Crossroads

A Star Wars FanFic

Based on the RPG, Another Diplomatic Mission

on the Star Wars fan site Force Storm

By Hyperdrive and other members of Force Storm

Begun 4-25-07

Part One

First Crossing

Chapter One

It was lonely out here in the galaxy. All that had happened so recently was a little hard to comprehend. She was only eighteen. It was probably selfish, with hundreds of others having suffered the same loss, but she couldn't help it. She just wanted to cry. To grieve. To destroy the Imperials who had murdered everyone she knew. To not move again, for the waking moments might be worse than those in which she slept. The dreams haunted her. The memories were comforting, but they reminded her of what she had just lost, scarcely two weeks back. Some of the images frightened her, being from a not-so-distant past in which the events had taken her from her friends, family, and homeworld, and had unwittingly saved her life. Though she was not a Jedi and could not feel it, the Force echoed with the tragedy, calling it out over and over again that billions had lost their lives in one swift, cruel stroke. Billions of voices crying out in fear, and then . . . utter silence.

Alderaan, and all its art, literature, plants, creatures, and - the greatest loss of all - its people, were gone.

The sight of the Shards of Alderaan had struck the girl to her core, upon returning home after an adventure she wished she could have avoided but had spared her from the same fate as those of billions of others. She should have been there. She shouldn't have had to live with the pain of never seeing her father, other family members - not her mother, for she had died when the girl was young - friends, teachers, and her fiancé, Jaren Key, again.

Her father had been a successful merchant, back when he was alive. His name was Alex Morranne, and had been a good father to his only child, Iaana. As for her, she was an excellent mechanic, but had the peculiar tendency to shout at whatever piece of machinery she was working on, or, if she was flying, her ship when it didn't do what she wanted. Her flying skills almost matched her mechanical skills, especially considering she had become very good at flying a Z-95 Headhunter in vacuum. Her memory was almost impeccable, having the odd habit to forget minor details. It was reliable enough, though, and her friends at school had often asked her to help them study. There had been another student, too, with memory absolutely perfect. Her name had been Winter. She was still alive, somewhere, and probably with a mutual friend, Princess Leia Organa. If what she had heard was true, they were a part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The three had become friends at a ball at the Royal Palace of Aldera two years before, to which Bail Organa, now also dead, had invited Iaana and her father.

Leia . . . In her dreaming state, Iaana wondered what her old friend was doing. Was she talking with friends? Despite the war, was she having a good time? Was she in an important meeting?

Little did Iaana know, she was anything but.

...

Leia sat on the soft seat, one hand on her chin as she leaned forward on her thigh, idly rereading her notes on her green data pad., the gentle hum of the ship from this area deepening her thoughts. The Rebel Leaders had all agreed on Mon Mothma's suggestion; more alliances must be formed. Not only that, but how long could they continue to keep their base an entirely mobile fleet? Their people needed a planet, even if for a few days here and there, to return to. They also needed reinforcements. Great pilots had been lost in the Death Star attack, and though they could never be replaced, the Rebellion needed more.

It was with the severity of their situation in mind that Leia gladly took the assignment. It was a unanimous vote among her peers; with her diplomatic experience, vigor, and aura, Leia was perfect to serve as an emissary. Words scrolled over her data pad concerning her destination. She had read these same words numerous times over the past eight hours, but what else was she to do to pass the time?

Zygoth:
Terrain: Hills, valleys, and mountains dominate the landscape
Climate: Freezing winters, hot and humid summers, thick mists and thunderstorms
Vegetation: Thick, jungle-like forests
Inhabitants: Humanoid with wings, great pilots...

Suddenly the ship lurched, the tell-tale sign of pulling out of hyperspace. Leia looked up, dropping her hand to her lap, and sat up straight. Glancing at her chronometer she frowned. "We aren't due out of hyperspace for another two standard hours. What's he trying to pull?"

Placing her data pad in a side pocket of her blue and brown dress suit, a cross between a loose garment and flightsuit, Leia rose and exited the lounge area, making her way with determined steps to the cockpit.

Leia found herself staring at the backs of the two pilots as she arrived. Looking ahead, her brown eyes scanned the Millennium Falcon's viewports. There was a planet in the distance, but it definitely didn't match the description of Zygoth, unless the whole planet was in winter. Her brow furrowed as she leaned on the back of a third seat.

"And what, precisely, do you think you are doing? This is not our destination." Leia's voice was stern, more frustrated than anything, as she addressed the back of the pilot's head.

"Calm down, your worship," Han Solo muttered as he frantically checked the navicomputer. He really needed to fix this thing. Slow as a Hutt on a cold day.

The frozen planet hung before him like a giant pearl. Beside him, Chewbacca roared the answer he had been awaiting. "The Hoth system," he said aloud. "But the real question is why we're here."Another growl from Chewbacca raised the hairs on the back of Han's neck. Han jumped from his seat. He had to get back to the hyperdrive motivator and see what he could do. Passing by Leia as he went, he pointed out the viewport. "That, princess, is the problem."

His words hung in the air as Chewbacca padded behind him.

Leia frowned and turned her eyes back to the view port, taking in the sight of the hanging blue-white planet. "I'm not your worship," she grumbled to the empty cockpit as she moved to sit down in Han's now vacant seat. "I don't see how this giant ball of ice is the problem. It's this bucket of bolts I'm traveling on." Her words dripped with frustration as Leia leaned forward in her seat over the control panel. "Where are we anyway?" She read over the readout on the navicomputer, furrowing her brow at the words as they confirmed what Han had said. "The Hoth system? Is there anything even alive out here?" Leia was ready to voice more of her opinions to the empty chair beside her when the Falcon's warning sensors flashed and shrieked wildly. Leia bolted upright, quickly scanning the control panel for the source. A ship had come out of hyperspace less than a meter overhead at the same time as them, automatically flying away. It was already two hundred meters away. Shows what a trash heap this thing is, she mused bitterly. Turning her brown eyes to the viewport again, Leia watched as a pirate gunship came into view. Switching on the Falcon's internal comm system Leia alerted Han and Chewbacca. "Han, we've got company. It's about the size of a small freighter. Looks like a large pirate starfighter."

...

The chopped-off barrel of the weapon pointed at her was the only thing she was aware of until the armored man holding it spoke. "Identify yourself," he ordered.

The girl stared, wide-eyed, at him, feeling very small in the pilot's seat as she did so. He gazed back, that invisible gaze burning into her. Slowly, though not quite reluctantly, the barrel dropped to point at the deck. "That better?" he asked, his voice still as unemotional as ever, though it seemed gentler somehow. She shrank back even more, but nodded hesitantly. "Iaana," she mumbled.

"Morranne of Alderaan," the man said. It wasn't a question, so Iaana didn't bother to acknowledge it. He stepped back, nodding. "You're free to go."

Iaana stared up at him, rather confused. First this guy catches her in a tractor beam, then says she can go? Who was this guy?

It was clear he saw her confusion, for he stepped forward and leaned past the girl, keying something into the navicomputer. She spared a glance at it, and saw that he had plotted a course for Alderaan. "Huh?"

The man shook his head. "You're free to go," he repeated. "Just as soon as I disconnect my ship from yours. Take it easy out there," he added, almost as an afterthought. He stepped back out of the cockpit, footsteps sounded throughout the ship, a minute passed . . . The next thing Iaana knew was that the man's odd ship was shooting away, disappearing into hyperspace.

Faintly, Iaana remembered that the pirates who had kidnaped her might be pursuing her. Her board pinged, signaling that the course was set and ready. Without a second thought, she grabbed the hyperdrive levers and pushed them forward. There was a slight lurch, the stars flared into lines, then became mottled sky. And with an even greater lurch . . .

She woke up. It was a bit disorienting at first, waking up from a dream that was actually a memory. Especially since it didn't finish. She wondered what had awakened her, remembered the pinging sound in her dream, and knew that it had coincidently synchronized itself with the soft chime alerting the nearness of her destination. She rolled out of bed, groaning slightly at the headache that had come upon her. It had been two weeks since she had returned to Alderaan and discovered that it had been destroyed. How?! That thought coursed through her mind every minute, but she knew that she wouldn't get an answer to any of her questions until she met up with the Rebellion. Problem was, she had no idea how to find them. She just hoped that her search would end soon.

Reaching over, she pulled the hyperdrive levers back. The mottled sky turned into star-lines, the star-lines faded into stars . . . And in the distance, she saw her destination planet. And with a cry of alarm that came at the same time as the sensors' alert, she saw the Corellian freighter off her starboard bow. Keying on the shields, she pulled back on the controls, sending her captured pirate gunship up and away from the freighter. Her senses kicked in a moment later, and she throttled back. The name on the display . . .

Now, where had she heard the name Millennium Falcon before, she thought belatedly.

...

"Hold on, R2!" Luke replied, a bit flustered, to the quickly jabbering astromech droid as he climbed the temporary stairs into his X-wing. Sitting down into the semi-comfortable seat, he focused his ice-blue eyes on the display monitor. "Alright, try again." Luke watched as green words appeared on the screen as Artoo rattled off a series of beeps and whistles.

"Yes, Han and Leia left yesterday with Threepio. No, they didn't tell me they were heading out on a mission, either, though they apparently left a message for me with Wedge, asking me to follow. And yes, we are going after them." Luke placed his white helmet on his head, complete with the red Alliance symbol, shoving it down over his sandy-blonde hair. Pushing a few buttons on the console, he fired up the engines, readying his X-wing. "Not that I don't trust Han, it's just . . . I'd feel better about this whole thing if I were with them right now." Luke ignored Artoo's next message, already figuring by his sound that it was a droid version of sarcasm. He already knew from Wedge that they were headed to Zygoth, in an attempt to recruit new pilots, and that he was to let Leia do all the diplomacy and talking. He was just fine with that. He never did have the knack the Princess did with turning groups into allies. Really, he was just going along because he was a symbol, having destroyed the Death Star, and symbols were important to the Alliance. Not that a little extra protection wouldn't be nice, he mused with a smile. The three on the Falcon were very capable of defending themselves, but another blaster - and a lightsaber, no less - couldn't hurt, and sometimes Han's way of doing things was, well, reckless. Chewie was a whole lot smarter, and often talked sense into his friend, but there were times when Han was a little too stubborn.

Oh, well. Han was a smuggler, and had kept himself and his pal alive with his often unorthodox plans. Couldn't hurt to have another person there, though, he thought again, keying the comm. "This is Commander Skywalker, requesting clearance to depart."

The answer came quickly. "You're clear to launch, Commander. May the Force be with you on your mission."

"And with you," Luke answered, smiling. The temporary silver stairs were removed from the side of his X-wing and Luke pulled up his landing gear as he swivelled the nose of his fighter to point toward open space. Skillfully, he eased the X-wing out of the hanger bay and into the blackness the Rebel fleet was conjugated in. The sight impressed him, sometimes, to see all those ships in one place. Having been raised on a farm by his father's step-brother and sister-in-law, he had never gotten out in the galaxy, and thus had not seen fleets in person at all.

"Ready, Artoo?" Luke asked, getting an affirmative bleep-bloop in reply. Punching in the coordinates, Luke placed his hand on the hyperdrive controls. Taking a deep breath he murmured, "Here we go," and pushed the lever forward, feeling the lurch into hyperspace as the stars streaked in silver forms around him.

...

Iaana racked her brain trying to remember who the Falcon was connected with. Some hotshot smuggler - ex-Imperial pilot - and his Wookiee copilot. By no means had she really been in touch with the galaxy's news, but she had heard that the smugglers had a crucial part in destroying Alderaan's destructors. Iaana remembered Princess Leia Organa from Alderaan. She had gone to school with the princess and her friend, Winter. They hadn't gotten to know each other very well until two years ago, but they did know who the other was, and were always happy to see each other. The Falcon was also connected with the Princess, nowadays, but the question was if she was there now. The reason Iaana had come to Hoth was because she had heard the Rebels had a thing for remote places to set up their bases, and figured that this was as good a try as any. She hadn't figured that she would actually succeed this time around.

Han Solo, Chewbacca, Winter, and Princess Leia Organa . . . Iaana scrambled to find the comm. She hoped she could find it and contact the freighter before she was fatally mistaken for a pirate . . .

...

"Chewie, get to the guns, quick," Leia continued over the comm, "I think we might be in trouble. Han!! What are you doing? Hurry, I can't fly this thing!" Behind her, Leia heard a long growl from Chewbacca, followed by the shuffling of metallic feet. Not now.

"If I might suggest," came the accented voice of C-3PO from behind, "perhaps you might contact the vessel first."

"Right," Leia responded sarcastically, "let's negotiate with the pirates."

"Princess Leia, if you will recall, the pirate could have already opened fire on the Millennium Falcon. Since he has not, it would suggest other intent."

Leia thought about this for a moment. The logic of the droid seemed good enough. Maybe they could sacrifice a couple of seconds to open a channel. "Chewie, are you ready?" An affirmative sounded through the cockpit. "Hold fire unless they shoot first."

Leia quickly switched the comm over to a frequency the pirate vessel would receive. What was she to say? Don't fire at us please; I don't know how to put the shields up and my pilot is slower than an overweight Hutt? I hardly think so. She thought fast and came up with something.
"Pirate Vessel. Make one offensive move, and we'll blow your ship out of the galaxy. We don't want to exchange fire anymore than you do, so if you will go about your business and leave us to ours we'll both live to see another day." Leia cringed. She thought she sounded like an idiot! This was not a typical negotiation of the Alderaan Princess and she highly doubted her idle threats would sway the pirate. Maybe she had bought Han and Chewbacca some time. She could only hope.

...

Iaana heard the message, and felt relief rush through her at the sound of the Princess's voice. Oh, you got that right . . . "Where's the blasted comm system?" Iaana growled in frustration. She sighed in relief. There it was. Now, where was that transmit button?

She found it, then punched it down with her index and middle fingers. "Millennium Falcon, this is Iaana Morranne of Alderaan. Please do not - repeat, do not - open fire. I don't know how to operate this craft very well, and I am not a pirate. How I came to be in possession of this ship is a long story, one I hope I will be able to tell you later. And, if I may say, you don't know how relieved I am to find you, after searching for representatives of the Rebel Alliance since my homeworld was destroyed by the Empire. And it's good to hear your voice again, Princess, and to know you're alive." She released the button, quivering with relief. Moments before the message had come through, the sensors had picked up on the freighter's weapons powering up. Shards of Alderaan . . . Good thing the Princess had decided to ask first, shoot later.

Though, hopefully, they wouldn't be shooting . . .

...

Han stepped back into the cockpit of the Falcon to hear the last words of Leia's conversation.

He wasn't sure he bought this Iaana's story, but not just anyone wandered around with a craft that size equipped with a gravity-well projector. Anything that could tear a ship from it's hyperspace route was trouble, plain and simple.

"So, worship, mind telling me what this girl is doing in the middle of nowhere with a gravity-well projector? An operational one at that." Poking his head out of the cockpit, he yelled to his companion. "Chewie, keep the guns locked on to her, you hear me?"

...

Iaana could hardly stand the minute she waited for a reply. In that time, she was keenly aware of the Falcon's weapons still trained on her. Her ship moved forward from momentum, but she had cut her thrusters as soon as she had realized what ship it was that she had come out of hyperspace on top of. Though, as she thought about it, she remembered that the Corellian freighter had been slowing down at the same time. How was it that they had come out of hyperspace at the same moment?

Oh, snap. A bright red alarm light began flashing, accompanied by an obnoxious blaring klaxon. "I fixed that thing yesterday!" she shouted at the ship. Iaana groaned. "Oh. It's a different one." She looked up. "Yeah, like that makes all the difference. Go ahead and blare, you stupid alarm! Meanwhile, I'm sitting here, hoping I'm not going to get blasted up, and my port engine decides to fail. And it's not even activated! How stupid is this?!" Her hands flew over the controls as she spoke, trying to check out all of what was wrong.

The ship shook as the port engine blew apart in a small explosion. "No, no, NO!" Iaana jumped up. "Stupid ship!" she shouted again. "I thought the Blackstars took better care of you!" She grabbed the portable comlink and shoved it into a pocket, then rushed back to the engine room. When she reached it, she nearly choked on the smoke. Grabbing a breath mask, she put it on, then started forward. The door behind her remained open, and that was what saved her when another explosion occurred. The blast propelled her through the opening, which closed, cutting off the fireball. Iaana blacked out, barely managing to dig her comlink out and whisper into it one word before the darkness consumed her.

"Help."