge hand and placed them on his back next to Han. Rachtog wanted to esc
ape from the Imperials just as much as the rest of them. He ambled over toward
the gaping hole, and soon they were out in the daylight.
As inconspicuous as three people can be while riding on the back of a ra
ncor, they made their way through the city and into the woods.
Chapter 36 “Cliffhanger”
A small path of dull floor began to make itself visible under the consta
ntly pacing feet of Thrawn. The floor of his office was polished to a high shin
e, but in the last few hours he had been pacing endlessly, wearing down that shi
ne.
He stopped his pacing and looked at the Maltha ice vine. He told the cl
eaning droids not to touch it. It still lay on the floor amongst its now totall
y melted frame, but it was yet to whither. The vine clung desperately to its vi
brant colors. Thrawn turned away in disgust. This time things would be differe
nt. He had just received a report that the Jedi and Han had escaped to the fore
st. He had of course expected that Wertrin, as good as he was, would not be abl
e to handle the elusive trio, but he had let him try, knowing what little harm i
t would do. He had sent scouts out to find the ships that everyone had arrived
in. They had reported that they had found two ships: an E-wing and a makeshift
civilian craft. The scouts had said the second ship looked like it was ready t
o fall apart at any second, but Thrawn knew that this was the Jedi’s ship and it w
as probably faster and better equipped than his best shuttle. He had rolled eve
ry possible situation through his mind and no escape seemed possible. They coul
d escape the forest alive, but with what he had planned, that seemed unlikely.
They could get to their ships, which were guarded. He didn’t put too much trust i
n those guards though. If they got into space, he liked his chances of victory
much better. Jedi were good pilots, but they couldn’t block laser fire in space,
and before they even got out into space, they would have to get through the plan
etary shield.
For once Thrawn felt confident. His door chimed. “Come in.”
Frowinger stepped through the door. “You called for me, Admiral.”
“Yes, we have some work to do.”
* * *
One by one the ships dropped back into real space. Like a taunt rubber
band, the ships snapped back into reality. Wedge was in one of the first ships
to drop out and he woefully counted the ships that came out behind him. The shi
ps began to slow down in there arrival, and soon no more ships dropped in. Wedg
e was awe struck. Sure they had won, but they had lost over half of their origi
nal ships. They had a victory, but at what price! Slowly, each ship began to r
eport in. Each commander sounded off with extreme reluctance. Even if they rep
orted in three times each, they only be slightly over their original amount.
Leia strode up to Wedge purposefully. “Wedge?”
“Leia. . .” he tried to find what he wanted to say. Yes, he had promised to
go to Hastrin now, but he couldn’t summon the courage. The New Republic had just
taken more losses in, he looked at his chronometer in awe - it hadn’t seemed that
long -, ten hours then they had taken in the past ten years. He found it hard
to tell his decimated fleet that they had to jump out of the frying pan and into
the fire, and for what. Han and Luke might already be dead. Surely they had d
ealt the Empire a big enough blow today. Hastrin could wait couldn’t it.
 Wedge turned to Leia, but couldn’t speak into those pleading eyes. He loo
ked back at the list of ships that had reported in and for the first time notice
d four absences he hadn’t seen at first. Lando and the 185th hadn’t reported in. H
is knees felt weak under his suddenly very heavy heart.
“Wedge?” Leia repeated.
“I . . .” he stared but couldn’t compose any words.
“Admiral,” a voice came over the com. Wedge looked at his panel for an iden
tification of the voice. It was Captain Tremon. Wedge listen as the Captain co
ntinued. “I believe that we have another mission.” It was a simple statement, and
both Wedge and Tremon knew what it meant. Tremon was the Captain of the 185th.
He loved those boys like his own sons. You have to pick up and carry on.
“I believe that you are correct,” Wedge responded, finding his voice. Wedge
flipped on his universal communicator. “People, it’s time to go again. Set course
for Hastrin and prepare to jump on my mark.” Wedge turned to Leia, she was smili
ng weakly at him. She knew how hard this was for him. Wedge smiled back. He l
eaned over to hit a switch on his command console, and a few seconds the later t
he ships disappeared into hyperspace.
* * *
A similar scene occurred elsewhere, only in reverse, and slightly less s
hips were involved. “Doesn’t look like a welcome mat fellas,” Lando said as the Falco
n and the three W-wings found themselves face to face with a large fleet. “It loo
ks like they are in a shield formation. I don’t think that they are expecting an
attack.”
As soon as the words left his mouth dozens of TIE fighters swarmed at th
em. “Any one for turning around,” Haivven asked. As if in response the Dark Fist,
Snotzenexer’s Super Star Destroyer, jumped out of hyperspace right behind them.
“No,” Vince responded. “I don’t want to turn around.” He punched his engines for
ward and held down his laser cannons. Ahead of him three TIE’s vaporized, and Vin
ce flew into the fray of fighters, putting distance between him and the Dark Fis
t.
Bep and Jon followed suit. Haivven and Bremmy scrambled over to the gun
wells in the Falcon and began to support the W-wings in their offense. Almost
as an after thought, Lando activated the cloaking device.
“You know what this means?” Vince asked as he casually wove his way through
the space debris of former TIE’s.
“Know what what means?” Jon asked as two more fighters who were tailing him
crashed into each other as they tried to mimic a corkscrew move he had just pul
led.
“The shield.”
“The planetary shield?” Bep asked.
“What other shield is there,” Vince asked with a ring of sarcasm. “Ask yourse
lf why someone would put up a planetary shield when they don’t expect any ships to
be attacking the planet.”
“If your not trying to keep someone out than you must be trying to keep so
meone in,” Bep finished the thought.”
“How do you know they weren’t expecting us?” Jon asked.
“If you had an enemy that was attacking the Dark Ring, would you expect th
ere to be any survivors left to make another attack?” Bep asked.
“That depends if I was my own enemy?” Jon said, a little humor creeping into
his voice as he vaporized a small squadron of three TIE’s. “If I knew that I was g
oing to attack myself, I would be quite sure that I would win.”
“If Jon ever shuts up,” Vince interrupted, “we’d be able to complete our thought
that if they are trying to keep someone in, that would mean that Luke and Han m
ust be still alive, and likely on the run.”
Jon grew suddenly serious. “Two guys against a planet of Imperials. I th
ink it’s about time to bring in the reinforcements.”
“How are we supposed to get through that shield?” Bep asked.
“I’ve got a plan,” Vince announced.
* * *
Anakin drove the land speeder toward the town. He and Jacen hadn’t talked
through out the trip. Luke lay in the back, not only voiceless, but motionless
. Jacen was tending to his uncle. Luke was going to make it, if nothing else h
appened, but it would be a while regardless, before he could operate under his o
wn power.
“How much farther,” Anakin asked, finally breaking the silence.
Jacen looked up from his uncle and tried to figure out where they were o
n the road. “Oh, just a few more kilometers.”
“Good because I -” he paused in mid sentence and jerked the speeder off the
road and into the trees.
Jacen held fast to the side rails to keep from being thrown to the groun
d. “Was someone coming?”
Anakin shook his head. “No, I sense Jaina and Dad over this way.”
Jacen closed his eyes. After a few moments he could sense Jaina and his
father. He quickly appraised the condition of his sister. She was fine, a lit
tle shaken up, but fine. He opened his eyes and looked at Anakin. He had sense
d them in mid sentance without so much as a hint of strain on his face. His unc
le had told Jacen that Anakin was stronger in the Force than anyone else he had
ever found, but this kind of discipline was beyond what he was capable of just a
few weeks ago. “What happened to you?”
Anakin was a little taken aback by the abruptness of the question, but r
ealized his brother’s meaning. “I went to Endor.”
“I know, we, or rather Master Streen found your picture globe. But what h
appened?”
“Grandfather visited me the night before I left Yavin IV.”
“He visited you!” Jacen was both surprised and jealous. He had never seen h
is grandfather, and the only history he could dig up was about Darth Vader and v
ery little on Anakin Skywalker.
“He told me that I needed to find out the truth about the Force and that I
needed to go to Endor to find it.”
“What did you find?”
Anakin paused as he wove through a particularly thick grove of trees. “Th
e Light Side is just as powerful, if not more than the Dark Side. The Force is
channeled through your emotions. We as students have been told that anger and f
ear are of the Dark Side. That is right, but we were also told to simply be pas
sive and defensive and that aggression was also of the Dark Side. That isn’t the
best way to use the Force. In order to fight against the evils of the Dark Side
we need to use equally strong emotions. Instead of hate, we need to love. Whe
n you fight an enemy don’t do it for revenge, but for justice.”
Jacen nodded his head slowly. It all made sense to him. “In fact,” Anakin
continued, “the more you use the strong positive emotions, the less likely you wil
l be to tempted by the Dark Side. If you use the powerful emotion of love, ther
e is no reason to use hate, if it is no stronger.”
Now Jacen and Anakin could here noises of branches being broken ahead.
It sounded as if a huge beast was trying to make its way through the tangled for
est. As they got nearer, they saw that their ears had not deceived them. Racht
og reared up slightly as the speeder approached, but Jaina, who had made a menta
l link with the animal on their trip, was quick to soothe it.
Anakin and Jacen were more than a little surprised to see their friends’ i
nteresting mode of transportation. Jaina was quick to notice Luke’s condition. “Wh
at happened to Uncle Luke?”
“Don’t worry,” Anakin was quick to say. “We ran into a little bit of trouble.
He’ll be fine if we can get out of here.”
“Before I forget,” Jacen said, “Lowbacca, I have something for you.” Jacen pick
ed up the extra lightsaber that Luke had been caring with him and tossed it to t
he wookiee. Lowbacca growled his thanks.
“Great reunion, guys,” Han interrupted, “but I think it is going to have to wa
it until we get back to safety.” As if to reiterate his point, a scout ship flew
over head. “No doubt they will come after us.”
“Do you guys hear something?” Anakin asked. Everyone was quiet. A small wh
istling noise became louder.
“Everybody move, now!” Han shouted. Rachtog wasted no time, clambering thro
ugh the trees in the same direction they had been going, and Anakin pressed the
throttle down hard weaving his craft through the legs of the huge rancor and spe
eding ahead. Behind them the bomb exploded, sending a strong heat wave in every
direction. Flames erupted throughout the trees. Rachtog stumbled under the sh
ock-wave, but he kept moving. From their right they saw two legged walkers comi
ng toward them. From above more bombers circled their position.
“It feels like they are herding us,” Jaina said. Lowbacca growled his agree
ment.
“But to where?” Han asked. He remembered seeing the planet from above and c
ouldn’t remember any significant geographical features. As if answering his quest
ion, the group suddenly left the forest and found themselves in a clearing that
bordered a deep ravine. Rachtog pulled up short, kicking a few small rocks that
bounced over the lip of the cliff and shattered on the rocks bellow. Anakin an
d Jacen were already at the edge.
Another high whistle became audible from above and the forest behind the
m burst into flames. There was no retreat backwards, that was obvious. Anakin
examined the ravine. It was about one hundred feet across and two hundred feet
deep. He knew that he could easily float across. He was pretty sure that Jaina
, Jacen, and Lowbacca could manage it as well, but that wasn’t what he was worried
about. What he was worried about was coming down the ravine at an incredibly f
ast speed. The TIE fighter screamed toward the group and let go a ferocious vol
ley of fire. Anakin had his lightsaber out in a flash and deflected the shots t
hat were close. As the TIE streaked past, Han drew his blaster and fired at the
exposed solar panel. The shots did little damage, but it woke up the rest of t
he group. Lowbacca leaped off Rachtog’s back, activated his lightsaber, and with
his incredible strength, hurled it at the offending craft. The lightsaber cut o
ff one of the panels and sent the TIE into a doomed corkscrew. It glanced off o
f the ravine wall, ripping off the other panel, and the pod exploded at the bott
om like an egg with fiery yolk.
Han and Jaina dismounted and they tried to think of what to do next. “Can
you guys get us across?” Han asked the four Jedi present.
Anakin nodded slowly. “Yes and no. I know for myself that I could get th
e Rancor across with little trouble, but I can’t do it that quickly, and while who
ever goes across is over the ravine, they will be free game for any ship who co
mes down the trench.”
As if explaining Anakin’s point, three TIE’s came screaming down the ravine
toward the group. They fired, not at the group this time, but at the cliff belo
w them. They could feel the ground tremble below them, and realized the Imperia
l’s new tactic. Lowbacca had had his lightsaber return to him and he hurled it ag
ain. Rancor’s are not stupid, and Rachtog knew what was going on. He ripped up a
near by tree, and like an all-star smashball player, he hit one of TIE’s out of t
he air and into the opposite wall with a terrific explosion.
Lowbacca’s lightsaber returned to him after disposing of the TIE it was th
rown at, but before he could throw it at the third, Rachtog launched the tree at
it. The TIE didn’t have a chance. Lowbacca roared his approval at their new fri
end’s performance. Before they had too much time to celebrate, they saw four more
squadrons coming towards them, plus bombers from above started to close in on t
hem.
Chapter 37 “Over Reaction”
Snotzenexer saw the four New Republic ships in front of him, and he knew
these to be the same ones responsible for the Empire’s loss at Danzig 359. Snotz
enexer usually did not let personal vendettas cloud his judgment, but then there
was no need for him to get angry; Sanson was there.
Snotzenexer watched as his fiancé’s face exploded in fury. “I want all availa
ble fighters deployed to intercept. Move the Dark Fist right into the middle of
the fray. I want to pin those fighters in-between us and the planetary shield.”
The orders were carried out, and Snotzenexer watched as the battle was played o
ut before him.
* * *
The Falcon was cloaked, and unleashing invisible death to all the fighte
rs who found themselves in either Haivven or Bremmy’s sights. It took all of Land
o’s skill as a pilot and Chewbacca’s as a co-pilot to keep from running into all the
TIE’s that didn’t see them.
The 185th was busy playing near the shield. “Usually, about one third or
one fourth of the ships in a planetary shield is designated as a power ship,” Vinc
e explained. “We need to find one of these ships, it should be easy because it wo
n’t fire at us.” The three W-wings wove around the Star Destroyers until they found
one that appeared to be inert.
“It looks like we have a winner!” Jon yelled when they saw that this Star De
stroyer wasn’t going to fire. “Now what?”
“We go inside,” Vince explained. “Each ship is half in the shield and half ou
t of the shield, if we go in one section in the front of the triangular ship and
out the back, we should be able to get through the shield.”
“What!” Bep screamed. “You’re crazy. You want us to fly through a Imperial cla
ss Star Destroyer.”
“Sure. If you go in through the bottom’s main docking bay, you can get to t
he ship’s maintenance section, and from there the rear TIE bay is on the opposite
side of the back wall. It’ll be easy.”
“That’s why I love you man,” Jon said. “You’re crazy.”
“Let’s save our feelings of love and affection for each other until after th
e mission, OK.”
The under side of the Star Destroyer did not look too inviting, and Vinc
e hadn’t expected the Imperials to open the lower door for them, but three well ai
med torpedoes did the job against the unarmed door.
* * *
Tallon was watching the battle from his bridge. “Sir, we have a report th
at the lower docking bay doors have just been breached.”
Tallon looked at the officer as if he were drunk. Why would anyone want
to break into the docking bay? Did the New Republic think that a small strike
team would be able to take over his ship. “Send three squads of storm troopers do
wn to investigate the situation.”
“Sir, there is already ready one squad down there,” the officer responded.
“And I want there to be four. Do you have a problem with that, Lieutenant
.”
“Uh, no sir.”
“Good.” Tallon wondered how the Empire had aloud that arrogant of a clone o
n the bridge. Tallon pulled up a security screen and flipped to the docking bay
. He watched as three fighters rose into the bay and began firing on the squad
of storm troopers that were indeed stationed down there. Tallon swore as his sc
reen went blank. They must of hit a power cable. Tallon was not in a good mood
as it was, and these fighters had picked the wrong Star Destroyer to be messing
with.
Tallon got up from his command chair. He turned to the former commander
of the ship. “You have the bridge. I am going to check this out personally.” The
man might have questioned the prudence of this if it weren’t for the fact that Ta
llon was strapping on a side arm, and the lieutenant commander valued his life m
ore than that.
* * *
 Vince watched as the last of the storm troopers fell under their superio
r fire power. He glanced around and counted five turbolifts. Bep was thinking
the same thing. “We might want to take those turbo lifts out,” he said.
“Consider it done,” Jon replied eagerly. A quick sweep of the area sealed o
ff the docking bay.
Vince maneuvered his E-wing carefully through the narrow service tunnel
at the far end of the main docking bay and emerged into the maintenance section.
Surprise doesn’t adequately describe the look on the technicians’ faces. They had
just heard gun fire from the docking bay and now three ships they had never see
n before were parading through the lower sections of the Star Destroyer like the
y owned it. Jon didn’t allow the look of surprise to last to long. Dead people a
ren’t often surprised.
Vince unexpectedly landed. “What’s up buddy?” Jon asked.
Vince popped the top of his W-wing and hopped out. He kept his helmet o
n which had his com. “Just thought of something. You guys just hold down the for
t. I shouldn’t be more than a minute or two.” Vince ran over to a door in the wall
of the service station and disappeared through it.
Bep and Jon settled their ship down, pointing in opposite directions, co
vering the only two entrances they knew of. They looked at each other through t
heir cockpit shields and shrugged. “What are you doing Vince?” Bep asked.
Vince was walking slowly through a room swarmed with pipes, wires, and m
assive bulkheads. “You know how these things are powered right?”
“Let’s assume not.”
“They are run off a nuclear reactor. There are usually two types in this
big of a ship.” Vince paused as he lifted a panel, revealing another room below.
He dropped down into the new room. There was a steady thrumming throughout the
room. He picked his way through the pipes of the rarely visited room. “There ar
e two types of reactors,” he repeated as he peered through the darkness, “fission an
d fusion. Fission is a good source of massive power all at once since it is bas
ed on a exponential chain reaction and is used to power the engines and weapons.
Fusion is a safer way to produce a constant energy flow and is used to run the
electronics, shields, and all the other vital systems.” Vince paused when he cam
e to another door. He ignored the radioactive symbol on it and proceeded throug
h.
“Right now the planetary shield is being operated by both of them, because
this is a power ship for the shield, and all of the weapons have been taken off
line. Meaning that both the fusion reactor and the fission reactor are wired i
nto the shields, leaving the weapons and propulsion with out power.” Vince finall
y stopped his frantic search when he came to the control panel he was looking fo
r. “I just plan to give the shield a burst of power.”
* * *
Tallon ran into the storm troopers he had sent off as they were back tra
cking through the hallway. “What’s the problem?”
“Sir, the turbo lifts are out of commission. We have to go down to the lo
wer level via the rear turbo lifts.”
Tallon swallowed hard controlling his temper. “Lead on,” he said and fell i
n line behind the troops. They raced to the far rear of the ship, went down as
far as they could, and then traversed back along the bottom. Tallon fell back,
letting the storm troopers get a good lead, so that he wouldn’t be caught in the h
eat of battle but could come in later and asses the situation.
Tallon was thinking about the situation, when heard a loud clang from be
neath him and then a curse.
* * *
“What’s wrong, Vince.”
“It’s nothing,” he lied shaking his finger in an effort to quell the pain. “Thi
s cover was just jammed and I had to yank it off. Sorry about the noise.”
 “What do you mean, ‘a little power burst?’“
“You know how a fission reactor works, right Bep?”
“Uranium atoms are bombard by high energy neutrons, causing the atoms to s
plit. The split gives off a small amount of energy, yields two new substances,
and releases around two to three neutrons. These created neutrons are propelled
by the released energy and collide with other uranium atoms, causing a chain re
action.”
“And how do they control the reaction?” Vince asked, already knowing the ans
wer. He was busy trying to access the engine computer, but was having a little
difficulty breaking in.
“Two ways. They have control rods which absorb some of the released neutr
ons to slow down the reaction, and usually only one percent of the uranium is ra
dioactive. Uranium 235 is the reactive isotope, while the majority of the urani
um, the other ninety-nine percent, is dormant uranium 238.”
Vince knew all of this and was desperately trying to get the computer to
confirm it. “Got it!” Vince yelled as the information popped up on the screen. S
ince the discovery of replicators for pure elements was discovered, the need to
actually provide uranium disappeared. This meant that the reactor was feed by a
n automatic device which provided it with the specified amount of uranium 238 an
d 235. For example at idle speeds, the percentage was set at 99.3 to .7 percent
of uranium 238 to 235. At top speeds the ratio was changed to about 98 to 2.
Vince didn’t have any luck when he ran into the built in safeties. The computer w
asn’t going to let him change the percentages manually.
“Wait!” Bep yelled, realizing what Vince wanted to do. “If your going to incr
ease the amount of uranium 235, I’m leaving now. We’ll be sitting on the biggest nu
clear weapon in existence. That reactor has to produce more uranium per second
than you can find in a hundred bombs!”
“Well right now I’m having a little difficulty getting the computer to let m
e change the percentages, but when I do, I’ll set a timer on it so we’ll get out of
here in time.”
“I’m afraid you aren’t going anywhere.” Vince looked up from the console he was
struggling with. Tallon stood across the room, having just descended a service
ladder. “You see,” he said as he leveled his blaster at Vince, “I don’t take kindly to
trespassers on my ship.”
Vince dove to the side just as Tallon fired. Vince scrambled around on
the floor and found the cover that he had pried off earlier. As Tallon rounded
the console, Vince threw the cover at him. Tallon flinched and fired reflexivel
y. The bolt went harmlessly into the ceiling. Vince scrambled up from the floo
r and ran in-between the assorted pipes and equipment that filled the room.
“What’s going on in there?” Bep asked. “I thought I heard blaster shots.”
“Oh, nothing,” Vince said as he ducked two more high shots. “I just ran into
the janitor down here.”
“Heads up Bep,” Jon interrupted. “We got company. Storm troopers, twelve o’clo
ck.”
The white clad troopers began pouring into the maintenance station, and
Jon mowed them down. When they saw that they were out gunned, they regrouped to
gather a more powerful approach.
Tallon walked quietly through the enormous engine region of his Star Des
troyer. He heard a clang from the far left corner of the cluttered room, turned
, and fired. From his right, Vince jumped out and swung a heavy metal pipe into
Tallon’s midsection. Tallon stumbled back, but kept his grasp on his blaster. H
e brought it level and Vince hit it out of his hand. Tallon considered the gun
a loss and squared off against Vince. Vince held a pipe and was taller than Tal
lon, but Tallon probably out weighed him by at least fifty pounds and had many y
ears of physical training, while Vince was only twenty years old. Tallon bull r
ushed his younger opponent, Vince tried to swing, but Tallon was to fast and got
inside the swing. They collided solidly, and Vince flew to the floor. Still h
olding the pipe, he swung it at the Captain’s legs and Tallon came tumbling down o
n top of him.
Vince squeezed out from under Tallon and tried to find a means of escape
. Tallon was quick and leaped up after him. Vince tried to out run him, but Ta
llon caught him from behind. Vince went down and tried to grab anything to stop
his fall. His hand caught a lever and he pulled it down as he fell. The emerg
ency sprinkler system came on and water was everywhere. They both let up for a
while, while they contemplated this slight change of events. Vince scrambled up
again and a loud hissing noise caught his attention. Over in the corner the wa
ter was evaporating as soon as it hit the floor. The reactor must be right bene
ath that corner, he though. He didn’t have too much time to think about it; Tallo
n was up again. Vince tried to run away but was tackled from behind again. Thi
s time when he fell his hand closed around something else: Talon’s blaster!
Tallon wrestled Vince into a prone position, and for the first time Vinc
e saw that he was holding a wrench. Tallon held the tool above the young pilot’s
head. “I believe this is the end,” Tallon said.
“Yes,” Vince agreed, “I believe so.” As Tallon brought the wrench down, Vince f
ired. The shot took Tallon in the shoulder holding the wrench. His hand releas
ed the heavy tool, and it thudded next to Vince’s head. Tallon reeled in pain. V
ince tried to fire again, but Tallon kicked the gun out of his hand, and it flew
off into the room. Vince didn’t waste any time. He grabbed the wrench off the g
round, and as Tallon charged again much slower, he brought the tool up hard and
hit him in the chin. Tallon nearly flipped over backwards. He hit the ground h
ard and didn’t get up.
Vince had lost his helmet in the skirmish, and went off to find it. “How’s
it going guys?” he asked as soon as he found it.
“Hurry up will you!” Bep shouted.
“Yea, they’re setting up laser cannons out here. We can’t hold them off forev
er,” Jon added.
Vince remembered the hissing and ran over to the “hot” corner. He found a s
mall electronic box mounted on the wall. He pried it open and examined the cont
ents. There were two small wires leading into the box, and it was connected to
something on the other side of the wall. He quickly unscrewed the front electro
nic panel and found two digital displays. One said 98.7 and the other read 1.3.
Vince recognized it at once as the regulator which was probably connected to t
he replicator. He used the screw driver to dig at the two wires. When he got t
hem both out he waited. After he counted forty-seven seconds, he heard the reac
tor power down. It took forty-seven seconds for the replicated uranium to reach
the reactor. “Could I cut it any closer.” He took a deep breath, switched the wir
es, and plugged them back in.
Vince turned and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him. He tried
to count to himself, but he couldn’t keep his pace without throwing off his count
ing. As he leaped over Tallon’s figure, Tallon stirred.
Tallon saw Vince running away again. “Hey, stop!” Tallon tried to get up,
but his head and shoulder were killing him, and he slipped on the wet floor.
Vince backtracked through the maze that had gotten him there and he was
back in the maintenance station in record time. “Welcome back,” Jon said. “What’s the
rush? Is there something you’d like to tell us.”
“Yeah, there is,” Vince said as he leaped into his cockpit amidst storm troo
per. Jon covered his tail, blasting away the three stupid storm troopers who tr
ied to take Vince out. “I’d just like to say that in about seventeen seconds, this
ship is going to be the brightest thing since Danzig 359.”
“Thanks for the big window, buddy,” Jon said, but was already turning his W-
wing around. “Out the back door, fellas. Would some one be kind enough to knock.
I seem to be all out of torpedoes.”
Bep and Vince each unleashed a projectile at the back wall, leaving a ga
ping hole into the rear hanger bay. They sped though the hole, and out into spa
ce.
Tallon got up groggily and noticed a rapidly increasing thrumming under
his feet. As he watched the far corner in the room start to melt, he knew what
Vince had done. Tallon stood up straight and saluted. The reactor blew up.
If the members of the 185th hadn’t been in such a hurry to get out of rang
e, they would have enjoyed the spectacle. The Star Destroyer exploded far beyon
d anyones’ imagination. An enormous ultraviolet wave spread out along the spheric
al planetary shield. As the wave passed over each Star Destroyer joined with th
e shield, the force field globes blew apart, and every third ship, suffered the
same fate as Tallon’s destroyer. As the wave reached the outer limits of the pres
ent hemisphere, it lost most of it’s energy, and the Star Destroyers on the far si
de of the planet were saved, although their shields were fried.
* * *
Snotzenexer watched the sight in awe. Sanson immediately recognized how
this effect had been accomplished, and so her awe was magnified several times.
Lando was later quoted as saying that he thought it was “pretty neat.”
Chapter 38 “The Maltha Ice Vine”
Danzig 6 finally saw its target. It was located deep in the core system
s. It was a medium size planet covered with blue oceans and rolling plains. Se
veral rich forests dotted the landscape, and mountains rose majestically from th
e surface. Near one of these mountains, standing terribly close to the edge of
a deep ravine, four Jedi students, one Jedi master, a former smuggler, and a ran
cor were running out of options.
The heat from the flaming forest about twenty meters behind them was beg
inning to take effect. Jacen tried to create a cool barrier between the group a
nd the fire, but the fire was growing fast. Anakin was struggling to keep the c
liff under their feet from sliding into the ravine. Jaina was protecting her un
cle. Han was desperately trying to modify the ground transport to take them saf
ely down the side of the cliff. Lowbacca and Rachtog were fighting off the TIE’s,
which were coming in faster and faster. Everyone was loosing their battle.
The tension reached its peek when another whistling came from above. Th
ey all looked skyward to see a bomber fly away and a small speck falling towards
them. Jaina reached out to it with the Force. She frowned. “There must be an y
salamiri on board. I can’t redirect it.”
“Well guys-” Han started, but was interrupted when the bomb exploded prematu
rely several hundred feet above them. “Wha-”
A W-wing streaked through the dissipating explosion. Han squinted and c
ould see Jon giving him a thumbs up through the cockpit. “Ha! I never thought I’d
be happy to see that punk.”
Bep and Vince swept down into the ravine and the group on the cliff watc
hed in awe as the three fighters tore through the ranks of TIE’s. A large shadow
loomed over the group and they looked up to see the underside of a very familiar
ship. “The Falcon!” they all screamed
Anakin began to wince under the strain of keeping the near collapsing cl
iff side together. “Bring it down! Bring it down!” Han yelled as he saw the look o
f effort on his son’s face. Lando obliged and the ship hovered in the air as he l
owered the ramp to the cliff side. Jaina and Jacen carried their uncle into the
ship with Lowbacca close behind. Han watched Anakin as his son spoke mentally
to the Rancor. The beast nodded and jumped off the edge of the cliff. Anakin l
owered him slowly until he reached the bottom. Han watched as the animal scampe
red away from the place where the cliff side would soon be. “Let’s go, son.”
Anakin followed his father into the Falcon. As soon as Anakin’s foot left
the cliff, he blinked, and the whole area slid down into the ravine.
* * *
Wedge and the rest of the New Republic dropped into a high orbit around
the planet of Hastrin. They were facing a Super Star Destroyer and a wide sprea
d of listless Imperial Star Destroyers.
Snotzenexer saw them and decided that enough was enough. He knew when i
t was time to regroup, and now was as good a time as any. He sent a message to
the rest of the fleet saying as much. Seconds after Wedge dropped in, the rest
of the Imperial fleet dropped out.
 Somewhere deep in Wedge’s Calamarian cruiser, R2-D2 was beeping furiously.
“What is it? What is it?” an exasperated C3-PO asked. After listening to a few s
hrill whistles that only he could interpret, Threepio gasped. “Oh my, we must tel
l Princess Leia.”
“Tell Leia what?” Leia walked out of a nearby hallway.
“It seems that Artoo has been talking to the ships computer and there is a
huge comet that is on a collision course with Hastrin.”
Leia wasted no time racing through the ship and relaying the information
to Wedge. Wedge was just about to try to raise the rest of the fleet on the co
m, when an incoming message cut him off. “Hey, everyone. Glad you could join us.”
“Han!” Leia screamed.
“Leia! Boy, have I missed you. You must have been worried sick. Don’t wor
ry Luke is fine. The kids are with me too, don’t ask how or why.”
“I’d love to chat with you Han,” Wedge put in. “But you’ve got to get off that pl
anet. It’s got an ETA with a comet in less than two minutes.”
“No problem.”
* * *
Thrawn was pacing again. His computer screen beeped at him. They had g
iven him a new one after he had thrown the old one at the Maltha ice vine, which
still hadn’t died yet despite the fact that he had moped up all of the water and
the vine was now just lying on a dry floor. Thrawn sneered at it as he flipped
the screen on. Thrawn looked at the young officer standing before him. It was
obvious to Thrawn that this man had just lost whatever game it was that his offi
cers played to decide which one had to tell Thrawn bad news. “Report.”
“Sir,” he started, but decided to try again. “Admiral, we have just received
word from Commander Snotzenexer that the Dark Ring has been destroyed.” The offic
er paused and Thrawn saw that he had more to say, much more. “Also the planetary
shield has been destroyed, along with a sixth of our fleet in orbit.” More. “Um, t
he uh, Jedi have made it to their ships, defeated the guards, and are leaving th
e planet.” Thrawn waited patiently. “A large New Republic fleet has just dropped i
n, forcing our remaining fleet to retreat.” Sweat was really starting to stand up
on the young lieutenant’s forehead now. “And Admiral,” he really didn’t want to say th
is,” uh Sir, we are all screwed.” This last bold comment left Thrawn slightly reeli
ng. On his screen, the lieutenant’s face was replaced with that of Danzig 6. On
the bottom of the screen it said, “Collision course. ETA: 0:01.26”
Thrawn put his head in his hands and remained in that position for the r
est of his life, which lasted slightly under a minute and a half.
The six ships left Hastrin in tight formation. “Nice to see you,” Wedge sai
d with an enormous grin.
“Like wise,” Han replied. “What do you say, we blow this joint.”
“Agreed.”
Danzig 6 was now clearly visible as it sped toward Hastrin. Han looked
at it for a long time. “I wonder where it came from.”
“Something that big can’t be natural,” Lando interjected.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter,” Han said and he pushed the hyperdrive forw
ard and disappeared into the starry sky.
Danzig 6 was a boiling mass of super compressed gasses that was quite ma
d at being forced so far from its home. It finally got its chance to vent its f
ury. It is of interest to note that at this point the Maltha ice vine shriveled
up, incinerated, and died. Thrawn probably would have been more appreciative o
f this fact if he wasn’t so busy shriveling up, incinerating, and dying himself.
THE END
For curiosities sake: An Epilogue
Luke stood on the hill as the wind swept through is unkempt hair. He sh
ifted his weight slightly from his good leg back to his cane. He was gazing dow
n in the valley where the ancient temples lay in ruins. He looked over the acti
vity of his students cleaning up all of the twisted metal that had been shaped i
n the form of walkers, TIE fighters and tanks. He sighed deeply. He had asked
that the temples not be rebuilt. What was the point? He had always hated those
dank things anyway. They would build a more modern Academy about a kilometer a
way in the nice clearing that the Empire had made when they landed for the attac
k.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to cleaned up the temples?” Luke turned aroun
d and winced at the pain is his bad leg.
“No, I’m sure. I want them to stand as a reminder to everyone what the Dark
Side does. I want people to see why I have this Academy here in the first plac
e. If we didn’t have tombstones we would never remember where our loved ones were
buried. I want everyone to remember what happened here so it will never happen
again.”
Streen nodded. Together they stood atop the hill and watched the activi
ty.
* * *
Han cleared his throat and squinted for the umpteenth time into the brig
ht stage lights. “And that,” he said in conclusion, “is what it is like to be a smugg
ler. As you can see, it isn’t the best occupation in the galaxy.” Han looked towar
d the edge of the stage to the school principal to show he was finished with thi
s torture session.
The elderly woman walked onto the stage. She literally glowed with admi
ration for Han. It made him sick. “Thank-you very much, General Solo.” Han cringe
d at the title. “Do you have time for a few questions?”
Han tried to say no, but he caught Leia’s eye in the back of the crowd, an
d he folded under the pressure. He nodded weakly. Every hand in the auditorium
of children popped up.
* * *
Lando slowly lowered the Lady Luck down on the small asteroid. A short
while later the ramp lowered and Lando emerged followed by three rather tall you
ths. After the battle at Hastrin, Lando had promised to see if he could find Jo
n, Vince, and Bep crystals to improve their already spectacular W-wings. The th
ree members of the 185th jumped at the opportunity.
Lando was greeted by Mansenchin and Dexter outside the main housing hut.
“Hello, long time no see.”
Lando returned the greeting with a hand shake. “Where’s everyone else?”
Dexter looked at Mansenchin and tried to hide his grin when he spoke. “We
told them they could go home.” Lando’s face was that of one in shock. “There really
wasn’t a point in them staying. We’ve searched this whole place and can’t find one c
rystal.”
Lando was almost crying. “You’re kidding. Tell me you’re kidding.” The look o
n Lando’s face was too much for Mansenchin and he opened the door to the building.
Inside Lando could see about twelve large containers overflowing with the most
beautiful crystals he had ever seen.
* * *
Anakin and Jacen stood about ten meters apart, again. This time Jaina a
nd Lowbacca were the only people watching. Jacen had both of his lightsabers ou
t and Anakin was cautiously handling his. All three of the sabers had the filte
rs on them. Over the past few weeks, the four friends had worked out what had h
appened, and all the guilt that Lowbacca, Jaina, and Jacen had felt had been was
hed away by the Force.
Jacen charged his younger brother with both blades twirling. Anakin sto
od motionless. Jacen remembered the trick that Anakin had played on him back on
 Hastrin. Jacen stopped in front of what he though to be just a projection of h
is brother. That “projection” swung and connected with Jacen’s torso.
Jacen looked stunned. “But I thought-”
“Don’t think - know.”
The two laughed and started to spar furiously. Jaina watched her brothe
rs go at it with awe. She was glad that this time they were on the same side, a
nd only fighting for fun. At the rate the two of them were striking and parryin
g, they could be busy all day. Jaina and Lowbacca got comfortable, determined t
o watch it to the end.
* * *
Snotzenexer sat at the table across from Sanson, his wife. Granted the
marriage wasn’t a joyous occasion. In fact there wasn’t really anyone who attended
the union. Just a priest that they had found on some desolate world. They were
hiding out in the back waters of the galaxy. Their meager fleet was in a small
asteroid belt where no one would ever find it. The bar in which they sat now w
as very dark and musty. They weren’t scared about anyone recognizing them, no one
had ever seen them before. To everyone in the bar they were simply Alex and Ji
ll, the newly-weds.
A man came walking up to their table. “Excuse me, are you Alex Snotzenexe
r?”
Snotzenexer didn’t look up from his drink. “That depends on who’s asking.”
“My name is Eranadis Palpatine. I heard that you wanted to speak with me.”
“Have a seat. We have much to discuss.”