ABOARD THE MALACHOR, 40 YEARS ABE:

The cold hallways of the Imperial Super Star Destroyer echoed with the footsteps of thousands of stormtroopers and the brisk, muffled shouts of orders and directions as Revan's Empire prepared for a ground assault on the New Republic capital. One small stormtrooper detachment was occupied with a different task: returning Breha Organa-Solo to her cell.

Where before Breha had been upright and sparking even as she was being dragged to the bridge, now she hung limp and listless in the grip of the two troopers flanking her. Their steps sounded in perfect unison with their fellows and with the tall, chrome-armored commander walking rear guard behind them, but Breha's boots slid across the gleaming deckplates like so much lifeless cargo.

The troopers and their deflated burden marched past an intersecting hallway without sparing so much as a glance for the small, round, orange and white droid peering out at them from the corner.

BB-8 pulled back with a soft dwoooo as they passed out of sight down the ramp to the detention block. The little droid swiveled itself around and rolled off in the opposite direction-then pulled to a sharp stop as an even smaller, blockier mouse droid skittered into view.

The two droids paused for a moment, scanning each other; BB-8's domed head rolled down for a closer look from its optical sensors. The mouse droid jerked backwards, then rolled back into motion, racing away down the hallway-until BB-8 beeped at it inquisitively.

The mouse droid stopped, revolved, and emitted a short burst of chittering.

BB-8 beeped again, a lengthier sequence this time, low-pitched and soothing. The mouse droid slowly inched closer. BB-8 lowered the volume and kept beeping, coaxing the mouse droid over-

And then, when it came within reach, the little round astromech extended a pincer arm and grabbed the mouse droid. It squealed and tried to reverse, but BB-8 lifted it off the ground. The mouse droid spun its wheels uselessly in the air as BB-8 extended the rest of its tools and got to work…