Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, George Lucas, Alan Dean Foster, Timothy Zahn, Bill Slavicsek, or Eric S. Trautmann
Massassi Temple - Yavin IV - 0 ABY
With the destruction of the Death Star, James led Gold and Blue Squadrons back to Yavin Base. He was pleased to note as he headed for the jungle moon that the Millennium Falcon was among the pilots escaping from the explosion - Han and Chewbacca had returned! James was right about them, after all. He was displeased to realize that while most of Black Squadron had been annihilated, Darth Vader was still alive.
Unfortunately, by the end of the battle, the Alliance forces had been greatly reduced. Red Squadron had gone from twelve to a mere five pilots (Harry, Obi-Wan, Luke, Wedge, and Kam Solusar). James's own Gold Squadron had gone down to four pilots - James, Anakin, Albus, and Marion. And all that remained of Blue Squadron were three pilots: Nick Rostu, Quinlan Vos, and Ginevra Weasley. The original thirty-six pilots went all the way down to only fourteen pilots, including Han and Chewbacca.
James, Luke, and Nick led their respective squadrons back to Yavin IV, followed by the Falcon. When the starfighters had all landed in the moon's hangar inside the Massassi Temple. Every Rebel currently in the base, organic or droid, was gathered in the hangar, clearly ecstatic. As James, Harry, and Albus leaped out of their fighters, Lily and Sirius ran over to them and hugged them. Then the Intelligence agent turned over to Marion and he kissed her. James pulled Lily over to him and they kissed as well.
"I can't believe we did it!" Lily yelled, grinning from ear to ear.
"Without your leading the TIEs away, Prongs," Wedge grinned, "we never could have managed it."
James looked around, seeing pilots celebrating. But it was also filled with a grim sadness, due to the demise of several great pilots - Jinn Kenobi, Biggs Darklighter, Jek Porkins . . .
The mood was lightened as the ramp of the YT-1300 light freighter opened, and Han and Chewbacca stepped out. James ran over to his old friends, Luke, Leia, and Lily at his side.
"Great going, kid!" James grinned, looking at his old friend.
"I knew you'd come back," Luke added. "I just knew it! I would've been nothing but dust if you hadn't sailed in like that, Han!"
James had heard what had happened. While he and Nick were leading the TIEs away from the four fighters, Vader led a few fighters after Harry, Luke, Wedge, and Biggs. By the end, Harry was engaged in a battle with Vader's wingman, both trying to avoid each other's fire. Biggs had been shot down by Vader's TIE, and Wedge had been forced to retreat. Then Han rode in and killed Vader's wingman, saving Harry. He then fired on Vader, causing the Dark Lord to ricochet out into space. Then Luke, hearing the voice of Siri Tachi, fired on the Death Star and destroyed it.
"That was brilliant, Han," James told him. "Against a Dark Lord of the Sith, no doubt!"
Han smiled with his usual arrogance. "Well, I couldn't very well let a flying farm boy go up against that station all by himself. Besides, I was beginning to realize what could happen, and I felt terrible about it, Luke - leave you to maybe take all the credit and get all the reward."
James and Lily chuckled with their younger friends, and Leia ran over and hugged Han, shouting, "I knew there was more to you than money!"
And as they laughed, the Rebels stared with stunned silence as R2-D2 was pulled from his socket in Luke's X-wing. The blue-and-white astrodroid had for years served alongside Anakin, but for this battle he worked with a new R5 unit, R5-N8 (Nate). Of the surviving Red astrodroids (Obi-Wan's R4-G9, Wedge's R3-G2, Harry's R2-T7/Sev, and Kam's R1-S9/Sign) were relatively unscathed, but the Skywalkers' astromech had been damaged.
Anakin and Amidala, who had worked with R2-D2 for over thirty years, paled considerably upon seeing the droid. But their reaction was nothing compared to C-3PO's.
"Oh, my! Artoo? Can you hear me? Say something!" Glancing at the engineers, he said, "You can repair him, can't you?"
"We'll do our best," Walex Blissex responded. "He's taken a terrible beating."
"You must repair him!" C-3PO turned towards his creator. "Master Anakin! If any of my circuits or modules will help, I'll gladly donate them!"
Anakin grinned. "Don't worry, Threepio. He'll be all right."
"Oh, and . . . General Skywalker," Blissex added, "your droid pilot . . . "
"I-Five was sentient," Anakin said. "Don't talk about him as if he were another droid."
Blissex nodded. "Well, we're afraid that his parts will not be recovered. In the destruction of the battle station, it would be near impossible. I-5YQ is pretty well dead."
Anakin exchanged sad looks with James, Albus, and Marion; they had hoped that, being a droid, they could have saved I-5's life. But they were wrong, and deep down, James thought that it was for the best. I-5 had already lost Lorn Pavan, and had to live for a further thirty-two years after, the pain still fresh; he would not want to live after his friend's son, Jax, was killed.
At the end of the day, James, Han, Chewbacca, Luke, and Nick were called for a ceremony at the Massassi Temple. The five pilots were rewarded for their victory at the Battle of Yavin - James and Nick for their leading the TIEs away from the pilots, Han and Chewbacca for their rescue of Luke and Harry, and Luke for the destruction of the Death Star. By the end of the ceremony, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Amidala, James, Lily, Nick, Harry, and Wedge were among those recognized for their victories. In later texts, the fourteen Rebels would be named the "Heroes of Yavin."
Following the ceremony, several beings were discovered aboard an Imperial shuttle that had escaped from the Death Star just before its destruction: former Imperial surgeon Dr. Kornell "Uli" Divini, former Imperial TIE pilot Villian Dance, former Imperial slave Teela Kaarz, former Imperial prisoner Celot Ratua Dil, and onetime Imperial cantina owner Memah Roothes, Ratua's significant other. Kaarz had unwillingly helped design the Death Star, and Ratua was a prisoner on Despayre who managed to sneak aboard the Death Star before the prison planet's destruction. The others had been loyal Imperials. Every single one had grown to resent the Emperor's draconian procedures. They had been joined with Imperial bouncer Rodo and Imperial Marine soldier Nova Stihl, who had led the stormtroopers against Han and Luke during the rescue of Leia, but Rodo and Stihl - as well as Imperial librarian Atour Riten - had been forced to sacrifice themselves in order to give their fellow defectors a chance to escape. Now that Divini, Dance, Kaarz, Ratua, and Roothes had landed on Yavin IV, they planned to jump ship and join the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
James thought this defection was brilliant. Uli Divini, who had once served with the Old Republic's mobile surgical unit during the Clone Wars, gave the Alliance a much-needed medic. Villian Dance gave the Alliance a good pilot, while his girlfriend Teela Kaarz would be grand in the design of new Alliance forces, such as Gial Ackbar's ambitious B-wing project. They accepted them with open arms.
Luckily for the Alliance, with the destruction of the Death Star, it would take the Empire several weeks to gather their forces to bring them down on Yavin IV. This gave Mace, Jan, and Lily plenty of time to organize an evacuation of the jungle moon. Besides being the first major Alliance victory in history, the Battle of Yavin also transformed the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Before Yavin, the so-called Rebel Alliance had been just a resistance movement, no matter how organized it was. After the Battle of Yavin, however, the Alliance had become a separate government from the Empire. James suspected that the Alliance was on its way to victory against the Galactic Empire. They were at the same stage the Confederacy was at the start of the Clone Wars. If it were not for Palpatine's deception, the Confederacy may have destroyed the Old Republic, eradicating its corruption. James was convinced that the Alliance was about to do the same thing to the Empire.
However, not every post-Yavin event was good. Many loyal Imperial citizens were angry with the Death Star's destruction, and wanted the blood of Luke Skywalker, who had gained fame due to the Battle of Yavin. A new being joined the Alliance, a man named Tobin Elad. In his time with the Alliance, Elad made several attempts on Luke's life. Fortunately, James uncovered Elad's secret. With a quick slash of his lightsaber, the Imperial assassin was disarmed. Tobin Elad's real name was X-7, and he was one of several assassins working for Commander Rezi Soresh. In the end, he was shot and killed by Lily, saving the lives of both Luke and James. In the end, at Belazura, Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca joined forces with a Force-sensitive mercenary named Lune Divinian. At the end of the battle, Divinian died in a flight to against the Empire, Jedi Master Jurokk died to prevent Darth Vader from capturing Luke, and Commander Soresh died before he could continue his Imperial project to create zombie assassins.
Following Darth Maul, a second threat to Luke's Skywalker's life rose from the ashes. Former X-wing pilot of Blue Squadron, Jedi Padawan Shira Brie, resurfaced to fight alongside the Alliance. James was thrilled to learn that she had survived the Battle of Yavin - until he discovered the truth of the fact that the Jedi apprentice had fallen to the dark side. Brie was now serving Darth Vader as a Sith assassin. When Brie's true identity was discovered, Luke shot her out of the sky and she was left for dead. However, James received information that the Sith acolyte had been rescued by Vader. She now was among Emperor Palpatine's Hands.
On that happy note, Gial Ackbar's project bore fruit. Within days, the B-wing starfighter became a part of the Alliance fleet. This would easily benefit the Alliance's war against the Empire. In their first action, Alliance B-wing pilots raided Fara's Belt, not knowing that the Empire had broken their codes. But the information Imperial Intelligence had learned reminded James of what he'd heard about the United States's part in the Battle of Midway on Earth, about seventy years ago - the Empire knew that the Alliance was planning a major raid, but they were not sure that Fara's Belt was their target.
Iltarr City - Wukkar - 0 ABY
James had high hopes that Han and Chewbacca would finally make the decision to align themselves with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Already, the debt to Jabba Desilijic Tiure was not decreasing. The reward money that Han had received had been taken by pirates, leaving the Corellian with no way to pay off the Hutt. In need of help, Han and Chewbacca enlisted James's help to return to their days as smugglers. A strange man named Eanjer had asked Han to steal a Black Sun official's wealth from a very well-secured vault. The target would be the estate of Villachor, a local Black Sun Vigo on Wukkar. The stranger needed to get back the money Villachor stole from his father. Eanjer lacked the skill to do the job himself, so he asked Han to assemble a team.
James knew that what Eanjer was asking of them was dangerous, but he most definitely wasn't going to let his friends pull it off on his own. Besides James and Chewbacca, Han called on Wukkar native Rachele Ree, Dozer Creed, and Balosar pickpocket Zerba Cher'dak. Han deemed that Dozer would make the perfect front man. While he would not be as good as Lando Calrissian, he also wasn't harboring a bitter grudge against Han or James. Once James, Han, Chewbacca, Dozer, and Zerba had been gathered, they met Eanjer at a spaceport in Iltarr City, capital of the planet Wukkar.
Upon meeting Eanjer, James sensed something strange about him. He was fairly certain he had never come across him before, yet for some reason he felt like he should know him. He decided to shrug it off for now, but to keep his eyes open. In his four decades as a Jedi, he had learned to trust these insights.
The six of them, then, gathered in the two-room suite Rachele had arranged for them, where James learned that she had recruited a few others - some James recalled from his days in exile, some he didn't. The twins Bink and Tavia Kitik James recalled, even though he had not encountered them before. And then of course the Myke smuggler Mazzic had been contacted; James had had quite a few interactions with him since Mazzic's organization had ties to Car'das, mainly Car'das's current leader: Talon Karrde.
Fortunately, Mazzic did not come himself. For this mission, James was content with merely being the smuggler Prongs and not the Jedi Master Potter, and Mazzic was just the sort of person who might have learned about his true affiliation. He was hoping he had come out of exile so recently that most of smugglers would not have heard about it. Instead, he sent representatives, who had been among the first to arrive.
"Did Mazzic bring them himself?" Han asked when Rachele first mentioned them.
"Actually, no one brought them," Rachele explained. "They flew in commercial." Then with a slight smile, she added, "We can throw chance cubes to see which of us gives them a ride when it's time to leave. Come on - they're in the upstairs conversation room. I'll introduce you."
As Rachele led them upstairs, James couldn't help but feel impressed. It wasn't simply the fact that Rachele managed to pull this all off at last minute; it was the fact that this was just a hobby for her. James didn't even know what she could be capable of if she actually decided to turn to a life of crime. It took a lot to impress a Jedi Master of James's caliber, but this did it.
When they reached the top floor, however, James found himself thrown yet again. Mazzic's people were not what he had been expecting. They were not the older hardened criminals he was used to seeing Mazzic working with. In fact, they looked to be no older than James's own grandson Albus. One of them was a man nearly two meters tall, and the other was a woman with shimmering white hair that left James wondering whether or not it was natural.
The woman immediately turned to the Corellian. "You must be Han. My name is Winter."
That name struck a chord with James. He knew who she was now; he had just never met her in person. Winter, the adopted daughter of Bail Organa and therefore a foster sister to Leia, was one of the Alliance's top agents. Had James not been in exile throughout much of the Alliance's formative years, he might have known that. Upon recognizing her, he felt as he imagined Lily did when the Falcon first arrived on Yavin IV. When he learned of Alderaan's destruction, he had feared that any Alderaanian he had know in his life was dead. It was pleasing to see one who had survived.
He didn't wonder as to why a Rebel agent of Winter's caliber had ended up working for a smuggler like Mazzic. He probably figured it was similar as to why a Jedi Master like himself had ended up a smuggler, living on Nar Shaddaa.
"Winter what?" asked Zerba.
The Rebel flicked him a look. "Just Winter."
James figured that was probably for the best. It would be unwise for anyone to learn Winter or James were members of the Alliance, particularly on a mission like this. It would be too risky.
Han obviously had the same thought, for he said, "She's right. We stick with first names from now on. Safer that way. This is Chewie and Rachele, Zerba, and Dozer. The old man here is Prongs. I take it you've already met Bink and Tavia."
Winter nodded. "The ghost burglar and her sister. Yes, we have. An amazingly close set of identicals."
James smiled at that remark, for it sparked a memory he had not thought about in years. Over forty years ago, before he began training under Yoda, back when he was still a member of the Order of the Phoenix aiding in the fight against Voldemort, he had worked alongside a pair of identical twins: Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They had been killed just shortly before he and his family arrived on Coruscant, but from what he'd heard about the Kitik sisters, they were quite similar to what the Prewetts had been like.
"They've also met our employer," Rachele noted.
"Good," said Han, before turning to the final member of the team. "And you?"
The kid in the back quickly snapped to attention and said, "I'm Kell."
James frowned at the sound of his voice. Being married to the former Senator of Alderaan, he had spent time around a lot of Alderaanians, and unless he was very much mistaken, Kell bore a slight Alderaanian accent. However, unlike Winter, it was mixed with something else, as if he had grown up away from his homeworld. However, he sensed a dark secret lie in Kell's departure from his homeworld and felt this was not the place to get into it.
"And you do . . ." said Dozer.
Kell frowned. "Do?"
"What's your specialty?" asked Dozer. "What do you do that makes you worthy to sit here among all this greatness?"
"Oh," said Kell. "I'm pretty good with explosives - make 'em, plant 'em, set 'em off. I know a lot about droids, too."
James sensed wry amusement radiating from Dozer. "Of course. A knowledge of droids is essential to any good caper."
"You'd be surprised," James noted. "I found knowledge of droids to be quite helpful during the Clone Wars. Even now, when the Clone Wars are long since over, droids are so commonplace in the Empire. Chances are quite low we wouldn't run into a security droid or two on this operation."
Rachele glanced over at James with respect. "Quite perceptive, old man. Yes, you are correct. Villachor's vault security does indeed include a set of guard droids."
"Oh," said Dozer, but he quickly overcame his bruised ego. "Well, that's good to know. What about you, Winter?"
"I know a fair amount about security systems," Winter explained. "I also have an eye for detail."
From what James had heard about her, that was a bit of an understatement. The girl was practically a human recording rod. James had known very few like that - among them his teachers Dumbledore and Yoda, not to mention the old wizard who constructed the wand he still kept with him even after his years as a Jedi Master: Garrick Ollivander. Nevertheless, they never ceased to impress him. James's memory had always been one of his greatest strength, but having someone with a true eidetic memory like the one Ollivander exhibited? That could mean the difference between success and failure.
Kell must have seen this, too, for he snorted and said, "An eye, and a brain. She remembers everything she sees or hears. Everything."
Now Han, too, seemed impressed. James could tell from the manner in which he eyed Winter. Not to mention, he could never hide his feelings from a Jedi Master.
"That could come in handy," he noted.
"It already has," said Rachele. "We've been watching Villachor's mansion -"
She trailed off at the sound of a chime at the door, and James felt a sense of foreboding. He would know that Force signature anywhere. The last time he felt a presence of that sort had been on Ylesia. . . .
"Oh, good," she said. "He's here."
James noticed Han frown in confusion, clearly wondering who Rachele was referring to. But James shook his head, fearing for the fate of this mission. He knew Han was desperate for credits, but he had a bad feeling about what might culminate once that door was opened.
He dropped his hand to his wand. He had left his lightsaber back on the Falcon. Most smugglers had likely heard the rumors of the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, and therefore had heard that he supposedly possessed magical powers, even if they had not been on Nar Shaddaa at the time. But as of right now, Han and Chewbacca were the only ones who knew he was a Jedi, and he was hoping to keep it that way for the duration of this mission.
Preparing to draw his wand, James waited apprehensively as Lando Calrissian came striding into the room. The same anxiety that he was feeling immediately began to emanate from Han.
"Hello, everyone," said Lando, smiling in that easy-going manner that always reminded James of himself when he was younger. He looked around the room until his eyes came upon James and Han. Then he quickly looked away. "So what's the job exactly?"
After an awkward silence, Han turned to face Rachele. "Rachele, can I see you a moment?"
Not willing yet to have an awkward interaction with Lando about the Ylesia affair, James joined Han in confronting Rachele about this. They couldn't exactly pull this off with a man who might possibly want them dead.
"Yes?" said Rachele.
"What he doing here?" Han demanded in a low voice.
Rachele frowned, her Force signature radiating confusion. "You told me to invite him."
"When?" Han asked.
"I got a message three days ago," Rachele explained. "Right after you messaged that you'd picked up Bink and Tavia." Then realization dawned on her. "You didn't send it, did you?"
James saw this play out on Han's face. He was likely wondering who might have sent the message. He seemed like something Chewbacca might do. He knew Chewie felt like Lando would be a good asset to the team. Hell, Mazzic might have commed her after he sent Winter and Kell. It was hard to say.
"Well, don't at me, kid," he said, when he saw Han glance in his direction. "I'd love to reconcile with Lando, but I also want this mission to succeed. I know how badly you need that money." He glanced at Rachele. "You realize that Lando hates us, don't you? You must have heard what went down on Ylesia recently."
"Yes," said Rachele. "I've spoken with him about that, and I don't think he hates you - not exactly. He told me he'd been thinking it over, that maybe what happened wasn't completely your fault."
"Completely?" Han retorted, and James didn't need the Force to feel the anger seeping from him at that implication. "Nice."
"Sure," said James. "Maybe he said that about Han. But somehow I don't see his being that forgiving of me, not when my wife was the general who orchestrated the whole Ylesia affair. It would probably be best if I stayed out of this one."
"That's not necessary, Prongs," said Han. "This is quite simple. We don't need Lando. Rachele brought him. Now she can go back and tell him -"
"He needs the credits," Rachele cut in.
Han snorted. "Lando always needs credits."
"I'm serious," Rachele persisted. "I think this time he's genuinely desperate."
James considered that. If Lando were truly as desperate as Rachele was making him out to be, maybe he'd be willing to just let bygones be bygones. He exchanged looks with Han, wondering what they should do. After all, Lando would be a great asset if they could get him to put his anger aside.
"You can take his payoff out of my share," Rachele put in helpfully. "Like you said, he's here because of me."
"No," James said immediately. "This wasn't really your fault. It was just a misunderstanding. It could have happened to any of us. There's still plenty to go around."
Particularly since James wasn't in this for the money. As wealthy as he was, he had never needed money. And as a Jedi, he had never even desired it. This was just his helping out a friend. In the end, this would be no different than if James had decided to accept a payoff for this.
"The old man's right," Han said finally. "Whatever we get, we split it equally. That was the deal." He took a deep breath. "You were starting to say something about Villachor's mansion?"
James could feel Rachele's relief through the Force, and he felt an instant sympathy for her. This had to be one hell of a position she was put in by Mazzic . . . or whoever it was.
"Yes," she said. "He's been having visitors -"
Han cut her off. "Don't tell us. Tell everyone."
Once everyone was settled down and sorted, Rachele returned to what she was initially saying before Lando's arrival. "Winter, Kell, and I have been watching the traffic in and out of Villachor's grounds, and we've spotted an interesting pattern. First, a group of three heavy landspeeders goes in through the western gate and they all park by the south wing's private entrance. One person gets out of one of the vehicles - which vehicle it is seems to be random - and goes inside."
Upon being asked by Dozer and Bink of the stranger's name or species, Kell explained that the person was humanoid, but that they couldn't get anything beyond that. The awning was simply too thick. Though Tavia suggested the possibility of using a punch sensor, Dozer insisted that they were simply too traceable.
"We don't want Villachor backtracking us here," he reminded her.
"We're far enough away, and in the middle of a group of high-rise buildings," said Tavia. "As long as you keep the punch short, odds are slim that he could find us."
"It doesn't matter," Winter cut in, "because punch sensors won't work. Marblewood has an umbrella shield that extends all the way down to just above the outer wall. If turbolasers can't get through, a punch sensor certainly won't."
As Dozer apologized for not thinking about that, James considered whether or not his magic could play a role here. He had no fear of being discovered, not when he had already revealed himself to Vader back on the Death Star. But use of magic of that magnitude could possibly draw Vader to this world, and that could endanger much more than just this mission. It was best to just do this the Muggle way, no matter how easier magic might make this. It was too big a risk that Vader, a wizard himself, could sniff out his own kind.
As Rachele, Kell, and Winter continued, it became clear that what they had been viewing were the same few people annually stopping by Villachor's mansion at the same times. Though they couldn't see who they were, Winter's eidetic memory made it clear that the landspeeders were all the same. it was Bink who hypothesized that perhaps Villachor was hosting a series of ongoing meetings.
At this, the mysterious Eanjer spoke up. "He's trying to find a slicer to steal my credits. Probably brought in someone from offworld who's taken advantage of the Festival crowds to slip into the city. If we don't get in there quickly, we're going to lose everything."
"Easy, friend," said James, touching his mind with the Force, unable to shake the feeling that he should know this man. "Maintain. Marching in half-cocked is a bad plan. Besides, something about this doesn't feel right. There is something more going on here."
The Kitik sisters, in particular, seemed to agree with this. Bink noted the obvious that Villachor's personal slicer would probably be staying at Villachor's residence. And upon remarking on the various people coming to see him, Tavia agreed with James's assumption that something more was going on here. But he wasn't sure that anyone grasped the true nature of his worries - that uneasy feeling that he should know Eanjer Kunarazti.
By the end of the Wukkar mission, James came to grasp that he had been right to worry about Eanjer and the mission in general. Over time, they learned that what was being kept in Villachor's vault were encrypted files, files that if used properly could blackmail Black Sun, the criminal organization in which Villachor worked. If they could get their hands on those files, it was virtually priceless.
However, that would mean having to go up against Black Sun. If there was one thing James and Han agreed on, it was that it would not be fair to force everyone to go along with this. Therefore, everyone was offered an out . . . including Lando. But what surprised James most was that he didn't take it.
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," Han said.
"I like it here," Lando insisted, smiling slightly. "Besides, you need me."
James exchanged looks with Han. Well, there was no denying that. Lando's natural charisma made him an irreplaceable member of the team. Not to mention, James occasionally missed his friendship with Lando. He felt sometimes that after Wormtail - one of his closest friends - betrayed him, he valued friendship even more. While his falling out with Lando wasn't as devastating as what had become of Wormtail, it didn't make it any less painful. This heist seemed like the perfect opportunity to try and repair their broken friendship.
An idea Han seemed to share.
"So what have you been up to lately?" he asked.
"Not much," Lando said, waving his hand dismissively. "Winning some, losing some. You?"
Han shrugged. "Not much."
James smiled. If only Lando knew the truth. He very much doubted the gambler would even believe it. I mean, maybe the fact that his old mate Prongs had once been a Jedi Master would be easy to swallow. But the very idea that Han Solo had aided the Rebellion at Yavin . . . well, that was difficult for even James to believe.
"Why are you here?" Han asked.
"Rachele said you invited me," said Lando.
"That doesn't really answer the question," said James, speaking up so Han wouldn't have to lie about that. "You were quite clear about never wanting anything to do with us. You're the last person I would have expected to show up here."
Lando sighed. "To be honest, I've been thinking about . . . you know. All the stuff that went down between us. I've been thinking that maybe it wasn't as much your fault as I thought at the time. It wasn't like you deliberately stiffed us, either of you. You simply made a bad choice when it came to trust."
James felt like that might have been an insult against Lily, but he decided not to say anything. He wasn't ready to tell Lando who he really was until he was absolutely sure he could trust him. Now that he had retaken his place on the Council of the Jedi Remnant, it was only a matter of time before word caught Lando's ears. But he would prefer for him only to find out about it when this heist was well behind him.
Han grimaced. "Yeah, I have that problem sometime."
They, then, spent sometime wondering whether if Eanjer was truly trustworthy. This bombshell about Black Sun didn't exactly work in his favor. Why didn't he tell them about that sooner? And why did James get this strange feeling that he should know him?
"But we know now," Lando said after Han suggested that perhaps Eanjer simply didn't know about Villachor's Black Sun affiliation; James decided to keep his suspicions to himself - he still needed time to ponder this. "You still want to do this?"
James shrugged. "I've faced worse than Black Sun. This isn't even the first I've had to deal with them. If you two are a part of this, I certainly am."
James wondered if he might have said too much. By "worse than Black Sun," he of course meant the Sith and their Empire. Han probably knew that much; he was there when Siri died, after all. But he wondered if it was a bad idea to reveal that much to Lando. He shrugged it off. Oh, well . . . It probably didn't matter. One of these days, Lando was going to learn the truth.
"I need the credits," Han admitted. "It's the only thing that will get Jabba off my back."
"So you're going to trade angry Hutts for angry Falleen." Lando shook his head. "Not sure what good a deal that is."
"You play the hand you've got the best you can," Han said, frowning. "You trying to get me to bail on the job?"
"I'm trying to make sure you're not in over your head," Lando said. "You're a smuggler, Han. I'm a gambler. And Prongs, I'm not sure what the hell you ate. But one thing I'm sure of - none of us are con artists or thieves." Then he jerked his thumb at the others. "And as far as I know, none of them has ever done anything on this scale, either."
Lando did have a point, but do did James. As a Jedi, he had definitely dealt with things on this scale before. And so had Han, Chewbacca, and Winter. Going up against the Empire with Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader at the helm was hardly any safer than going up against Prince Xizor's Black Sun. But somehow he felt that knowing their connections to the Rebellion and the Jedi Remnant would not make Lando feel any better about their chances. Hell, even Han still liked to say the Rebels and the Jedi were borderline suicidal.
"Maybe not," said Han, as this played out in James's mind. "But together we've got all the skills we need to pull it off. All we need is the right plan, and a little confidence."
"Both of which you're going to supply," said Lando.
"With a little help from me," said James.
"Not to mention Chewie, Rachele, and Bink," Han put in. "And you, if you want to put in your half credit's worth."
"Of course," said Lando. "We're old friends here to do a job together, right?" Then he lifted a finger. "Oh, and before I forget. Assuming everything goes according to plan, I want the blackmail files as my share."
James was taken aback. "Excuse me?"
"You want what?" said Han.
"You heard me," said Lando. "I know a guy who'll pay good money for them."
"Who?" asked James, his brow creasing in bewilderment. "Without the cryodex, their illegible."
The cryodex had been something Winter had discovered. Based on Alderaan, the cryodex was an encryption device heavily used by the Alliance. However, many of them had been lost with Alderaan - along with many of friends and allies James had known on that world. At some point, Black Sun must have stolen one, because a cryodex had been found at Villachor's residence.
"He won't care," said Lando. "But the guy's a little touchy. It'd be better for me to approach him alone than for us to do it as a group."
Well, that narrowed down the search somewhat. James still wasn't sure exactly who Lando was referring to, but he felt positive that his friend's contact was a Hutt. That deductive reasoning was practically child's play for someone who had worked with Hutts as much as James had.
"Uh-huh," said Han. "So which Hutt is it?"
Lando sighed. "Durga, if you must know. He's still pretty steamed at Xizor and Black Sun over the whole Ylesia thing."
James had never dealt specifically with Durga, but he knew him by reputation. Ever since his parent Aruk was assassinated by Jabba and Jiliac, Durga had been the head of the Besadii Hutt clan and was responsible for Jiliac's death the previous year. Given what stakes Besadii had in the Ylesia operation, James could understand why Durga would be pissed. And given the Alliance's hand in its collapse . . . well, James wished Lando luck with whatever his plan was, but he would rather stay as far away from Durga as possible.
"That happened a lot at Ylesia," Han noted.
"So I've heard," said Lando dryly. "Deal?"
Han shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Cards instead of credits."
For the general money-driven smugglers, this would likely seem like a blessing. With neither James nor Lando taking a share of the credits, that meant there was more to go around for the rest of them. With any luck, though, now whatever problems he and Han had with Lando were about to be rectified.
Unfortunately, that was not to be so. At the time of the heist, it became clear that Eanjer was working alongside Imperial Intelligence. Discovering that they were being tailed by an agent by the name of Dayja, they were forced to cheat Lando yet again - by giving false files and leaving Lando to be picked up by Dayja while they got away. It was the only way to keep those files out of the Empire, but they had clearly ruined any chance of a reconciliation with Lando. Sure, the gambler would likely cool down after a while, but it would be a long time before James imagined he'd see Lando Calrissian again.
Then there was Eanjer. They came to learn that James's suspicions had been correct. He had been using them from the start. They ultimately discovered that Eanjer had just been trying to get inside the mansion so that he could kill a crime lord by the name of Qazadi. And it was even worse than that - Rachele had discovered that Eanjer Kunarazti had died long before Han had met him, meaning whoever they had been working for had not be Eanjer Kunarazti.
Luckily, they managed to ditch the impostor upon learning the truth. James wasn't sure who he really was, but he was sure that he was a bounty hunter or a trained assassin or something. Meeting him at the rendezvous would not have good for any of them. The worst part of this to the other smugglers was that without the real Eanjer they were going to be receiving significantly less of a payoff than they might have otherwise.
"So what now?" asked Kell, once this was all discussed.
"We salvage what we can," said Han. "Rachele's said she can get eight hundred fifteen out of the tabs. That's eighty-one five each. Still not bad for a couple weeks' worth."
James was grateful that Han didn't bring up how wealthy James truly was. The Alliance needed the Potter fortune now more than ever. Alderaan had been one of their greatest financial backers. Without it, they were going to be strapped for credits.
Zerba frowned. "Eighty-one five? I make it ninety plus change."
"Ten of us makes eighty-one five each," Kell pointed out.
"Lando deserves his share," James reminded him. "We robbed him of those blackmail files. The least we can do is give him the payoff he was initially promised."
Zerba snorted. "And one of you is going to deliver it in person? Now that I'd pay to watch."
"We'll get it to him," Han promised. He eyed the blackmail files, and James noticed something start to click in him. "Let me sweeten the pot a little. I'll buy out your shares of the blackmail files for eighteen five each. That'll bring you all up to an even hundred grand."
{Wait,} Chewbacca asked. {You're dipping into my shares, I take it?}
"Yeah, I'm dipping into your shares," said Han. "How else did you think I was going to get to eighteen five each?"
Zerba studied them suspiciously. "So first Lando wants the cards, and now you want them? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Not really," said Han. "I just figured you could all use the extra credits. And it's not like Chewie and me are going anywhere."
James had a sense about where Han was going with this. Likely, he assumed the Alliance or the Jedi would have a cryodex on hand and could perhaps make use of the files. He probably hoped for some sort of reward. It would kind of be the best way to pay off his debt without having to admit that his previous reward was stolen from him. James knew that Han's pride prevented him from doing that.
After making an agreement on payment and agreeing never speak of this again, the others went their separate ways. James, Han, and Chewbacca would be flying the Falcon back to Yavin, so they remained behind. James was eager to return to base and return to his proper Jedi garb. He had not yet managed to do that since coming out of exile.
Winter, too, remained behind. James suspected that, like him, Winter suspected what Han planned to do with the blackmail files. With Rachele the only one not affiliated with the Alliance who was still present, that meant they could probably start being open about who they all really were. Once they were alone, however, it was revealed that Jabba had raised the price on Han's head to half a million, blaming him for what went down here. With a price that big, every bounty hunter in the galaxy would be looking for him.
On the flip side, this would probably get Han to work with the Alliance, if only for his own safety. The Alliance was good at hiding, so until they figured out how to pay off Han's debt, he was safe there . . . which turned out to be Winter's suggestion, as well. James had been right. The clever girl had figured out that Han was thick as thieves with the Alliance now.
Han seemed confused, which clearly radiated in the Force, until Winter explained, "You see, I work procurement for them . . . and that escape pod you fired into the factory was part of a lot I smuggled to them seven months ago."
James should have suspected she would figure it out then. He had been present when Leia insisted that the Alliance replace the escape pods they been forced to jettison while on board the Death Star.
Han sighed. "Of course it was. Look, I didn't steal them, if that's what you think. She insisted we take them."
At those words, it was as if a dam had broken as a mix of hope and joy flooded through the Force. It was coming from Winter, and it was at that point that James realized Winter was unaware about the fate of her people. She had heard about Alderaan's destruction - who hadn't? - and like Lily feared the worst. She didn't know that Leia was still alive.
"She?" she said. "Which she are we talking about?"
"The Princess," Han responded. "Leia."
Winter's voice started to break. "You've seen her? Since Alderaan, I mean?"
"Seen her?" James repeated. "We were with her at Yavin, where the . . ."
He trailed off, glancing over at Rachele, unsure if it was safe to discuss this in front of her.
"It's okay," she said. "We know about Yavin and the Death Star."
"Well, then Winter," said James, looking at her, "you should know Leia was captured by the Empire shortly before Alderaan's destruction. I dueled him myself while Han and the others freed her from her cell. As far as I know, she's still fine."
Winter started at him blankly. "You dueled - Vader?" Then realization dawned on her. "You're not a smuggler, are you?"
"Not really," said James. "That was just my cover. My name's actually not Prongs. I'm General James Potter of the Jedi Remnant. Sorry for all the deception, but there wasn't enough people around I could trust with my true identity."
"I've heard about you," Winter said. "Bail Organa spoke very highly of you. It's just . . . you are not at all what I was expecting."
"Understandable," said James. "I've only recently come out of exile. But I recognized you, my dear."
Han scowled at him. "You did? You didn't say anything."
"I couldn't, Han," James said. "It was obvious to me that Winter's working for Mazzic had to be an undercover Alliance operation. I didn't want to endanger her position . . . or risk accidentally giving away my true identity. That could have brought Vader down on us. But," he added, glancing at Winter, "I couldn't be a leading member of the Alliance and not have heard of the famous Targeter. The one with the perfect memory."
Winter smiled slightly, but it was tinged with sadness. James could tell she was grateful for the news that her adoptive sister still lived, but this was downside of never forgetting anything - the pain from losing her entire homeworld would never fade. James, having also been part of a people who had almost entirely been wiped out, could feel her pain. He knew pain could be strength - it would definitely harden Winter's resolve to fight against the Empire - but it was never something to be desired.
"Well, thank care, General Potter, Han," she said finally. "I look forward to working with you again sometime."
Then she was gone, and James prepared to head back to the Falcon. It was time to return to Yavin. This had been exciting - he could never turn down a plea for help from a friend. But now he had to return to the Alliance and the Jedi. But as they headed back, he couldn't help but wonder who "Eanjer" truly was, and what his ultimate possibly could have been. . . .
Tatooine - 0 ABY
As it turned out, "Eanjer Kunarazti" was in fact Boba Fett. It had been Jabba who had hired him to take care of Qazadi. Admittedly, he could have gathered any gang of scoundrels to get him into the palace. But he thought of the bigger picture. It would have been so easy to set Solo up and then double-cross him when it was all over. That way he could kill two avrils with one stone. That was why he had planted the false message with Rachele so that he could also bring in Calrissian. That way he could capture them both.
The fact that Solo had recruited Potter . . . well, that had just been a happy bonus. As much as Fett would have loved to bring in Solo and Calrissian and make them pay for outwitting him at Nar Shaddaa the day they met, Potter was a Jedi. That made this personal. The fact that the arrogant Jedi thought Fett couldn't recognize him for what he was had been foolishly naive of him. He had seen him on that reek in that Geonosian arena all those years ago, and Fett never forgot a face. Oh, sure that face had gotten much older, but it was unmistakable. He suspected that Vader would pay highly if Fett could bring him James Potter . . . especially if Potter could lead them to Windu, the Jedi who was behind the Empire's defeat at Yavin, one of whom Fett had a personal interest in seeing hauled away to an Imperial interrogation cell.
Unfortunately, he only managed to kill Qazadi. It was a job a quarter well done, then. But no matter, no matter. What was done was done. All the annoyance and regrets couldn't change that.
And if only a quarter had been successful, it was nevertheless the biggest and most rewarding quarter. The bounty for Qazadi's death would more than make the whole operation worthwhile.
There would be more than enough opportunities to catch up with Solo, Calrissian, and the Jedi. Patience, as always, was the key. One of these days, Windu would die, and his father's death would be avenged.
Yavin IV - 0 ABY
Following the Battle of Yavin - and after James had returned from Wukkar - Red, Gold, and Blue Squadrons formed an entirely new fighter group - Rogue Squadron. The leader of the Rogues was General Obi-Wan Kenobi. Flying as Rogue Two, Luke was Obi-Wan's second-in-command. The unit was mostly composed of the twelve survivors from Yavin: Obi-Wan, Luke, Anakin, Wedge, James, Harry, Ginny, Kam, Albus, Marion, Nick, and Quinlan Vos, but other pilots also sometimes flew for the Rogues - Derek "Hobbie" Klivian, Lily, Sirius, Ten Numb, Winter, Wes Janson, et cetera. Hobbie and Janson had been sick at the time of the Battle of Yavin, and the former, Hobbie, turned cynical, after he realized that his friend, Biggs Darklighter, had died. Both pilots felt survivor's guilt for not having been there with the other pilots at Yavin.
Around the time of the formation of Rogue Squadron, several new young pilots joined the Alliance, encouraged by the outrageous Destruction of Alderaan. Alderaanian TIE fighter pilot, Lieutenant Tycho Celchu, defected from the Empire and joined Rogue Squadron. Several of Lily's commandos came to join Rogue Squadron. Among them was Rose Weasley, a young woman whose parents were killed in the Battle of Yavin. She and her brother Hugo were commandos for Lily, but where Rose became a Rogue, Hugo joined the Intelligence organization of General Airen Cracken. What pleased James was that while Harry began dating Ginny Weasley, Albus formed a romantic relationship with his father's girlfriend's niece Rose. Besides Tycho and Rose, many from the Jedi Remnant became Rogues - such as Jedi Knights Whie Malreaux, Zett Jukassa, and Bultar Swan.
The formation of Rogue Squadron wasn't the only good thing that had occurred following the Battle of Yavin. On the planet Ithor, Momaw Nadon, an Ithorian exile James had met on Tatooine, fought off the Imperial occupation of his home planet. For now, Ithor was a world free of Imperial control. During this same time, Emperor Palpatine recognized the Belsavis Ministry as a legitimate planetary government. Not because he wanted to, James knew, but Palpatine wanted to take advantage of the new social changes on the Outer Rim planet. An Imperial Governor had been appointed to oversee the Emperor's operations on Belsavis. The Governor, Vikar Flint, formed a cordial relationship with Belsavis's Minister Percival Ignatius Weasley. Neither Governor Flint nor Minister Weasley were supportive of each other in the slightest, and James suspected that Flint was placed to keep a watch on Weasley, due to the Minister's pro-Alliance leanings. The Emperor had tried to do the same thing to Mon Mothma on Chandrila years earlier.
Less and less of potential Rebels were coming from Belsavis now. Upon Governor Flint's appointment, the planet Belsavis was about as blockaded as Yavin IV had become in recent days. The idealistic Minister Weasley was forced to feign loyalty to the Empire, or else have himself placed by an Imperial puppet. James knew that it was Flint who held the real power on Belsavis, and feared what would happen if the Minister was captured or executed. The Alliance may have won at Yavin, but they couldn't afford to lose the support of another system. Already, they'd lost the support of Corellia. The Emperor was slowly transforming the planet from its democratic ways. The old Diktat died and was replaced by a tyrannical Diktat. The new Senator of Corellia was, also, unsupportive of the Alliance's cause. Besides Corellian pilots, like Han or Wedge, Corellia was gone. But unlike Alderaan, they were still getting something from Corellia - pilots.
Although several Rebels believed that both Bail Organa and Garm Bel Iblis had died, Lily knew that they were only half right. Bail was dead, yes, but Bel Iblis had survived the pre-Yavin assassination attempt. However, with Bail no longer around to serve as the mediator between Mothma and he, Bel Iblis's relationship with the Alliance's Chief of State had decayed considerably. Following Bail's death, Bel Iblis began to feel that Mothma was growing power-hungry. The Senator from Corellia believed that should Palpatine be overthrown, Mon Mothma would then declare herself Empress. With that thought in mind, the Corellian's opinion of Mothma began to decrease. Lily, Leia, and Padme Amidala tried to take Bail as the mediator between the two Founders, but it was to no avail.
It was Lily and Padme who witnessed the final argument between Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis. The Chief of State planned an attack Milvayne, and sought the advice of military advisers such as Lily and Bel Iblis. The Corellian believed that Mothma's Intelligence was considerably flawed, upon discovering that the planet was a fully fortified Imperial Ubiqtorate base.
"Do you understand me?" Bel Iblis snapped. "I will not send my troops on a suicide attack. And I do not recognize your authority to order them to. I did not vote to place you in charge of the Alliance, and if Bail, Padme, and Lily did - " He glanced at Lily and Padme as he said this. " - then they were gravely mistaken."
Lily and Padme glanced from Bel Iblis to Mothma, neither one willingly to speak up. Lily had sensed the tension between Bel Iblis and Mon Mothma ever since the signing of the Treaty of Corellia; this was bound to happen one day, but she worried what this argument would do to the Alliance.
The Chief of State glared at Bel Iblis coldly, a look Lily had rarely seen on her friend's face. "Senator Bel Iblis," she warned, "I sincerely hope that was not an ultimatum."
Bel Iblis straightened his body, showing off his full impressive height, in an attempt to intimidate the Chief of State. "Yes," he barked, "I guess it is. The attack plan is fundamentally flawed, and you just don't have the expertise to know it."
Mon Mothma flared her nostrils, and when she spoke, her words were like ice. "I will not have ultimatums put to me, Senator," she informed him. She gestured to the door, and added the chilling words: "The Rebel Alliance will no longer require your services."
Lily and Padme watched with grim silence as the alliance of Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis came apart. The Corellian fled to the Force knows where, with a legion of revolutionaries loyal to him. The former Senator from Alderaan didn't know what to think. One of the Alliance's best General's was gone, and the Galactic Civil War was about to take a nasty dark turn. Lily had a bad feeling about this.
