A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi watched the X-Wing gear its engines and begin to move away for take-off.
"Told you, I did," Yoda said sorrowfully, as the sleek fighter craft began to lift into the misty heavens. "Reckless is he. Now things are going to worse."
"That boy is our last hope," Ben Kenobi said, his voice heavy with emotion.
"No," Kenobi's former teacher corrected with a knowing gleam in his large eyes. "there is another."
Yoda lifted his head toward the darkening sky where Luke's ship was already a barely distinguishable point of light among the flickering stars.
*****
"Something wrong, Ed?" Garrett asked, concerned. Eduardo and Garrett had been playing Nintendo when all of the sudden Eduardo gave a startled jump and dropped his controller.
Eduardo's head whipped around to face Garrett. "Huh? Oh, yeah, uh fine," Eduardo replied. *What was that?* Eduardo thought. *It felt like someone was talking to me from inside my head!*
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the voice once again spoke from within his head. "It is time. Be prepared, you shall..." Eduardo quickly stood up off Garrett's couch. "I...I need to get some air, man. Catcha later!" With that, Eduardo ran out of Garrett's house.
Eduardo ran down to a nearby park and sat on a bench. "Man, what was that?" he said aloud. He sat back down on the bench and closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. Instead, vivid pictures, like memories, began to display in Eduardo's mind! Rather than fight them, Eduardo's curiosity let them in so he could take a look. Images of space and snow, desert and swamp flew through his head.
Then, one image stayed. It was him, as a newborn. Next to him were his two siblings. *Two siblings??* Eduardo thought. He only had one, his brother Carlos. He could tell that neither sibling next to him was Carlos. Someone picked up his brother, then someone else his sister. He had this feeling that he would never see either one again. Someone picked him up and began carrying him away. He looked back to see his brother for the last time. *Good-bye, Carlos*, he thought. *No, not Carlos...Luke! That's my true brother's name!*
He could remember now! The three of them were each sent to a distant world, to keep them safe from some sort of impending evil. This world, Earth, was the world chosen for him to be sent to.
Once again, the strange raspy voice spoke to him, this time explaining of his evil father's death. "But there's something more you must know," the voice said. "Your father's evil was not destroyed. His former hatred has sought you out. Kill you it will!"
Eduardo knew at once what he had to do. He ran to the firehouse as quickly as he could and grabbed his proton pack. Strapping it on his back, he held the proton gun in his hands, gripping it as a knight would a sword. A gut feeling told him that this moment had been waiting for him all his life, that he could not escape it. A grim face of determination appeared on him as he slowly made his way down the firehouse stairs.
Downstairs, Egon was working on a large technical doo-dad of some sort. As Dr. Spengler was operating a blow torch at the moment, he wore a welding mask over his face. Eduardo took one look at Egon and entered the basement, his eyes hatred-looking slits.
Dr. Spengler looked up from his work and silently assessed the situation. Understanding, Egon slowly picked himself up and said from behind the mask, "So...after all these years, you've remembered." Egon strapped on his own proton pack, taking a mirrored stance of Eduardo's. Egon switched on his proton gun, set the stream settings to short, and fired. The gun ignited a proton stream about three feet in length.
Egon held the gun above his arms, meaning to bring it down and slice Eduardo in half. Eduardo quickly ignited his own proton gun and held it up to block the blow. The impact knocked Eduardo backwards and to the floor. Laughing deeply, Egon raised his gun in the air to repeat his last move. Just before coming in contact with Eduardo's skull, Ed rolled out of the way. Sparks flew and smoke rose up as the particle stream sliced fiercely through the basement's metal floor.
"Eduardo, join me. Together we will rule the universe!" Egon said.
"No! Never!" Yelled Eduardo. Ed quickly sprang at Egon, particle gun steady in his hand, hoping for one good swipe at his head. Egon quickly sidestepped the move and brought his knee up to Eduardo's rapidly approaching head. Eduardo took most of the force on his cheek and eye, which bruised up immediately after he landed hard on the metal floor.
"He is weak! Finish him NOW!" screamed an evil and female voice. Eduardo looked over and saw Kylie standing in the shadows. "We don't need him, Dr. Spengler! You and I can rule the galaxy together!"
With one quick swipe, Egon knocked Eduardo's proton gun from his hands. Smiling evilly behind the expressionless mask, Egon jabbed the particle stream through Eduardo's abdomen. Tears of pain ran down Eduardo's face as he screamed out, "Kylie, help me! Please!"
Kylie just looked on, her eyes narrow slits, and said, "You will never know the error of the path you have chosen." With that, she extended her arms and shot blue bolts of lightning from her outstretched fingers. Eduardo writhed on the floor, sizzling smoke coming from many wounds.
With his last ounce of breath, Eduardo called out to Kylie, "I promise I'll kiss you in the second season!"
Kylie hesitated. "You mean the usual cartoonish peck or a full fledged kiss?"
"I'm talkin open mouthed, Ky! It doesn't matter *what* we do, because the second season will never be aired on TV anyway!!"
The lightning stopped shooting from Kylie's fingers. She looked to Dr. Spengler, his expression hidden behind the mask, then to Eduardo. Kylie shrugged, aimed her lightning at the containment unit, and fired, blowing a good sized hole out. Egon was bathed in the white light radiating from the unit. Kylie walked over, picked Egon up, and tossed him in. His screams were muted as he fell into the laser containment system.
Kylie used her lightning once more to melt the metal surrounding the hole, closing up the gap. She walked over to Eduardo and kneeled, could tell his wounds were most likely fatal. Crying, she brushed the back of her hand against his forehead.
A raspy voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. "Help you I can. Trust me you should, mmm? Yes." They looked and saw Slimer hovering towards them, his green face much older and wiser-looking than usual. "Your past, your destiny, knew you'd remember I did. Succeeded you have, Eduardo. Rest now. Yes, rest."
Slimer closed his eyes gently and concentrated. Eduardo's breathing became more controlled, and his eyes closed as he fell in to a deep, relaxing sleep.
*****
When Eduardo awoke, he was floating in a bacta tank, surrounded by the pink healing ooze. The former Dark Empress, Kylie, was awaiting him when he entered his new quarters. Out a large window in his room he could see the stars, simple streaks, flying by. "Where are we, chica?" he asked slowly, still a bit groggy from his long sleep.
"We're aboard my starship, on a mission to save a friend of ours."
"Friend? Who?"
"The cunning smuggler, Jax Nol. He'd been unable to pay back a bounty hunter for some time now, and had been laying low as a man by the name of Roland back on Earth. He's been captured and is now being held deep within the spice mines of Kessel."
"Roland?? Caramba! I knew there had to be a reason that he had no personality! He wasn't even human!"
Eduardo sat down and Kylie did the same. His mind was racing, yet everything seemed distantly familiar. He looked at the stars streaking by, each one seeming to be a long-forgotten memory almost within his grasp, then gone at the speed of light. One thing he did know was that his adventures were far from over.
They were just beginning.
Note: The scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda is quoted from "The Empire Strikes Back" novel by Donald F. Glut.
Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi watched the X-Wing gear its engines and begin to move away for take-off.
"Told you, I did," Yoda said sorrowfully, as the sleek fighter craft began to lift into the misty heavens. "Reckless is he. Now things are going to worse."
"That boy is our last hope," Ben Kenobi said, his voice heavy with emotion.
"No," Kenobi's former teacher corrected with a knowing gleam in his large eyes. "there is another."
Yoda lifted his head toward the darkening sky where Luke's ship was already a barely distinguishable point of light among the flickering stars.
*****
"Something wrong, Ed?" Garrett asked, concerned. Eduardo and Garrett had been playing Nintendo when all of the sudden Eduardo gave a startled jump and dropped his controller.
Eduardo's head whipped around to face Garrett. "Huh? Oh, yeah, uh fine," Eduardo replied. *What was that?* Eduardo thought. *It felt like someone was talking to me from inside my head!*
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the voice once again spoke from within his head. "It is time. Be prepared, you shall..." Eduardo quickly stood up off Garrett's couch. "I...I need to get some air, man. Catcha later!" With that, Eduardo ran out of Garrett's house.
Eduardo ran down to a nearby park and sat on a bench. "Man, what was that?" he said aloud. He sat back down on the bench and closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. Instead, vivid pictures, like memories, began to display in Eduardo's mind! Rather than fight them, Eduardo's curiosity let them in so he could take a look. Images of space and snow, desert and swamp flew through his head.
Then, one image stayed. It was him, as a newborn. Next to him were his two siblings. *Two siblings??* Eduardo thought. He only had one, his brother Carlos. He could tell that neither sibling next to him was Carlos. Someone picked up his brother, then someone else his sister. He had this feeling that he would never see either one again. Someone picked him up and began carrying him away. He looked back to see his brother for the last time. *Good-bye, Carlos*, he thought. *No, not Carlos...Luke! That's my true brother's name!*
He could remember now! The three of them were each sent to a distant world, to keep them safe from some sort of impending evil. This world, Earth, was the world chosen for him to be sent to.
Once again, the strange raspy voice spoke to him, this time explaining of his evil father's death. "But there's something more you must know," the voice said. "Your father's evil was not destroyed. His former hatred has sought you out. Kill you it will!"
Eduardo knew at once what he had to do. He ran to the firehouse as quickly as he could and grabbed his proton pack. Strapping it on his back, he held the proton gun in his hands, gripping it as a knight would a sword. A gut feeling told him that this moment had been waiting for him all his life, that he could not escape it. A grim face of determination appeared on him as he slowly made his way down the firehouse stairs.
Downstairs, Egon was working on a large technical doo-dad of some sort. As Dr. Spengler was operating a blow torch at the moment, he wore a welding mask over his face. Eduardo took one look at Egon and entered the basement, his eyes hatred-looking slits.
Dr. Spengler looked up from his work and silently assessed the situation. Understanding, Egon slowly picked himself up and said from behind the mask, "So...after all these years, you've remembered." Egon strapped on his own proton pack, taking a mirrored stance of Eduardo's. Egon switched on his proton gun, set the stream settings to short, and fired. The gun ignited a proton stream about three feet in length.
Egon held the gun above his arms, meaning to bring it down and slice Eduardo in half. Eduardo quickly ignited his own proton gun and held it up to block the blow. The impact knocked Eduardo backwards and to the floor. Laughing deeply, Egon raised his gun in the air to repeat his last move. Just before coming in contact with Eduardo's skull, Ed rolled out of the way. Sparks flew and smoke rose up as the particle stream sliced fiercely through the basement's metal floor.
"Eduardo, join me. Together we will rule the universe!" Egon said.
"No! Never!" Yelled Eduardo. Ed quickly sprang at Egon, particle gun steady in his hand, hoping for one good swipe at his head. Egon quickly sidestepped the move and brought his knee up to Eduardo's rapidly approaching head. Eduardo took most of the force on his cheek and eye, which bruised up immediately after he landed hard on the metal floor.
"He is weak! Finish him NOW!" screamed an evil and female voice. Eduardo looked over and saw Kylie standing in the shadows. "We don't need him, Dr. Spengler! You and I can rule the galaxy together!"
With one quick swipe, Egon knocked Eduardo's proton gun from his hands. Smiling evilly behind the expressionless mask, Egon jabbed the particle stream through Eduardo's abdomen. Tears of pain ran down Eduardo's face as he screamed out, "Kylie, help me! Please!"
Kylie just looked on, her eyes narrow slits, and said, "You will never know the error of the path you have chosen." With that, she extended her arms and shot blue bolts of lightning from her outstretched fingers. Eduardo writhed on the floor, sizzling smoke coming from many wounds.
With his last ounce of breath, Eduardo called out to Kylie, "I promise I'll kiss you in the second season!"
Kylie hesitated. "You mean the usual cartoonish peck or a full fledged kiss?"
"I'm talkin open mouthed, Ky! It doesn't matter *what* we do, because the second season will never be aired on TV anyway!!"
The lightning stopped shooting from Kylie's fingers. She looked to Dr. Spengler, his expression hidden behind the mask, then to Eduardo. Kylie shrugged, aimed her lightning at the containment unit, and fired, blowing a good sized hole out. Egon was bathed in the white light radiating from the unit. Kylie walked over, picked Egon up, and tossed him in. His screams were muted as he fell into the laser containment system.
Kylie used her lightning once more to melt the metal surrounding the hole, closing up the gap. She walked over to Eduardo and kneeled, could tell his wounds were most likely fatal. Crying, she brushed the back of her hand against his forehead.
A raspy voice suddenly spoke up from behind them. "Help you I can. Trust me you should, mmm? Yes." They looked and saw Slimer hovering towards them, his green face much older and wiser-looking than usual. "Your past, your destiny, knew you'd remember I did. Succeeded you have, Eduardo. Rest now. Yes, rest."
Slimer closed his eyes gently and concentrated. Eduardo's breathing became more controlled, and his eyes closed as he fell in to a deep, relaxing sleep.
*****
When Eduardo awoke, he was floating in a bacta tank, surrounded by the pink healing ooze. The former Dark Empress, Kylie, was awaiting him when he entered his new quarters. Out a large window in his room he could see the stars, simple streaks, flying by. "Where are we, chica?" he asked slowly, still a bit groggy from his long sleep.
"We're aboard my starship, on a mission to save a friend of ours."
"Friend? Who?"
"The cunning smuggler, Jax Nol. He'd been unable to pay back a bounty hunter for some time now, and had been laying low as a man by the name of Roland back on Earth. He's been captured and is now being held deep within the spice mines of Kessel."
"Roland?? Caramba! I knew there had to be a reason that he had no personality! He wasn't even human!"
Eduardo sat down and Kylie did the same. His mind was racing, yet everything seemed distantly familiar. He looked at the stars streaking by, each one seeming to be a long-forgotten memory almost within his grasp, then gone at the speed of light. One thing he did know was that his adventures were far from over.
They were just beginning.
Note: The scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda is quoted from "The Empire Strikes Back" novel by Donald F. Glut.
