Part Two

Adrian is wondering what his mysterious alien friend Larry is up to. And if this has any connection with the strengthening of the Imperial base on his planet. He is about to find out...

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'… the precise location of the Imperial Spacebattle cruisers on this planet,' Larry continued. I'm going to have to be quick, however, they could move. They seem to be re-grouping here after Endor. And they are such a tempting target.

Larry and Adrian came to a bike. It had a large lorry-shaped container tied to it. The bike was large enough for two people to ride in comfort. Although Larry said 'Bike,' it didn't actually have wheels, more of a kind of ramp underneath which it rested on. It was a little like a sandspeeder except it could go into space and was about 10 times as fast! Adrian looked curiously at what was in the container. Something hummed with shear power. 'I'd be careful doing that kid. You could get a nasty shock!' Larry advised.

'Do you know there is what looks like explosives in there?'

'That's right lad! I'm going to need some ammo for my plan. Come on!'

Adrian wondered what plans Larry had for the explosions when the bike lifted him up into the planet's clouds. They traveled at breakneck speed. In fact, Adrian was sure it was breaking the maximum speed for such a device. He looked nervously at the explosive laden container behind him.

'Imperial base fifty km East South East. Shouldn't take too long before the end.' Larry had that look again, the look of fatal resignation.

Something was bothering Adrian. 'Larry, how do you intend detonating the explosion, remote control?'

Larry sighed. 'No. I am afraid I cannot really cause the devastation that I intend that way. This is a lot of explosives, but I have a little... trick shall we say, whereby I can increase its destructive capabilities tenfold. Which I will need. But I will have to be there when the explosions take place.'

'But then how will you...?'

'Get out of the way? I won't! I will die at the same time as the Imperial fleet. This will be my last act against the Empire, or the remains of it. But what a way to go, destroying that agent of mass death which only recently was responsible for horrific crimes on Bothan.'

'So you're basically a living bomb.' Adrian shivered. 'That sounds very... final. And knowing the rebellion I don't think they would approve of such a tactic.'

'No, they probably wouldn't. But should I remind you again that I am not totally with the rebellion. I want to hurt the Empire in whatever way I can and with the last use of my force abilities. You might have heard of that? Yes? Though you might consider such things crazy legends.'

'I thought the Jedi were all wiped out. Or perhaps they never existed.'

'They were a legend I suppose, but certainly did exist. I was once in their Academy, but my ability to use the Force was, fortunately and as Master Yoda was keen on telling me, weak!' The bike traveled above some clouds close to the planet's stratosphere. Down below, the city was merely a blur amongst countryside.

'That's unfortunate don't you mean?' said Adrian, puzzled.

'Ha! I mean what I say!' Larry used his furry fingers to adjust the direction of the bike. 'I do remember trying so hard to qualify as a Jedi and pass all their tests but I hadn't enough power they said. Strange that, the Jedi telling me I hadn't enough power. Some say that's a trait of the dark side. I cried and cried in despair when I was rejected.' Larry then chuckled, 'But I was indeed fortunate! I was sent to the Agricultural corps. And then rejected from even them and expelled utterly. But I was relieved when Darth Vader wiped out all the Jedi and I managed to escape notice. For a while.'

There was a sudden noise up ahead. Adrian looked and there was an Imperial ship above, its deadly, angular, metallic shape looking down upon them. Although not actually one of the larger ones, it still blotted out the sun. Slam, suddenly a gravity field slapped on the bike nearly causing Adrian to fall off and then someone started shooting at them from one of the ship's heavy guns. Larry's attention was fully occupied with controlling the bike so Adrian decided to take up some initiative. He took up a gun that was near to him and fired at the ship, taking out the gravitational beam controller on its. The device was destroyed, Larry flew out at top speed and the bike escaped the ship's attention.

'Good thinking, there, kid! Looks like I needed a companion after all. Mind, we Jedi's or even nearly Jedi's often do. We can screw up, the same as anyone else, well, we only need to look at the entire clone-war episode and the rise of Palpatine to see that! Leia said I might need someone. Well, now I think I can keep out of that ship's way and with luck reach my target,' He slapped Adrian's back, and adjusted the speed of the bike with his fingers, of which he had twelve. Two more than humans. Useful for some things!

In the distance lay the Imperial fleet. They looked an attractive sight with the sun gleaming off their huge metal hulls and with the Baldaarean countryside beneath them. Adrian had a panoramic view of the river Colne and its tributaries, but the reality was that Larry was hastening to his death. Adrian tried to talk him out of it.

'Are you totally sure you want to do this? You will kill yourself you know!'

Larry gave a scornful laugh. 'What is with you humans? You're the strangest species in the Galaxy I will swear! You cry over the death of one person but think nothing about ordering the destruction of cities, nations, planets, even! The truth is... I don't actually have much to live for. That's what happens when someone destroys your home, kills your family, friends, half your species. Not even for much, and even if the attacking fleet was destroyed and even if it was only a minor strategic action from the Empire, it still creates a hatred, a loathing in all of my veins. And I can't pass up this chance to cause pain.'

'Well, as long as you don't feel bitter!' Adrian thought.

'Anyway, you'd better get off here,' Larry continued. 'You'll probably have to keep your head down for a few days, though we are a little away from Imperials, so you're not readily connected with me. Larry gave Adrian a little supply of food then bade him farewell and soared away into the sky on the bike.

Well, Adrian was put down in a rather deserted area. Though there were towns in a reasonable traveling distance. Not that he had the change to afford a coach or anything. For a time, all was quiet and peaceful. Adrian was wondering if Larry was going to be true to his word or if the Drax had bottled out. Then he heard a bang. Several bangs. The ground shook. Away in the distance where Larry had gone there were some flames and bright explosions that lasted for awhile. Obviously Larry had made some impact.

For a day Adrian followed Larry's advice and kept his head down. For a quiet area of the planet there did seem more activity than usual. The odd Spacecraft roared past overhead and vehicles occasionally sped on the road and, intermittently, the odd explosion flared up from the nearby port city of Bostooon.

After a day, Adrian decided to risk it and to enter the nearest town, where he found that matters had changed considerably. The entire Imperial fleet had been destroyed or put out of action and at the moment the Empire didn't really have the means to repair them. Thousands of men had died (women were not allowed to serve in the Imperial fleet) or been forced to abandon ship or surrender. Nearly five thousand Imperial vessels had been destroyed in one explosion. True, they probably shouldn't, tactically speaking, have been bottled up the way they were, but then again the Imperial command at that time had stupidity as its watchword.

Nothing was heard of Larry again. But one camera did show the impact of his spacebike's explosion. Well, no-one could have survived that and indeed Larry hadn't.

The next few months were turbulent. With the destruction of the Imperial fleet, there was uprising in eventhe fringes of the Imperial areas of space and its doom was sealed. Adrian played a minor role in its destruction and was sometimes in danger again, but he survived, though he didn't realize the significance of what Larry had done for a while. For the death of one being, irrecoverable damage had been done to the Empire, resulting in its ultimate destruction in only slightly over a year.

But at night sometimes,, when Adrian was alone, he would remember the look on Larry's face. Although alien, the features of despair and the finality of Larry's fate were universal. It was, he sometimes thought, the look of death.

The End