Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas or J.K. Rowling.
Enter Luke and Chewbacca, on the Trader's Luck.
Enter Jaina and Mara (Jade) Solo.
Jaina. Luke. Chewbacca. What happened? Have you seen the others?
Luke. Is no one else back?
Chewbacca. They were on us right from the start, Jaina. We didn't stand a chance.
Jaina. Well, thank the Force you two are all right.
Chewbacca. Haven't got any Kashyyyk ale, have you, Jaina, for medicinal purposes?
Exit Jaina.
Mara. Han and Tahl should have already been back. Dad and Phanan, as well. Face and Qui-Gon should be next, if they made it.
Enter Qui-Gon, supporting an unconscious Face, covered in blood.
Qui-Gon. Here.
Mara. Sithspawn. Face!
Qui-Gon. Onto the ship. Quickly.
Luke and Qui-Gon help carry Face onto the Trader's Luck, followed by Mara and Chewbacca. As they lay Face onto the couch, it is revealed that Face's ear has been blasted off.
Enter Jaina, who tends to her son.
Jaina. Oh, my boy.
Qui-Gon turns and seizes hold of Luke, pinning him against the wall.
Chewbacca. [indignant] O! Let go of him! Let go of Luke!
Qui-Gon. What creature sat in the corner the first time that Luke Skywalker visited my quarters at the Jedi Temple? What creature?
Luke. A dinko.
Qui-Gon releases Luke.
Qui-Gon. We've been betrayed. Sidious knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure you weren't an imposter.
Chewbacca. So, why aren't you checking me?
Qui-Gon. You're a Wookiee. Ooglith masquers aren't designed for anthropoid use.
Luke. No Jedi would have told Sidious we were moving tonight. Sidious only caught up with me toward the end. He didn't know which one I was in the beginning. If he'd been in on the plan, he'd have known from the start I was the one with Chewie.
Qui-Gon. Sidious caught up with you? What happened? How did you escape?
Luke. Well, the Sith somehow recognized me as the true Skywalker. One of them shouted, "It's the real one." Then they retreated. They must have summoned Sidious, because he caught up with us just as we reached Dathomir.
Qui-Gon. They recognized you? But how? What had you done?
Luke. I . . . I saw Nick Rostu. And I tried to disarm him instead of . . . well, he doesn't know what he's doing, does he? He must be brainwashed.
Qui-Gon. Luke. The time for Force Disarm is past. These beings are trying to capture and kill you. At least stun if you aren't prepared to kill.
Luke. We were hundreds of feet up. Nick's not himself. And if I stunned him and he'd fallen, he would have died the same as if I'd use Force Kill. Force Disarm saved me from Sidious two years ago.
Qui-Gon. Yes, Luke. And a great number of Sith witnessed that happening. Forgive me, but it was a very unusual move then, under imminent threat of death. Repeating it tonight in front of Sith Lords who either witnessed or heard about the first occasion was close to suicidal.
Luke. So, you think I should have killed Nick Rostu?
Qui-Gon. Of course not. But the Sith, frankly most beings, would have expected you to attack back. Force Disarm is a useful power, Luke. But the Sith seem to think it's your signature move. And I urge you not to let it become so.
Luke. I won't blast beings out of my way just because they're there. That's Sidious's job. Will Face be okay?
Qui-Gon. I think so. Although, there's no chance of replacing his ear, not when it's been cursed off.
Enter Leia and Solusar.
Qui-Gon confronts Solusar and removes his lightsaber, but Solusar meets him with his own lightsaber raised.
Solusar. The last words Master Yoda spoke to the pair of us?
Qui-Gon. "Luke is the best hope we have. Trust him."
Solusar turns his lightsaber on Luke.
It's him. I've checked.
Solusar. All right, all right. But somebody betrayed us. They knew. They knew it was tonight.
Qui-Gon. So it seems. But apparently, they did not realize that there would be seven Lukes.
Solusar. Small comfort. Who else is back?
Qui-Gon. Only Luke, Chewie, Face, and me.
Leia gasps.
What happened to you?
Solusar. Followed by five, injured two, might have killed one. And we saw the Emperor as well. He joined the chase halfway through but vanished pretty quickly. Qui-Gon, he can . . .
Luke. Fly. I saw him, too. He came after Chewie and me.
Solusar. So, that's why he left, to follow you. I couldn't understand why he'd vanished. But what made him change targets?
Qui-Gon. Luke behaved a little too kindly to Nick Rostu.
Leia. Nick? But I thought he was on Kessel.
Solusar. [laughs] Leia. There's obviously been a mass breakout which the Republic has hushed up. Jerec's hood fell off when I blasted him. He's supposed to there, too. But what happened to you, Qui-Gon? Where's Face?
Qui-Gon. He lost an ear.
Leia. Lost an . . . ?
Qui-Gon. Vader's work.
Luke. Vader? You didn't say . . .
Qui-Gon. He lost his hood during the chase. Darkshear was always a specialty of Vader's. I wish I could say I'd paid him back in kind. But it was all I could do to keep Face in the R-22 Spearhead after he was injured. He was losing so much blood.
Luke, Leia, Qui-Gon, and Solusar return to the Trader's Luck, where Jaina is cleaning Face's wounds.
Luke. How is he?
Jaina. I can't make it grow back, not when it's been removed by the dark side. But it could have been so much worse. He's alive.
Luke. Yeah. Thank the Force.
Mara. Did I hear someone else in the yard?
Luke. Leia and Kam.
Mara. Thank the stars.
Enter Phanan and Jonash.
Solusar confronts Jonash.
Jonash. I'll prove who I am, Kam, after I've seen my son. Now, back off if you know what's good for you.
Jaina. Jonash. Oh, thank the stars.
Jonash. How is he?
Jonash kneels down in front of Face. Phanan stands back, stunned.
Face stirs.
Phanan. How are you feeling, Face?
Face. Saintlike.
Phanan. [concerned] Come again?
Face. Saintlike. I'm holey, Phanan. Get it?
Phanan. With the whole wide galaxy of ear-related humor, you go for I'm holey. That's pathetic.
Face. [grins] Ah, well. You'll be able to tell us apart now, anyway, Mom. [looks around] Hey, Luke. You are Luke, right?
Luke. Yeah, I am.
Face. Well, at least we got you back okay. Why aren't Han and Ganner huddled around my sickbed.
Jaina. They're not back yet, Face.
Face's grin fades.
Luke and Mara walk back outside.
Mara. Han and Tahl should be back by now. They didn't have a long journey. Aunt Tiion's not that far from here.
Luke and Mara are joined by Solusar, Chewbacca, Leia, and Qui-Gon. The six of them pace apprehensively.
Enter Han and Tahl.
Leia. It's them.
Tahl. Qui-Gon.
Qui-Gon and Tahl embrace.
Han runs toward Luke and Leia.
Han. You're okay.
Han and Leia embrace.
Leia. I thought . . . I thought . . .
Han. I'm all right. I'm fine.
Tahl. [grins] Deserves that. Brilliant, he was. I wouldn't be standing here without him.
Leia. Really?
Han. Always the tone of surprise. Are we the last back?
Mara. No. We're still waiting for Ganner and Alema and Garm and Ferrier. I'm going to tell Mom and Dad you're okay, Han.
Exit Mara.
Qui-Gon. So, what happened? What kept you?
Tahl. Iceheart. She wants me as much as she wants Luke, Qui-Gon. She tried very hard to kill me. I just wished I'd gotten her. I owe Iceheart. But we definitely injured Armand. . . . Then we got to Han's aunt Tiion, and we'd missed the repulsor and she was fussing over us.
Qui-Gon nods.
So, what happened to you guys.
All recount their stories.
Solusar. I'm going to have to get back to Coruscant. I should have been there an hour ago. Let me know when they're back.
Exit Solusar.
Jonash and Jaina exit the ship and hug Han, then turn to Qui-Gon and Tahl.
Jaina. Thank you for our sons.
Tahl. Don't be silly, Jaina.
Qui-Gon. How's Face?
Han. What's wrong with him?
Jaina. He's lost . . .
Enter Ganner and Alema.
Ganner. Thank the Force. Thank the Force.
Ganner. Garm's dead. Ferrier took one look at Sidious and Force Traveled. Sidious's blast hit Garm full in the face. He fell backward out of his Headhunter, and . . . There was nothing we could do, nothing. We had half a dozen of them on our own tail . . .
Qui-Gon. Of course you couldn't have done anything.
All board the Trader's Luck to find Phanan and Face, laughing.
Phanan. What's wrong? What's happened? Who's . . . ?
Jonash. Garm. Dead.
Qui-Gon collapses into a chair. Tahl and Chewbacca sob.
Ganner pulls out a bottle of Corellian wine, which the thirteen of them share.
Ganner lifts up his glass.
Ganner. Garm.
All. Garm.
All drink.
Chewbacca. Garm.
Chewbacca drinks.
Qui-Gon. So Ferrier disappeared?
Ganner. I know what you're thinking. And I wondered that, too, on the way back here, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn't they? But Ferrier can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Lukes. That confused them the moment we appeared. And in case you've forgotten, it was Ferrier who suggested that little bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essential point? I think Niles panicked. It's as simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place. But Garm made him. And Sidious went straight for him. It was enough to make anyone panic.
Tahl. You-Know-Who acted exactly as Garm expected him to. Garm said he'd expect the real Luke to be with the toughest, most skilled stormtroopers. He chased Garm first. And when Ferrier gave them away, he switched to Kam. . . .
Alema. Yes, and that is all very good. But it still does not explain how they knew we were moving Luke tonight, does it? Somebody must have been careless. Somebody let the date slip to an outsider. It is the only explanation for their knowing the date but not the whole plan.
Alema glares at the other Jedi.
Luke. No. I mean, if somebody made a mistake and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you. I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Sidious.
Phanan. Well said, Luke.
Face. Yeah, 'ear, 'ear.
Qui-Gon studies Luke.
Luke. You think I'm a fool?
Qui-Gon. No, I think you're like Anakin, who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends. [to Ganner] There's work to do. I can ask Kam whether . . .
Ganner. No, I'll do it. I'll come.
Tahl/Alema. Where are you going?
Qui-Gon. Garm's body. We need to recover it.
Jaina. Can't it . . . ?
Ganner. Wait? Not unless you'd rather the Sith took it.
Qui-Gon/Ganner. Goodbye.
Exit Qui-Gon and Ganner.
Luke. I've got to go, too.
Jaina. Don't be silly, Luke. What are you talking about?
Luke. No one else is going to die. Not for me.
Han. For you? You think Garm died for you? You think Face took that curse for you? You may be the Chosen One, kid. But it's a whole lot bigger than that. Besides, you've still got the Sense on you. Tonight's not the night, kid. You'll only be doing him a favor.
Chewbacca. Wait until it gets out you did it again, Luke. Escaped him, fought him off when he was right on top of you.
Luke. It wasn't me. It was my lightsaber. My lightsaber acted of its own accord.
Leia. But that's impossible, Luke. You mean that you used the Force without meaning to. You reacted instinctively.
Luke. No. The ship was falling. I couldn't have told you where Sidious was. But my lightsaber spun out of my hand and found him and shot a blast from the Force at him. And it wasn't a power I recognized. I've never made gold flames appear before.
Jonash. Often, when you're in a pressured situation, you can connect to the Force and produce powers you never dreamed of. Younglings often find, before their trained . . .
Luke. This was different.
Exit Luke.
