2 Years BBE (Before Battle of Endor)
June 28, 2008, 10:56pm
(A lot is from the Star Wars Book, no copyright intended, but it happened anyway)
Outside the galactic cruiser's control center, the corridor was crowded with sullen prisoners gathered by the Imperial troops. Some lay wounded, some dying, some already dead.
Several officers had been separated from the enlisted ranks & stood in a small group by themselves, bestowing belligerent looks & threats on the silent knot of the Troops holding them at bay.
As if on command, everyone-Imperial Troops as well as Rebels-became silent as a massive black-caped form came into view from behind in a turn in the passage.
Two of the heretofore resolute, obstinate Rebel officers began to shake.
Stopping before one of the men, the towering figure reached out wordlessly. A massive hand closed around the man's neck & lifted him off the deck. The Rebel officer's eyes bulged, but he kept his silence.
An Imperial officer, his armored helmet shoved back to reveal a recent scar where an energy beam had penetrated his shielding, scrambling down out of the fighter's control room, shaking his head briskly. "Nothing, sir. Information retrieval system's been wiped clean."
Darth Vader acknowledged this news with a barely perceptible nod. The impenetrable mask turned to regard the officer he was tortuing.
Metal-clad fingers contracted. Reaching up, the prisoner desperately tried to pry them loose, but to no avail.
"Where is the data you intercepted?" Vader rumbled dangerously. "What have you done with the information tapes?"
"We-intercepted-no information," the dangling officer gurgled, barely able to breathe. From somewhere deep within, he dredged up a squeal of outrage. "This is a...councilor vessel...Did you not see our...exterior markings? We're on a...diplomatic...mission."
"Chaos take your mission!" Vader growled. "Where are those tapes?!" He squeezed harder, the threat in his grip implicit.
When he finally replied, the officer's viice was a bare, choked whisper. "Only...the Commander knows."
"This ship carries the system crest of Alderáan," Vader growled, the breath-mask leaning close. "Is any of the royal family on board? Who are you carrying?"
Thick fingers tightened furthur, & the officer's struggles became more & more frantic. His lasy wprds were muffled and choked past intelligiblity. "..."
Vader was not pleased.
Even though the figure went limp with an awful, unquestionable finality, the hand continued to tighten, producing a chilling snapping sound & the popping of bone, like a dog padding on plastic.
Then with a disgusting wheeze, Vader finally threw the doll-like form of the dead man against a far wall.
Several Imperial Troops ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the grisly missle.
The massive form whirled unexpectedly, & the Imperial officers shrank under the baleful sculptured stare.
"Start tearing this ship apart piece by piece, component by component, until you find those tapes. As for the passengers, if any, I want them alive." He paused for a moment, then added, "Quickly!"
Officers & men nearly fell over themselves in their haste to leave-not necessarily to carry out Vader's orders, but to simply retreat from his dark presence.
***oo0oo***
Artoo-Detoo finally came to a halt Iin an empty corridor devoid of smoke & signs of battle.
A worried & confused C-Threepio pulled up behind him. "You led us through half the ship, & to what..." He broke off, staring in disbelief as the little robot reached up with one clawed limb & snapped the seal on the lifeboat launch.
Immediately, a red light came on & a low hooting sounded in the corridor. Threepio looked wildly in all directions, but the passageway remained empty. When he looked back, R2-D2 was already working his way into the cramped boat-pod.
It was large enough to hold several Humans, & its design was not laid out to accomodate mechanicals. R2 haf some trouble negotiating the awkard little compartment.
"Hey," a startled Threepio called, admonishing, "you're not permitted in there! It's restricted to Humans only. We just might be able to convince the Imperials that we're not Rebel programmed & are too valuable to break up, but if someone sees you in there, we haven't a chance. Come on out."
Somehow, R2 had succeeded in wedging his body into position in front of the miniature control board.
He cocked his body slightly & threw a stream of loud beeps & whistles at his reluctant compainion.
Threepio listened. He didn't frown, but he managed to give a good impression of it. "Mission...what mission? What are you talking about? You sound like you haven't got an integrated logic terminal left in your brain. No...no more adventures. I think I'll take my chances with the Imperials-& I am not getting in that...infernal contraption," he said.
An angryl electric twang came from the R2 unit. "Don't call me a mindless philosopher," Threepio snapped back, "yiu overweight, unstreamlined glob of grease!"
Threepio was concocting an additional rejoinder when an explosion blew out the back wall of the corridor.
Dust & metal debris whooshed through the narrow subpassageway, followed instantly by a series of secondary explosions. Flames began jumping hungerly from the exposed interior wall, reflecting off Threepio's isolated patches of polished skin.
Muttering the electric equivalent of considering his soul to the unknown, the lanky robot jumped into the life-pod. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered more audibly as R2 activated the safety door behind him.
the smaller robot flipped a series of switches, snapped back a cover, & pressed three buttons in a certain sequence. With the thunder of explosive latches, the life-pod ejected from the crippled ship.
***oo0oo***
When word came over the communicators that the last pocket of resistance on the Rebel ship had been cleaned out, the Captain of the Imperial cruiser relaxed considerably.
He was listening with pleasure to the proceedings on the captured vessel, when one of his chief gunnery officers called to him.
Moving to the man's postition, the Captain stared into the cicular viewscreen & saw a tiny dot flying away from the fiery world below.
"There goes another pod, sir. Instructions?" The officer's hand hovered over a computerized energy battery. Casually, confident in the firepower & total control under his command, the Captain studied the nearby read-outs monitoring the pod.
All of them read black.
"Hold your fire, Lieutenant Hija. Instruments show no life forms aboard. The pod's release mechanism must have short-circuited ot received a false instruction. Don't waste your power," he ordered.
He turned away to listen with satisfaction to the reports of the captured men & material coming from the Rebel ship.
***oo0oo***
Glare from the exploding panels & erupting circuitry reflected crazily off the armor of the lead Storm-Trooper as he surveyed the passageway ahead. He was about to turn & call for those behind him to folllow him forward, when he noticed something moving off to one side. It appeared to be crouching back in a small, dark alcove.
Holding his pistol ready, he moved cautiously forward & peered into the recess.
A small, shivering figure clad in flowing white hugged the back of the recess & stared up at the man. Now, he could see that he faced a young woman, about 18 years of age, & hrt physical description fit that one individual the Dark Lord was most interested in.
The Trooper grinned behind his helmet. A lucky encounter for him. He would be commended.
Within the armor, his head turned slightly, directing his voice to the tiny micophone. "Here she is," he called to those behind him. "Set for stun forc-"
He never finished the sentence, just as he would never receive the hoped-for commendation. Once his attention turned from the girl to his communicator, her shivering vanished with startling speed.
The energy pistol she had held out of sight behind her came up & around as she burst from her hiding spot
The Trooper who had been unlucky enough to find her fell first, his head a mess of melted bone & metal. The same fate met the second armored men from coming up fast behind him.
Then a bright green energy pole touched the woman's side & she slumped instantly to the deck, the pistol still locked in her small hand.
Metal-encased shapes clustered around her. One whose arm bore the insignia of a lower officer knelt & turned her over. He studied the paralyzer form with a practiced eye. "She'll be alright," he finally declared, looking up at his subordinates. "Report to Lord Vader."
***oo0oo***
Threepio stared, mesmerizd, out the small viewport set in the front of the tiny escape pod as the hot yellow eye of Tatooine began to swallow them up. Somewhere behind them, he knew, the crippled ship & the Imperial cuiser were receding to imperceptibility.
That was fine with him. If they labded near a civilized city, he would seek elegant employment in a halcyon atmosphere, something more befitting his status & training. These past months had gifted him with entirely too much excitment & unpredictability for a mere machine.
R2's seemingly random manipulation of the pod's controls promised anything but a smooth landing, however. Threepio regarded his squat companion with concern. "Are you sure you know hoe to pilot this thing?"
R2 replied with a noncommittal whistle that did nothing to alter the taller robot's jangled state of mind.
***oo0oo***
In the Outer Rim on the Millennium Falcon, June 29th, 05:48am
A 46 year old blonde woman woke from her Seeing state with a gasp. The Princess! she thought as she got up from her bed, wondering what would happen now that the girl was taken prisoner by beher own father.
Then, as she was putting on her sand-colored tunic over her matching pants, she stopped. Threepio & R2 are on Tatooine. But why?...Wait a minute...R2 still remembers! Which means he's going to try & find Obi-Wan, & he's on Tatooine.
She walked over to the doorway leading to the cockpit & sat in the co-pilot seat next to Captain Han Solo. Knowing their, & my, luck, the robots will end up near the Lars' homestead. Near Lucy.
Kimberly turned to Han & asked, "Captain, can you drop me off at Tatooine? I have...personal business there."
Han looked at the older woman, & instead of asking what she needed to do, knowing from experience that she hated being asked questions, he just nodded. "We have to go there anyway. Might as well."
Kimberly nodded her thanks & turned back to the view.