Chapter 9: City in the Clouds
Disclaimer, I own nothing to do with Star Wars or HTTYD.
Also, if you've been reading any of my other fanfictions, do not tell me to update in the reviews.
Chapter 9: City in the Clouds
(Back on Dagobah, they continue training near the camp. Tuffnut once again stands upside-down. Unlike before, he shows less strain and more concentration this time. Gothi sits on the ground close by him. A few yards away, Snotlout sits by a couple of equipment cases and watches them.)
Gothi: Concentrate… feel the Force flow through you. That's good. Remain calm and focused.
(The two equipment cases levitate a few feet up and then are gently lowered back down. Snotlout is then lifted off the ground.)
Snotlout: Whoa! This is awesome! Look at Snotlout walking on air!
Gothi: Through the Force, you can observe things in other places. The past… and the future…
(Tuffnut, with his eyes still closed, suddenly becomes distressed.)
Tuffnut: Ruff! Hiccup! Toothless! Fishlegs!
(Snotlout crashes to the ground. Tuffnut tumbles over.)
Snotlout: (upset) Ow! Man, I was just starting to have fun up there!
Gothi: (shakes her head) Control, control. You must learn control.
Tuffnut: (panting) I saw… I saw a city in the clouds. And my friends… they were in trouble.
Gothi: It is the future you just saw. Near future, actually.
Tuffnut: (worried) Future? Will they die?
(Gothi closes her eyes and lowers her head.)
Gothi: Too difficult to see. The future's always in motion. And there are always multiple different futures.
Tuffnut: I can't take any chances. I've got to go to them.
Gothi: It's your decision on how you can help them. If you leave now, save them you could. But you'd also destroy all which they have fought for and suffered.
(Tuffnut stops after hearing those words. He nods his head sadly.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/-\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(The Millennium Falcon has reached the reddish-orange gaseous planet of Bespin. It flies through the large and beautiful clouds. Two small red ships with two cockpits called cloud cars appear and fly beside the Falcon. Hiccup speaks in a transmitter while the other three watch.)
Hiccup: No, I don't have a landing permit. I'm trying to reach Wasabi Calrissian-
(He gets cut off as one of the cloud cars fires a few laser blasts at them.)
Hiccup: Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute! Let me explain!
Toothless: What in the gods name are they firing at us for!?
(In the cloud car, the two pilots turn to each other.)
Pilot #1: I told you not to shoot.
Pilot #2: Well, You're not in charge, I am.
Pilot #1: Well, I'm steering
Pilot #2: No, I'm steering.
Pilot #1: No, I am.
Pilot #2: I have a steering wheel.
Pilot #1: So do I. There's two.
Pilot #2: Well, that's stupid.
Pilot #1: I know.
Pilot #2: I know, too. That's why I said it.
Pilot #1: Oh! We lost them.
Pilot #2: This is going in my report.
Pilot #1: No, it's going in my report.
(The other cloud cars pilot speaks to the Falcon.)
Intercom: You will not deviate from your present course.
Fishlegs: Rather touchy, aren't they?
Ruffnut: (to Hiccup) I thought you knew this guy.
Toothless: He's probably still mad you took the Falcon from him.
Hiccup: Well, that was a long time ago. Sure he's forgotten all about that.
Intercom: Permission granted to land on platform 327.
Hiccup: Thank you. (to the others) See, nothing to worry about. Wasabi and me go way back.
Ruffnut: (unconvinced) Who's worried.
(They fly through more layers of clouds and come into full view of Cloud city. The gleaming metallic metropolis gets bigger the closer they get. The Falcon reaches one of the perfectly round, cylindrical buildings and touches down on the big platform outside. The group exit the ship and stare at the door down the walkway.)
Fishlegs: No one's here to meet us. That's not good.
Ruffnut: I don't like this.
Toothless: What would you like?
Fishlegs: Well, they did let us land.
Hiccup: Trust me. Everything's fine.
(The door opens and several men come out. Most are wearing blue guard uniforms. One is wearing a grey officer uniform with a pair of electronic earmuffs on his bald head. In front of them all is a tall black guy with a burly built , smooth dreadlocks and a short goatee. He wears a dashing blue suit and a blue and gold cape.)
Hiccup: (smiles) See? My friend.
(Hiccup walks down the walkway with the others close behind him. Wasabi and his crew walk towards them.)
Hiccup: Hey!
(Wasabi stops a few feet from him. He gives him a death glare and crosses his arms.)
Wasabi: Why, you slimy- double-crossing- no good swindler! You got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled.
(Hiccup raises his eyebrows and innocently points to himself, mouthing "me"? The others watch with suspicion. Wasabi moves threateningly toward Hiccup. Then he throws his arms around him and laughs.)
Wasabi: (grinning) Got ya! How you doing you old pirate!? So good to see you! Thought I'd never get to catch up to you again. Where you been?
(The man with the electronic earmuffs turns to the guards and points to the door. The guards go back inside. Ruffnut, Toothless and Fishlegs see the old friends embrace each other.)
Fishlegs: Well, he seems friendly.
Ruffnut: (weary) Very friendly.
Wasabi: So, what brings you out here?
Hiccup: (gestures to the Falcon) Ahh… repairs. Thought you could help me out.
Wasabi: (mock panic) What have you done to my ship?
Hiccup: Your ship? Hey, remember, you lost her to me fair and square. Anyway, you remember Toothless.
Wasabi: How you doing, Toothless? Still stuck hanging around with this loser?
Toothless: (smirks) Eh, well someone has to be the practical one.
Hiccup: And this is my special friend, Ruffnut.
Wasabi: Welcome, Wasabi Calrissian, administrator of this facility.
Ruffnut: A pleasure.
Fishlegs: And I am Fishlegs-3PO. This place is very impressive!
Wasabi: Nice to meet you both. (indicates the bald guy) This is Lobot, my side. He doesn't talk, but he keeps things running around here.
(They enter the building and walk through the tall, white hallway.)
Wasabi: What's wrong with the Falcon?
Hiccup: Broken hyperdrive.
Wasabi: I'll get my people to work on it right away.
Hiccup: Thanks.
Wasabi: You know, that ship saved my life a few times. She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.
Hiccup: How's the gas mine? Is it paying off for you?
Wasabi: Oh, not as well as I would like. We're a small outpost and not very self-sufficient. I've had supply problems of every kind. Labor difficulties…
(Hiccup holds on his laughter.)
Wasabi: What's so funny?
Hiccup: Listen to you. You sound like a business man. A responsible leader. Who'd have thought that, huh?
Wasabi: (rolls his eyes) Yeah, I'm responsible these days. The price you pay for being successful. But, you know, seeing you sure brings back a few things.
(The two laugh as they continue down the corridor. Fishlegs lags behind the group and passes a door that opens. He looks inside and sees a room full of books on shelves. There's a sign that says "Barnes and Noble".)
Fishlegs: (delighted) Barnes and Noble book store? Awesome! There's no treasure greater then reading!
(He goes inside and the door closes behind him. There's a big crashing sound behind the door.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/-\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(On Dagobah, Tuffnut loads a heavy in the cargo hold of his X-wing. Snotlout sits back in the socket behind the cockpit. Gothi stands on a log nearby.)
Snotlout: That everything?
Tuffnut: Good to go.
Gothi: (dissapointed) Tuffnut! You're not done with your Force stuff. You must complete the training.
Tuffnut: (desperate) I can't get the vision out of my head. I've got to help my friends!
Gothi: You're not yet ready! It's better if you don't go.
Tuffnut: They'll die if I don't!
Valka's voice: You don't know that.
(A vision of Valka comes into existence beside Gothi. She's a shimmering image with a light blue aura around her.)
Valka: Even Gothi can not see their fate.
Tuffnut: But I can still help them. I got the Force!
Valka: But you cannot properly control it. This time is too dangerous for you. You will be tempted by the dark side. It's very easy to be seduced.
Gothi: Yes, listen to Valka, Tuff. Remember your failure at the cave!
Tuffnut: I've learned so much since then. Master Gothi, I promise to come back and finish what I've begun. You have my word.
Valka: It's you and your abilities Viggo and the Emperor want. That's why your friends are made to suffer.
Tuffnut: And that's why I have to go.
Valka: Tuff, we can't lose you to the dark side the way I lost Viggo.
Tuffnut: You won't.
Gothi: The Empire must be stopped. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight with complete control of the Force as his ally will overcome Viggo and his Emperor. If you end the training now and chose the quick and easy path, like Viggo did, you will become an agent of evil.
Tuffnut: I won't turn if I'm saving my friends. Though, since you just said only an experienced Jedi can fight Viggo, why don't you go?
Gothi: (hesitant) Uh… you know what? Your right, you're ready to fight Viggo.
Valka: Tuffnut, if you chose to face Viggo, you must do it alone. I cannot interfere.
Tuffnut: I understand. (climbs into the X-wing) Snot, fire up the converters.
Snotlout: (happy) Bout time. My circuits were starting to get waterlogged.
Valka: Don't give in to the hate. That leads to the dark side.
Gothi: Just be mindful of what you've already learned. Save you it can.
(Tuffnut climbs into the cockpit.)
Tuffnut: I will. And I will return. I promise.
(The cockpit closes and the ship lifts off. The two Jedi masters watch it take off above the trees and into the sky until it's no longer seen.)
Gothi: (sighs) Told you, didn't I? He's too reckless. Now matters are worse.
Valka: That boy is our last hope.
Gothi: (looks up) No, there is a another.
Valka: (curious) Really? Who?
Gothi: 'Fraid we can't reveal that until the next installment.
Valka: (chuckles) Well, doesn't matter, anyway. I already know. I got the Force too, remember.
Gothi: (rolls her eyes) Oh, you.
(Tuffnut's X-wing leaves Dagobah and flies away into space.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/-\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(In a living quarters on Cloud City, Ruffnut paces in agitation. She now wears a red and white dress and her hair is down and tied back. She watches cloud cars zip by the building. The door opens and Hiccup enters.)
Hiccup: The ship's almost finished. Two or three more things and we're golden. Toothless is down in the junk room looking for some spare parts.
Ruffnut: The sooner the better. Something feels off here. Fishleg's been gone too long to have gotten lost and no one's seen him.
(Hiccup takes Ruffnut by her shoulder and kisses her forehead.)
Hiccup: Relax, with a place as busy as this, something's gotta turn up eventually.
Ruffnut: Wasabi sure is making a point of making us feel at home. Not sure if I trust him.
Hiccup: Well, I don't trust him either. But his is my friend and he's is helping us. We'll soon be gone.
Ruffnut: And then your good as gone, aren't you?
(Hiccup says nothing more and considers her words. Down in the junk room, Toothless goes through a picks through a pile of scrap metal. The room is piled high with broken, discarded machine parts. Small pig-likr beings, called Ugnaughts, pick up metal scrap and throw pieces on a conveyor belt that moves to a pit of molten metal. Toothless spots a familiar gold arm on the belt.)
Toothless: What the…
(He sees an Ugnaught holding Fishlegs head and then tosses it onto the belt.)
Toothless: Hey!
(He makes a grab for the head but an Ugnaught grabs it and throws it to another. Toothless tries to grab it but the Ugnaughts play a game of keep away with him.)
Toothless: I know him! Give him back!
(The Ugnaughts keep harassing Fishlegs disabled body parts.)
Toothless: Okay, you asked for this!
(He starts tackling the Ugnaughts and beating then with Fishlegs's arm. He keeps at it until he's collected all Fishlegs's body parts back from the pint-sized jerks and starts working on him. He puts Fishlegs's head back on his torso and starts. Trying to switch him back on. Soon, he brings him back into the suite by carrying him in a box. Hiccup and Ruffnut are surprised.)
Ruffnut: What happened?
Fishlegs: (weak) I tried to shop at a book store and got in a fight with a droid over the last Lord of the Rings trilogy book.
Toothless: Found him in the junk room. Had to pummel a bunch of little pig-people for him.
Ruffnut: What a mess. Think you can repair him, Toothless?
Toothless: I'll try, but it could take a while.
Hiccup: Maybe Wasabi can help.
(At that moment, the door opens and Wasabi walks in.)
Wasabi: Am I interrupting anything?
Ruffnut: Nope. Just getting ready to leave when our ship's ready.
Wasabi: Well, before you go, would you care to join me for some refreshments? I got our city's best cooks making us dinner.
Hiccup: I suppose we could.
Toothless: I could eat.
Wasabi: (sees Fishlegs) Is there a problem with your droid?
Ruffnut: Nope, no problem. Why?
(They leave the room. Toothless manages to get Fishlegs's torso, with his head on, strapped to his back. He carries him out and follows the others. They walk down the corridor between tall, white columns.)
Wasabi: As you can see, we don't fall under the jurisdiction of the Empire.
Ruffnut: So, you're part of the mining guild, then?
Wasabi: Not actually. Our operation is small enough not to be noticed. Which is an advantage for everyone here since our customers are anxious to avoid attracting attention to themselves.
(The enter another hallway where a large doorway sits at the far end.)
Hiccup: Aren't you afraid the Empire's gonna find out about your little operation and shut you down?
Wasabi: Well, there's always been that danger looming over everything we've built here. But there's been a recent development that will ensure security. I've just made a deal that'll keep the Empire out of here forever.
Hiccup: (intrigued) And what's that?
(The reach the big door. On the other side is a dinner table with food on it. Darth Viggo sits at the far end of the table with Heather Fett standing beside him.)
Viggo: Okay, so when they open the door, you point your gun at them and I persuade them to join us. They'll never see it coming.
Heather: Yeah, so unexpected and intimidating.
Viggo: You know, on second though, it should just be me at first. Yeah, that's better, you hide off to the side and I'll surprise them first. Then you come out and it'll just be icing on the cake.
Heather: Okay, then. (chuckles) Those dunderheaded dopes will know they could never hide from us!
(Heather goes off to the side behind a corner. The door then opens and the group sees Viggo at the table.)
Viggo: Oh, I wasn't ready! Um, hello there…
(They are shocked to see them. Ruffnut gets frightened, Toothless snarls at him and Hiccup immediately pulls out his blaster and squeezes several shots off. Viggo raises his hands and calmly deflects the bolts.)
Viggo: (singing) Wonder Woman!
(The blaster then is pulled from Hiccup's grip through the Force and into Viggo's hand. He sets it down on the table.)
Viggo: (inviting) We would be honored if you would join us.
(Heather then comes out from the side and stands next to Viggo, holding her rifle up at them.)
Heather: How's it going, losers?
Fishlegs: (smiles) Oh, look it's Heather! Hey Heather!
Toothless: Fishlegs, she's with the bad guys!
Fishlegs: Oh, yeah right, sorry. (frowns) I mean… oh no, it's Heather, with Viggo! We're doomed!
(A squad of stormtroopers comes out from behind them in the hallway and level their blasters at them. They all glare suspiciously at Wasabi, who immediately cracks.)
Wasabi: I had no choice. They got here right before you did. I didn't want to sell you out. But they were very…persuasive. I'm sorry.
(He starts choking up as Hiccup sighs and shakes his head.)
Hiccup: I'm sorry, too.
(They walk into the dining room and the door shuts behind them.)
Well, the Empire tracked our heroes to Bespin. And Tuffnut's on his way to rescue them. But we all know how that turns out. Now I'm gonna picture Wasabi in Lando's clothes all night.
Also, I'll be the first to say I do not ship Fishlegs with Heather, just throwing that out there.
Until next chapter read and review.