Chapter 35 "Taking Leave"
The shuttle floated serenely through the void of space, portraying none of the uneasy tension that was stored inside it. Tallon watched from the shuttle's aft window as the Imperial class Star Destroyer loomed ever bigger before the small shuttle. He exhaled the breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding and then waited as the fog on the glass dissipated. Once again the Star Destroyer appeared before him, but he now saw it as his new home.
He had been, in no uncertain terms, banished from the planet below. With the banishment, came the removal of all of his previous command and authority. He was now to set up, monitor, and defend the planetary shield. Though Tallon's status as Captain had not been revoked, he knew that with Admiral Thrawn now active in the command of the Empire, he might as well be a Lieutenant. Tallon wouldn't be surprised if, on his return from the Dark Ring, Snotzenexer would be promoted past him.
The Dark Ring! In Tallon's last on screen conversation with the admiral, Thrawn had said that the Dark Ring was no more. Tallon had found that more than a little hard to believe, especially since at that time they had received no news what-so-ever on the battle. But now as that news had been delayed for more than a day, Tallon began to wonder. Surely the New Republic hadn't been able to defeat the Dark Ring. Maybe they just knocked out the communications. Then why hadn't any of the ships reported in?
Tallon heard a low humming noise and looked out the window to see the two lower fins on the shuttle folding up as the craft nimbly entered the shuttle bay. The shuttle settled itself down gently on its pilons and with a sharp release of hydraulic pressure, the ship relaxed its weight onto the deck of the landing bay. More hisses followed as the interior of the ship depressurized, matching the outside air pressure. Tallon was escorted to the descending ramp, and disembarked the ship to find a small greeting party.
Tallon eyed the Luitenant Commander suspiciously. He wondered how much this young officer knew about Tallon's placement aboard this ship. Normally the commander of an Imperial Star Destroyer would be required to literally bubble over with gratitude for having such an honored guest. However, if the Luitenant Commander knew that this was actually a demotion, he would be wise not to rub too much salt into Tallon's already festering wounds. "Welcome Captain Tallon," the officer said curtly. "If you follow me, I'll show you to the bridge."
The bridge was no different from any other Tallon had been on. In fact the bridge was identical to every other bridge he'd been on, right down to the officers manning their respective stations. With cloning as the means for manning the ships in their fleet, the Empire had found no need for being fancy. Every Imperial Star Destroyer had the exact same person at each station. It was a simple theory really. For each job there had to be one person who was more qualified than any one else, so it seamed foolish to place anyone else there. Since the Empire could clone with ease, the only problem was finding out what job each person was most qualified to do. In many cases, one person was the best an two or three different jobs, and as Tallon looked around the bridge he noticed that he had a few twins on board.
Tallon turned to the former commander of the ship. "Are the ships aligned in formation to generate the planetary shield?"
"Yes Captain."
"Contact all of the other ships and tell them to commence."
"Yes sir."
Deep inside the Imperial Star Destroyer, the main fusion reactor began to increase its steady pulse almost imperceptibly. It sent a strong pulse of energy up the back of the ship. The large power cable branched apart in the shape of a "Y" and sped two equal energy surges towards the twin force field generators sitting on the top of the huge space ship. The two globes began to pulsate on their own now, each one sending out its own field of transformed energy. Both of the generators also began receiving electronic information, requiring them to alter the configuration of the force shield they emanated. The coil inside each was shaped to send out an elongated, triangular shaped field, but now the coils began to flatten out. The field began to flatten like-wise. Soon the front of the ship was outside of the field. When the transformation became complete, the force field was shaped like a huge sheet centered on the generators. The sheet took on a slight spherical curve and began reaching out into space, expanding on its already enormous size. Soon the field came in contact with another field generated by a nearby ship. The two became one and soon joined with others. Exactly point three seconds after the fleet had activated the planetary shield, the entire planet of Hastrin was cloaked in a heavy particle shield.
The field was stretched outside of its normal limits, but because all of the ships were joined together, they could strengthen each other. Every third Star Destroyer was designated as a energy ship, and all of its weapons and extra systems were taken off line so it could put all of its available energy into the force field.
Tallon looked out into space at the invisible shield. He watched as small bits of space rock and debris that were caught in the planet's gravity well, accelerated into the field and exploded in small bursts of light. The Jedi wouldn't leave the planet.
* * *
Danzig 6 sped through space faster than the speed of heat. The small lifeless asteroids that lay in its path had no warning at all as to the suns approach. The normal immense heat that surrounds a sun was trailing in the unusual comet's tail. The asteroids were swept into the center of the sun and left charred and molten in the heat trail.
Danzig 6's course was sketchy at best. It wove from side to side as it slalomed through the many gravity wells in the Danzig system. It came perilously close once to falling into a particularly large star, Danzig 49. Only Danzig 6's inertia had allowed it to survive the gravity tug of war that had ensued between the two stars. The incredible pull that Danzig 6 had snapped between itself and Danzig 49 had caused Danzig 49 to recoil like a taunt rubber band. It became immensely elongated, lost all stability, and in the blink of an eye, went nova. The explosion only propelled Danzig 6 faster, giving it enough energy to escape the Danzig system completely.
Danzig 6 shot away from the system, leaving its former brotherhood of stars far behind. Its course and destination were unknown to it. All it knew was that anything in its path short of a black hole was doomed.
* * *
"I don't know if this is such a bright idea."
"Relax, Dad. No one's going to recognize us."
Han rubbed the thick beard that Luke had given him and looked at his daughter who had transformed her appearance to that of a young man in an Imperial uniform. Han and Jaina were sitting in the Arena watching two power boxers slug it out. Everyone around them was milling about, not really paying that much attention to the two men fighting to the death. Most people were there to watch the main event. Han and Jaina were no exception. They had been drawn to the Arena by the flashing advertisement on the outside: "Come watch Lowbacca win his twenty-seventh battle in a row as he takes on a Foyo Master." Jaina insisted that they try to fit in, and she had gone off to find a concession stand. She came back a few minutes later just as one of the boxers below knocked the head off his opponent's shoulders.
"Shouldn't we be ready to help Lowbacca if he gets into trouble?" Han asked as Jaina handed him a shiny wrapped specimen.
"You don't think that the Empire would let Lowbacca die do you? He's their champion. Besides, I've seen Lowbacca fight back on Yavin IV. I think he'll win."
Han shrugged, hoping his daughter was right as he unwrapped his "tasty morsel." The slender tube shaped piece of meat that he found inside was nestled snugly in a bun and covered with several condiments. Han's hesitant first bite tested the food carefully, but remembering that he hadn't had anything decent to eat in the past few weeks, helped him finish the hot dog in four bites.
The Arena below was a bustle of activity as clowns scurried about cleaning up after the last fight. Han could sense a feeling of good cheer in the way the clowns ran about their duties. He gathered that it was due to the fact that no animals were fighting tonight and their lives weren't in jeopardy.
The lights dimmed; the music started to play. "And now," the loudspeakers proclaimed, "the fight you've all been waiting for. First the challenger." The spotlight moved to the right side of the Arena to a parting curtain and an emerging figure. "Hyrink Freew has won all seven of his fights including defeating two corin hounds. His unique battle style has made him one of the most entertaining fighters at the Arena." Freew stood almost two meters. His arms and legs were thin but corded with muscles. He drew the two curved swords from his belt and swung them about in a dizzying display of swordsmanship. The spotlight left him and went to the other side of the huge building. "And our champion with a winning streak of twenty-six victories, from the forest world of Kashyyyk, LOOOOOWWWWBAACAAA!!" The Arena erupted with noise.
Lowbacca strode through the curtain into the spotlight. Jaina almost snickered at his outfit, but Han was getting more and more disturbed with the whole situation. "Can't we do something? We can't just let them kill each other."
Jaina smiled at her father. "Don't worry, everything's been taken care of." Han stared at her with confusion written boldly across his worried face. "I've already contacted Lowie." She tapped her temple. "His brainwash wasn't very thorough, and since I had been under the same type of hypnosis, I knew how to get around it. We already had an extensive mental conversation."
"You mean he's back to normal? Just like that?" Han asked. Jaina nodded. "Then what's he doing down there?"
"He's going to entertain us," Jaina smiled. She noticed that her father's grim face still hadn't changed, so she grew serious. "It's the only way, Dad. He can't just walk out now. Everyone will be looking for him."
"How's he going to get out of this fight without killing his opponent? A Foyo Master is no one to play around with."
Jaina shrugged. "I don't know, Dad. Lowie said he was going to take care of it."
Han turned his attention back to the main event on the floor. Lowbacca and Freew paced each other in a slow circle. Freew made the first move, drawing his swords and rushing the unarmed wookiee. Lowbacca ducked once and nimbly evaded the other blade as he thrust a hairy fist into the Foyo Master's chest. A weaker man would of had all the wind thrown from him, but Freew just stumbled back. He gathered himself and prepared a defense.
Lowbacca came on tentatively, trying to find some kind of opening in-between the curved swords. Freew went for one of Lowbacca's feints and his right blade went low. The wookiee followed his opponent's mistake by hitting the blade further down and away, leaving his right side exposed. Freew tried desperately to bring his left blade to bare, but Lowbacca had him. The Kashyyyk native grabbed both wrists of his opponent, twisted his arms, and delivered a stunning head butt in-between Freew's gaping eyes. Freew dropped both blades in order to keep his arms connected to his shoulders and stumbled backwards. Lowbacca grabbed both the swords, and the crowd erupted in a cheer of expectation. Instead of fighting the master with his own weapons, as was Lowbacca's tradition, the wookiee let out a terrific howl and thrust both blades down into the floor. Both three-quarter meter long swords shuddered as they sank up to their hilts in the hard packed ground.
Han watched the display of strength and expected the crowd to be awed, instead they jeered. Han's confusion was increased as he saw Wertrin, the guard who had led Luke and him to the Arena for their fight, talking with a man sitting near the edge of the Arena. What was he there for? Was he more than just a security guard? Storm troopers, even captains, out of uniform were just civilians. Han returned his gaze to the battle to see Lowbacca and Freew sparing. A Foyo Master specialized in hand to hand combat, but Han was sure that Lowbacca's strength would bring him out on top.
The crowd was growing continually restless towards Lowbacca's half-hearted effort. Han too was growing restless as he watched the man Wertrin was talking to reach for a com switch. All of the exits quickly filled with storm troopers, and Han could see the white-clad troopers start to move into position around the Arena. Han looked at Jaina, but she seemed oblivious to the subtle changes in their surroundings. "Jaina," Han said, shaking her out of her semi-trance, "we're in trouble. I think our cover is blown."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean Lowbacca isn't putting on a convincing show and this place is filling up with storm troopers faster than a detention block on the Death Star."
Jaina's head spun around, taking in all the sights, sounds, and feelings in a well rehearsed motion. "You're right." Now Jaina was the one who looked concerned.
Han wasn't going to wait for storm troopers to make the first move. He moved to the aisle amidst the mostly standing audience. With Jaina in toe, he shoved his way down to the bottom level. The storm troopers had now completed a ring around the Arena. Lowbacca was finishing the fight with his hands around Freew's neck. After a few seconds struggle, Freew collapsed to the ground, unconscious and clearly not dead. Lowbacca raised his arms in triumph, but the crowd was stilled, seeing the ring surrounded by storm troopers, and realizing for the first time that something was wrong with their champion.
Han understood the situation clearly. Who ever was running the show for the Imperials was on guard with Luke and Han loose. Jaina had reported back to her unknown superiors that she had finished the task and killed Han, but they might not have believed her. If Luke had been successful in finding and turning Jacen, then the Empire knew that they would have to come get Lowbacca. Basically he and Jaina had just walked into a trap, and had gotten Lowbacca snared as well. Han looked over at Wertrin and the man he had talked to. They were sitting behind a massive control panel, calling all the shots. Wertrin was probably put in charge down here, Han thought. He was supposed to keep an eye on Lowbacca to see if he started acting strange.
The storm troopers raised their weapons. Lowbacca was just now beginning to realize his dire position, trapped inside of a force field with no where to run. Lowbacca needed a distraction in the worst kind of way, and Han came through. Han drew the weapon Jaina had given him and fired twice, hitting the nearest storm trooper and the force field controls. The invisible shield flickered off, but the storm troopers were more interested in their fallen comrade. Han and Jaina blended into the thick crowd, milling about the chaos Han had started. People were shouting and stampeding towards the exits. The storm troopers were unable to hold their ground and gave up their posts at the doors.
Lowbacca had no such cover, and as soon as Wertrin was able to regain control of his berserk troops, he reminded them of their main target. Lowbacca hit the ground rolling as the first few laser bolts whisked over his head, scorching his fur. His roll brought him to the two swords he had imbedded in the ground. With a tremendous Force aided heave, he brought the two blades up and just in time two block three well aimed shots.
Han heard a snap hiss next to him, and watched his daughter cut down troopers to make it to the center ring. Han could hear the hum of the blade as the young Jedi swung it about, but familiar yellow glow of his daughter's weapon was absent. Watching Jaina block laser fire with her invisiblade was truly spectacular. The bolts seemed to explode against nothing and shower down in a frenzy of sparks. Han knew that they couldn't hold off the storm troopers forever, and already the huge building was clearing, offering them less and less cover.
Jaina and Lowbacca thought likewise, and they made a conscious effort to work themselves off of the battle ring, and into more cover. Han, with his identity still safe made his way through the thinning crowd to join his companions. Han came up short suddenly as he bumped into a very broad chest. He found himself staring up into the eyes of Wertrin. Wertrin looked deep into Han's eyes and recognition struck him. "Well, well," Wertrin said, his deep voice managing to carry over the throng. "Allen, look who I caught."
The force field operator turned away from his smoking station to look at Wertrin's prize. Han tried to get away, but Wertrin's grip on his arm was like a vise. Allen stood from his chair and walked over to Han. "I don't suppose you want to fix my computer." Allen's hand dropped to his holster incredibly fast, and Han could see that this man was much more than just an operator. His blaster came up and exploded in his hands. All three spun around to see Jaina holding her deceivingly activated lightsaber in her hand.
"Let him go," she demanded coolly.
Han didn't wait for Wertrin to comply, but rapped him on the head with the butt of his blaster and slipped free from his grasp. The crowd of unarmed spectators were quick to see who were the good guys and who were the bad guys, but they had no intention of getting in the way of either, and Han, Jaina, and Lowbacca found their way clear before them.
"This way!" Han yelled as he tried to get Jaina and Lowbacca's attention. He thought he remembered the way that he and Luke had come in. Though there were several tunnels leading from the lower levels of the arena, Han was pretty sure that the one in front of him was the same one they had traversed to get in.
"Wait, Dad," Jaina said, running up to her father. "Lowie says that he knows a quicker way." Jaina pointed over to a tunnel that seemed to be totally unguarded.
Han saw through the ruse immediately. "No, they know that Lowbacca knows this arena. They will expect us to take the more direct route. There is most likely a trap down that tunnel, that's why it's vacant." Jaina nodded in comprehension, and followed her father down the tunnel he had pointed to.
Han glanced back over his shoulder to see that the troopers were finally fighting their way through the sea of civilians that had separated them. A few stray shots streaked over their shoulders, and Jaina fell behind the group to give them cover as they ran. The tunnel they were running to was still guarded by three storm troopers, but a few neatly blocked shots by Lowbacca, and four quick shots from Han's blaster, eradicated the pathetic blockade. The threesome plunged into the relative safety and darkness of the tunnel.
* * *
Wertrin watched as the trio made their way into the tunnel. "Thrawn was right," Allen said as he walked up beside Wertrin, still rubbing his sore hand.
"He always is. Little did they know that the other tunnel had no one in it." Wertrin brought his com up from his belt. "Commander, they are coming your way."
* * *
The lights were out in the tunnel, and though Jaina had her lightsaber, it produced no light. The smell of animals soon began to creep into their nostrils. Han saw the glint of the metal cages that he remembered from down here, and he could here a few animals pacing restlessly in their cages.
"Which way now?" Jaina asked. They were in a small area of cages. There were a few small tunnels leading off in several directions.
"I think we came in from that direction," Han said and started running in the given direction. Laser fire lit up the small room. "Then again . . ."
Storm troopers envaded the privacy of the room. They walked in cautiously, holding their fire, knowing of the Jedi's proficiency in blocking the blaster ammunition and wanting to hit them all at once. The trio spun around to find that the route they had come in was also filling with troopers. Han saw another exit out of the room, and not caring where it led, ushered the group down it.
* * *
"Progress report," Wertrin's com sounded.
"I have just received word that they have taken flight deeper into the bowls of the arena, Admiral. We should have them shortly."
"Good," Admiral Thrawn said. "Don't over concern yourself with taking them alive. Little bits and pieces are also acceptable."
* * *
Han, Jaina, and Lowbacca walked cautiously, not caring to run anymore. They all realized that this tunnel hadn't been guarded for a reason. It was probably that same reason that they didn't hear any boots coming from behind. Walking into a trap when you know it's a trap is much worse than not knowing.
After several long moments of silence they came to a large cavern. The light was awful, but all three could get the sense that they were not alone. "Come out, come out what ever you are," Han said, breaking the silence.
Three things happened at once. A loud clang came from each side of the cavern, two invisible beasts came rushing towards the trio, and a trap door opened under Han. Han slide down a crude shoot and was dumped unceremoniously onto a hard, cold concrete floor. He quickly scampered to his feet only to find that the room he was in was even darker than the one he had just left. Off in the far corner of the room, he heard a long deep growl. Something began walking toward him slowly. Han could tell from the sound of the foot-falls, that it was big.
Thirty feet above Han, Jaina and Lowbacca barely avoided getting crushed by two huge black panthers. The two young Jedi tried to position themselves in a ready stance against the unseen foe. In the dark the black cats blended perfectly with their surroundings. Both Jaina and Lowbacca could sense their presence with the Force, but the cats were so quick that the Jedi could only tell where their foes were a second ago.
Lowbacca decided to take charge of the situation. He had spent the last few weeks fighting so many different animals that he understood better than anyone the tactics of these kinds of hunters. Wait in the dark until you are ready to pounce. Rarely do such cats have to take up the defensive, and accordingly, they aren't very good at it. Lowbacca rushed the nearest one and swung his large swords. The panther was totally unprepared for such bold tactics and got hit severely on the shoulder.
Jaina saw the technique and was a quick learner. Together she and Lowbacca chased the two cats around the room until both were out of commission. As the two Jedi stood over their fallen enemies, they noticed for the first time that Han was no longer with them. They also noticed that storm troopers were finally following them down the tunnel. Hoping that Han was OK, they continued their flee down the tunnel.
As they ran, they began to get hopeful when they saw light ahead, but as they got closer, they recognized it as artificial light, and more importantly, it was coming towards them. The sound of an armored transport became audible, and its headlights shown in the two escapees' eyes as it rounded the corner ahead of them. They both spun on their heels to see that the storm troopers had finally caught up with them. They were hopelessly trapped.
The storm troopers slowly advanced on the two young Jedi, cautious, but confident that there would be no escape this time. The wall of the narrow tunnel suddenly exploded, covering half of the troopers. The other half was soon swept away by a huge fist. Jaina and Lowbacca watched stunned as an enormous rancor came through the hole in the wall. They were even more stunned when they saw Han sitting high on the neck of the beast. Han looked down toward his companions. "Hello," he said all too cheerfully. "I ran into an old friend of mine."
A shot rang out, and a section of the wall next to the rancor exploded. The small group turned back toward the armored vehicle coming towards them. Jaina got ready for a suicide charge, but the rancor beat her to it. The beast picked up a huge piece of the wall and hurled it down the high tunnel. The tank exploded on impact, tearing yet another hole in the tunnel. This time the light that they saw wasn't artificial.
"Jaina, Lowbacca, I'd like you to meet Rachtog. Rachtog, my daughter Jaina and her friend Lowbacca." Instead of responding, Rachtog scooped the two Jedi up in his huge hand and placed them on his back next to Han. Rachtog wanted to escape from the Imperials just as much as the rest of them. He ambled over toward the gaping hole, and soon they were out in the daylight.
As inconspicuous as three people can be while riding on the back of a rancor, they made their way through the city and into the woods.
Chapter 36 "Cliffhanger"
A small path of dull floor began to make itself visible under the constantly pacing feet of Thrawn. The floor of his office was polished to a high shine, but in the last few hours he had been pacing endlessly, wearing down that shine.
He stopped his pacing and looked at the Maltha ice vine. He told the cleaning droids not to touch it. It still lay on the floor amongst its now totally melted frame, but it was yet to whither. The vine clung desperately to its vibrant colors. Thrawn turned away in disgust. This time things would be different. He had just received a report that the Jedi and Han had escaped to the forest. He had of course expected that Wertrin, as good as he was, would not be able to handle the elusive trio, but he had let him try, knowing what little harm it would do. He had sent scouts out to find the ships that everyone had arrived in. They had reported that they had found two ships: an E-wing and a makeshift civilian craft. The scouts had said the second ship looked like it was ready to fall apart at any second, but Thrawn knew that this was the Jedi's ship and it was probably faster and better equipped than his best shuttle. He had rolled every possible situation through his mind and no escape seemed possible. They could escape the forest alive, but with what he had planned, that seemed unlikely. They could get to their ships, which were guarded. He didn't put too much trust in those guards though. If they got into space, he liked his chances of victory much better. Jedi were good pilots, but they couldn't block laser fire in space, and before they even got out into space, they would have to get through the planetary shield.
For once Thrawn felt confident. His door chimed. "Come in."
Frowinger stepped through the door. "You called for me, Admiral."
"Yes, we have some work to do."
* * *
One by one the ships dropped back into real space. Like a taunt rubber band, the ships snapped back into reality. Wedge was in one of the first ships to drop out and he woefully counted the ships that came out behind him. The ships began to slow down in there arrival, and soon no more ships dropped in. Wedge was awe struck. Sure they had won, but they had lost over half of their original ships. They had a victory, but at what price! Slowly, each ship began to report in. Each commander sounded off with extreme reluctance. Even if they reported in three times each, they only be slightly over their original amount.
Leia strode up to Wedge purposefully. "Wedge?"
"Leia. . ." he tried to find what he wanted to say. Yes, he had promised to go to Hastrin now, but he couldn't summon the courage. The New Republic had just taken more losses in, he looked at his chronometer in awe - it hadn't seemed that long -, ten hours then they had taken in the past ten years. He found it hard to tell his decimated fleet that they had to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, and for what. Han and Luke might already be dead. Surely they had dealt the Empire a big enough blow today. Hastrin could wait couldn't it.
Wedge turned to Leia, but couldn't speak into those pleading eyes. He looked back at the list of ships that had reported in and for the first time noticed four absences he hadn't seen at first. Lando and the 185th hadn't reported in. His knees felt weak under his suddenly very heavy heart.
"Wedge?" Leia repeated.
"I . . ." he stared but couldn't compose any words.
"Admiral," a voice came over the com. Wedge looked at his panel for an identification of the voice. It was Captain Tremon. Wedge listen as the Captain continued. "I believe that we have another mission." It was a simple statement, and both Wedge and Tremon knew what it meant. Tremon was the Captain of the 185th. He loved those boys like his own sons. You have to pick up and carry on.
"I believe that you are correct," Wedge responded, finding his voice. Wedge flipped on his universal communicator. "People, it's time to go again. Set course for Hastrin and prepare to jump on my mark." Wedge turned to Leia, she was smiling weakly at him. She knew how hard this was for him. Wedge smiled back. He leaned over to hit a switch on his command console, and a few seconds the later the ships disappeared into hyperspace.
* * *
A similar scene occurred elsewhere, only in reverse, and slightly less ships were involved. "Doesn't look like a welcome mat fellas," Lando said as the Falcon and the three W-wings found themselves face to face with a large fleet. "It looks like they are in a shield formation. I don't think that they are expecting an attack."
As soon as the words left his mouth dozens of TIE fighters swarmed at them. "Any one for turning around," Haivven asked. As if in response the Dark Fist, Snotzenexer's Super Star Destroyer, jumped out of hyperspace right behind them.
"No," Vince responded. "I don't want to turn around." He punched his engines forward and held down his laser cannons. Ahead of him three TIE's vaporized, and Vince flew into the fray of fighters, putting distance between him and the Dark Fist.
Bep and Jon followed suit. Haivven and Bremmy scrambled over to the gun wells in the Falcon and began to support the W-wings in their offense. Almost as an after thought, Lando activated the cloaking device.
"You know what this means?" Vince asked as he casually wove his way through the space debris of former TIE's.
"Know what what means?" Jon asked as two more fighters who were tailing him crashed into each other as they tried to mimic a corkscrew move he had just pulled.
"The shield."
"The planetary shield?" Bep asked.
"What other shield is there," Vince asked with a ring of sarcasm. "Ask yourself why someone would put up a planetary shield when they don't expect any ships to be attacking the planet."
"If your not trying to keep someone out than you must be trying to keep someone in," Bep finished the thought."
"How do you know they weren't expecting us?" Jon asked.
"If you had an enemy that was attacking the Dark Ring, would you expect there to be any survivors left to make another attack?" Bep asked.
"That depends if I was my own enemy?" Jon said, a little humor creeping into his voice as he vaporized a small squadron of three TIE's. "If I knew that I was going to attack myself, I would be quite sure that I would win."
"If Jon ever shuts up," Vince interrupted, "we'd be able to complete our thought that if they are trying to keep someone in, that would mean that Luke and Han must be still alive, and likely on the run."
Jon grew suddenly serious. "Two guys against a planet of Imperials. I think it's about time to bring in the reinforcements."
"How are we supposed to get through that shield?" Bep asked.
"I've got a plan," Vince announced.
* * *
Anakin drove the land speeder toward the town. He and Jacen hadn't talked through out the trip. Luke lay in the back, not only voiceless, but motionless. Jacen was tending to his uncle. Luke was going to make it, if nothing else happened, but it would be a while regardless, before he could operate under his own power.
"How much farther," Anakin asked, finally breaking the silence.
Jacen looked up from his uncle and tried to figure out where they were on the road. "Oh, just a few more kilometers."
"Good because I -" he paused in mid sentence and jerked the speeder off the road and into the trees.
Jacen held fast to the side rails to keep from being thrown to the ground. "Was someone coming?"
Anakin shook his head. "No, I sense Jaina and Dad over this way."
Jacen closed his eyes. After a few moments he could sense Jaina and his father. He quickly appraised the condition of his sister. She was fine, a little shaken up, but fine. He opened his eyes and looked at Anakin. He had sensed them in mid sentance without so much as a hint of strain on his face. His uncle had told Jacen that Anakin was stronger in the Force than anyone else he had ever found, but this kind of discipline was beyond what he was capable of just a few weeks ago. "What happened to you?"
Anakin was a little taken aback by the abruptness of the question, but realized his brother's meaning. "I went to Endor."
"I know, we, or rather Master Streen found your picture globe. But what happened?"
"Grandfather visited me the night before I left Yavin IV."
"He visited you!" Jacen was both surprised and jealous. He had never seen his grandfather, and the only history he could dig up was about Darth Vader and very little on Anakin Skywalker.
"He told me that I needed to find out the truth about the Force and that I needed to go to Endor to find it."
"What did you find?"
Anakin paused as he wove through a particularly thick grove of trees. "The Light Side is just as powerful, if not more than the Dark Side. The Force is channeled through your emotions. We as students have been told that anger and fear are of the Dark Side. That is right, but we were also told to simply be passive and defensive and that aggression was also of the Dark Side. That isn't the best way to use the Force. In order to fight against the evils of the Dark Side we need to use equally strong emotions. Instead of hate, we need to love. When you fight an enemy don't do it for revenge, but for justice."
Jacen nodded his head slowly. It all made sense to him. "In fact," Anakin continued, "the more you use the strong positive emotions, the less likely you will be to tempted by the Dark Side. If you use the powerful emotion of love, there is no reason to use hate, if it is no stronger."
Now Jacen and Anakin could here noises of branches being broken ahead. It sounded as if a huge beast was trying to make its way through the tangled forest. As they got nearer, they saw that their ears had not deceived them. Rachtog reared up slightly as the speeder approached, but Jaina, who had made a mental link with the animal on their trip, was quick to soothe it.
Anakin and Jacen were more than a little surprised to see their friends' interesting mode of transportation. Jaina was quick to notice Luke's condition. "What happened to Uncle Luke?"
"Don't worry," Anakin was quick to say. "We ran into a little bit of trouble. He'll be fine if we can get out of here."
"Before I forget," Jacen said, "Lowbacca, I have something for you." Jacen picked up the extra lightsaber that Luke had been caring with him and tossed it to the wookiee. Lowbacca growled his thanks.
"Great reunion, guys," Han interrupted, "but I think it is going to have to wait until we get back to safety." As if to reiterate his point, a scout ship flew over head. "No doubt they will come after us."
"Do you guys hear something?" Anakin asked. Everyone was quiet. A small whistling noise became louder.
"Everybody move, now!" Han shouted. Rachtog wasted no time, clambering through the trees in the same direction they had been going, and Anakin pressed the throttle down hard weaving his craft through the legs of the huge rancor and speeding ahead. Behind them the bomb exploded, sending a strong heat wave in every direction. Flames erupted throughout the trees. Rachtog stumbled under the shock-wave, but he kept moving. From their right they saw two legged walkers coming toward them. From above more bombers circled their position.
"It feels like they are herding us," Jaina said. Lowbacca growled his agreement.
"But to where?" Han asked. He remembered seeing the planet from above and couldn't remember any significant geographical features. As if answering his question, the group suddenly left the forest and found themselves in a clearing that bordered a deep ravine. Rachtog pulled up short, kicking a few small rocks that bounced over the lip of the cliff and shattered on the rocks bellow. Anakin and Jacen were already at the edge.
Another high whistle became audible from above and the forest behind them burst into flames. There was no retreat backwards, that was obvious. Anakin examined the ravine. It was about one hundred feet across and two hundred feet deep. He knew that he could easily float across. He was pretty sure that Jaina, Jacen, and Lowbacca could manage it as well, but that wasn't what he was worried about. What he was worried about was coming down the ravine at an incredibly fast speed. The TIE fighter screamed toward the group and let go a ferocious volley of fire. Anakin had his lightsaber out in a flash and deflected the shots that were close. As the TIE streaked past, Han drew his blaster and fired at the exposed solar panel. The shots did little damage, but it woke up the rest of the group. Lowbacca leaped off Rachtog's back, activated his lightsaber, and with his incredible strength, hurled it at the offending craft. The lightsaber cut off one of the panels and sent the TIE into a doomed corkscrew. It glanced off of the ravine wall, ripping off the other panel, and the pod exploded at the bottom like an egg with fiery yolk.
Han and Jaina dismounted and they tried to think of what to do next. "Can you guys get us across?" Han asked the four Jedi present.
Anakin nodded slowly. "Yes and no. I know for myself that I could get the Rancor across with little trouble, but I can't do it that quickly, and while who ever goes across is over the ravine, they will be free game for any ship who comes down the trench."
As if explaining Anakin's point, three TIE's came screaming down the ravine toward the group. They fired, not at the group this time, but at the cliff below them. They could feel the ground tremble below them, and realized the Imperial's new tactic. Lowbacca had had his lightsaber return to him and he hurled it again. Rancor's are not stupid, and Rachtog knew what was going on. He ripped up a near by tree, and like an all-star smashball player, he hit one of TIE's out of the air and into the opposite wall with a terrific explosion.
Lowbacca's lightsaber returned to him after disposing of the TIE it was thrown at, but before he could throw it at the third, Rachtog launched the tree at it. The TIE didn't have a chance. Lowbacca roared his approval at their new friend's performance. Before they had too much time to celebrate, they saw four more squadrons coming towards them, plus bombers from above started to close in on them.
Chapter 37 "Over Reaction"
Snotzenexer saw the four New Republic ships in front of him, and he knew these to be the same ones responsible for the Empire's loss at Danzig 359. Snotzenexer usually did not let personal vendettas cloud his judgment, but then there was no need for him to get angry; Sanson was there.
Snotzenexer watched as his fiancé's face exploded in fury. "I want all available fighters deployed to intercept. Move the Dark Fist right into the middle of the fray. I want to pin those fighters in-between us and the planetary shield." The orders were carried out, and Snotzenexer watched as the battle was played out before him.
* * *
The Falcon was cloaked, and unleashing invisible death to all the fighters who found themselves in either Haivven or Bremmy's sights. It took all of Lando's skill as a pilot and Chewbacca's as a co-pilot to keep from running into all the TIE's that didn't see them.
The 185th was busy playing near the shield. "Usually, about one third or one fourth of the ships in a planetary shield is designated as a power ship," Vince explained. "We need to find one of these ships, it should be easy because it won't fire at us." The three W-wings wove around the Star Destroyers until they found one that appeared to be inert.
"It looks like we have a winner!" Jon yelled when they saw that this Star Destroyer wasn't going to fire. "Now what?"
"We go inside," Vince explained. "Each ship is half in the shield and half out of the shield, if we go in one section in the front of the triangular ship and out the back, we should be able to get through the shield."
"What!" Bep screamed. "You're crazy. You want us to fly through a Imperial class Star Destroyer."
"Sure. If you go in through the bottom's main docking bay, you can get to the ship's maintenance section, and from there the rear TIE bay is on the opposite side of the back wall. It'll be easy."
"That's why I love you man," Jon said. "You're crazy."
"Let's save our feelings of love and affection for each other until after the mission, OK."
The under side of the Star Destroyer did not look too inviting, and Vince hadn't expected the Imperials to open the lower door for them, but three well aimed torpedoes did the job against the unarmed door.
* * *
Tallon was watching the battle from his bridge. "Sir, we have a report that the lower docking bay doors have just been breached."
Tallon looked at the officer as if he were drunk. Why would anyone want to break into the docking bay? Did the New Republic think that a small strike team would be able to take over his ship. "Send three squads of storm troopers down to investigate the situation."
"Sir, there is already ready one squad down there," the officer responded.
"And I want there to be four. Do you have a problem with that, Lieutenant."
"Uh, no sir."
"Good." Tallon wondered how the Empire had aloud that arrogant of a clone on the bridge. Tallon pulled up a security screen and flipped to the docking bay. He watched as three fighters rose into the bay and began firing on the squad of storm troopers that were indeed stationed down there. Tallon swore as his screen went blank. They must of hit a power cable. Tallon was not in a good mood as it was, and these fighters had picked the wrong Star Destroyer to be messing with.
Tallon got up from his command chair. He turned to the former commander of the ship. "You have the bridge. I am going to check this out personally." The man might have questioned the prudence of this if it weren't for the fact that Tallon was strapping on a side arm, and the lieutenant commander valued his life more than that.
* * *
Vince watched as the last of the storm troopers fell under their superior fire power. He glanced around and counted five turbolifts. Bep was thinking the same thing. "We might want to take those turbo lifts out," he said.
"Consider it done," Jon replied eagerly. A quick sweep of the area sealed off the docking bay.
Vince maneuvered his E-wing carefully through the narrow service tunnel at the far end of the main docking bay and emerged into the maintenance section. Surprise doesn't adequately describe the look on the technicians' faces. They had just heard gun fire from the docking bay and now three ships they had never seen before were parading through the lower sections of the Star Destroyer like they owned it. Jon didn't allow the look of surprise to last to long. Dead people aren't often surprised.
Vince unexpectedly landed. "What's up buddy?" Jon asked.
Vince popped the top of his W-wing and hopped out. He kept his helmet on which had his com. "Just thought of something. You guys just hold down the fort. I shouldn't be more than a minute or two." Vince ran over to a door in the wall of the service station and disappeared through it.
Bep and Jon settled their ship down, pointing in opposite directions, covering the only two entrances they knew of. They looked at each other through their cockpit shields and shrugged. "What are you doing Vince?" Bep asked.
Vince was walking slowly through a room swarmed with pipes, wires, and massive bulkheads. "You know how these things are powered right?"
"Let's assume not."
"They are run off a nuclear reactor. There are usually two types in this big of a ship." Vince paused as he lifted a panel, revealing another room below. He dropped down into the new room. There was a steady thrumming throughout the room. He picked his way through the pipes of the rarely visited room. "There are two types of reactors," he repeated as he peered through the darkness, "fission and fusion. Fission is a good source of massive power all at once since it is based on a exponential chain reaction and is used to power the engines and weapons. Fusion is a safer way to produce a constant energy flow and is used to run the electronics, shields, and all the other vital systems." Vince paused when he came to another door. He ignored the radioactive symbol on it and proceeded through.
"Right now the planetary shield is being operated by both of them, because this is a power ship for the shield, and all of the weapons have been taken off line. Meaning that both the fusion reactor and the fission reactor are wired into the shields, leaving the weapons and propulsion with out power." Vince finally stopped his frantic search when he came to the control panel he was looking for. "I just plan to give the shield a burst of power."
* * *
Tallon ran into the storm troopers he had sent off as they were back tracking through the hallway. "What's the problem?"
"Sir, the turbo lifts are out of commission. We have to go down to the lower level via the rear turbo lifts."
Tallon swallowed hard controlling his temper. "Lead on," he said and fell in line behind the troops. They raced to the far rear of the ship, went down as far as they could, and then traversed back along the bottom. Tallon fell back, letting the storm troopers get a good lead, so that he wouldn't be caught in the heat of battle but could come in later and asses the situation.
Tallon was thinking about the situation, when heard a loud clang from beneath him and then a curse.
* * *
"What's wrong, Vince."
"It's nothing," he lied shaking his finger in an effort to quell the pain. "This cover was just jammed and I had to yank it off. Sorry about the noise."
"What do you mean, 'a little power burst?'"
"You know how a fission reactor works, right Bep?"
"Uranium atoms are bombard by high energy neutrons, causing the atoms to split. The split gives off a small amount of energy, yields two new substances, and releases around two to three neutrons. These created neutrons are propelled by the released energy and collide with other uranium atoms, causing a chain reaction."
"And how do they control the reaction?" Vince asked, already knowing the answer. He was busy trying to access the engine computer, but was having a little difficulty breaking in.
"Two ways. They have control rods which absorb some of the released neutrons to slow down the reaction, and usually only one percent of the uranium is radioactive. Uranium 235 is the reactive isotope, while the majority of the uranium, the other ninety-nine percent, is dormant uranium 238."
Vince knew all of this and was desperately trying to get the computer to confirm it. "Got it!" Vince yelled as the information popped up on the screen. Since the discovery of replicators for pure elements was discovered, the need to actually provide uranium disappeared. This meant that the reactor was feed by an automatic device which provided it with the specified amount of uranium 238 and 235. For example at idle speeds, the percentage was set at 99.3 to .7 percent of uranium 238 to 235. At top speeds the ratio was changed to about 98 to 2. Vince didn't have any luck when he ran into the built in safeties. The computer wasn't going to let him change the percentages manually.
"Wait!" Bep yelled, realizing what Vince wanted to do. "If your going to increase the amount of uranium 235, I'm leaving now. We'll be sitting on the biggest nuclear weapon in existence. That reactor has to produce more uranium per second than you can find in a hundred bombs!"
"Well right now I'm having a little difficulty getting the computer to let me change the percentages, but when I do, I'll set a timer on it so we'll get out of here in time."
"I'm afraid you aren't going anywhere." Vince looked up from the console he was struggling with. Tallon stood across the room, having just descended a service ladder. "You see," he said as he leveled his blaster at Vince, "I don't take kindly to trespassers on my ship."
Vince dove to the side just as Tallon fired. Vince scrambled around on the floor and found the cover that he had pried off earlier. As Tallon rounded the console, Vince threw the cover at him. Tallon flinched and fired reflexively. The bolt went harmlessly into the ceiling. Vince scrambled up from the floor and ran in-between the assorted pipes and equipment that filled the room.
"What's going on in there?" Bep asked. "I thought I heard blaster shots."
"Oh, nothing," Vince said as he ducked two more high shots. "I just ran into the janitor down here."
"Heads up Bep," Jon interrupted. "We got company. Storm troopers, twelve o'clock."
The white clad troopers began pouring into the maintenance station, and Jon mowed them down. When they saw that they were out gunned, they regrouped to gather a more powerful approach.
Tallon walked quietly through the enormous engine region of his Star Destroyer. He heard a clang from the far left corner of the cluttered room, turned, and fired. From his right, Vince jumped out and swung a heavy metal pipe into Tallon's midsection. Tallon stumbled back, but kept his grasp on his blaster. He brought it level and Vince hit it out of his hand. Tallon considered the gun a loss and squared off against Vince. Vince held a pipe and was taller than Tallon, but Tallon probably out weighed him by at least fifty pounds and had many years of physical training, while Vince was only twenty years old. Tallon bull rushed his younger opponent, Vince tried to swing, but Tallon was to fast and got inside the swing. They collided solidly, and Vince flew to the floor. Still holding the pipe, he swung it at the Captain's legs and Tallon came tumbling down on top of him.
Vince squeezed out from under Tallon and tried to find a means of escape. Tallon was quick and leaped up after him. Vince tried to out run him, but Tallon caught him from behind. Vince went down and tried to grab anything to stop his fall. His hand caught a lever and he pulled it down as he fell. The emergency sprinkler system came on and water was everywhere. They both let up for a while, while they contemplated this slight change of events. Vince scrambled up again and a loud hissing noise caught his attention. Over in the corner the water was evaporating as soon as it hit the floor. The reactor must be right beneath that corner, he though. He didn't have too much time to think about it; Tallon was up again. Vince tried to run away but was tackled from behind again. This time when he fell his hand closed around something else: Talon's blaster!
Tallon wrestled Vince into a prone position, and for the first time Vince saw that he was holding a wrench. Tallon held the tool above the young pilot's head. "I believe this is the end," Tallon said.
"Yes," Vince agreed, "I believe so." As Tallon brought the wrench down, Vince fired. The shot took Tallon in the shoulder holding the wrench. His hand released the heavy tool, and it thudded next to Vince's head. Tallon reeled in pain. Vince tried to fire again, but Tallon kicked the gun out of his hand, and it flew off into the room. Vince didn't waste any time. He grabbed the wrench off the ground, and as Tallon charged again much slower, he brought the tool up hard and hit him in the chin. Tallon nearly flipped over backwards. He hit the ground hard and didn't get up.
Vince had lost his helmet in the skirmish, and went off to find it. "How's it going guys?" he asked as soon as he found it.
"Hurry up will you!" Bep shouted.
"Yea, they're setting up laser cannons out here. We can't hold them off forever," Jon added.
Vince remembered the hissing and ran over to the "hot" corner. He found a small electronic box mounted on the wall. He pried it open and examined the contents. There were two small wires leading into the box, and it was connected to something on the other side of the wall. He quickly unscrewed the front electronic panel and found two digital displays. One said 98.7 and the other read 1.3. Vince recognized it at once as the regulator which was probably connected to the replicator. He used the screw driver to dig at the two wires. When he got them both out he waited. After he counted forty-seven seconds, he heard the reactor power down. It took forty-seven seconds for the replicated uranium to reach the reactor. "Could I cut it any closer." He took a deep breath, switched the wires, and plugged them back in.
Vince turned and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him. He tried to count to himself, but he couldn't keep his pace without throwing off his counting. As he leaped over Tallon's figure, Tallon stirred.
Tallon saw Vince running away again. "Hey, stop!" Tallon tried to get up, but his head and shoulder were killing him, and he slipped on the wet floor.
Vince backtracked through the maze that had gotten him there and he was back in the maintenance station in record time. "Welcome back," Jon said. "What's the rush? Is there something you'd like to tell us."
"Yeah, there is," Vince said as he leaped into his cockpit amidst storm trooper. Jon covered his tail, blasting away the three stupid storm troopers who tried to take Vince out. "I'd just like to say that in about seventeen seconds, this ship is going to be the brightest thing since Danzig 359."
"Thanks for the big window, buddy," Jon said, but was already turning his W-wing around. "Out the back door, fellas. Would some one be kind enough to knock. I seem to be all out of torpedoes."
Bep and Vince each unleashed a projectile at the back wall, leaving a gaping hole into the rear hanger bay. They sped though the hole, and out into space.
Tallon got up groggily and noticed a rapidly increasing thrumming under his feet. As he watched the far corner in the room start to melt, he knew what Vince had done. Tallon stood up straight and saluted. The reactor blew up.
If the members of the 185th hadn't been in such a hurry to get out of range, they would have enjoyed the spectacle. The Star Destroyer exploded far beyond anyones' imagination. An enormous ultraviolet wave spread out along the spherical planetary shield. As the wave passed over each Star Destroyer joined with the shield, the force field globes blew apart, and every third ship, suffered the same fate as Tallon's destroyer. As the wave reached the outer limits of the present hemisphere, it lost most of it's energy, and the Star Destroyers on the far side of the planet were saved, although their shields were fried.
* * *
Snotzenexer watched the sight in awe. Sanson immediately recognized how this effect had been accomplished, and so her awe was magnified several times. Lando was later quoted as saying that he thought it was "pretty neat."
Chapter 38 "The Maltha Ice Vine"
Danzig 6 finally saw its target. It was located deep in the core systems. It was a medium size planet covered with blue oceans and rolling plains. Several rich forests dotted the landscape, and mountains rose majestically from the surface. Near one of these mountains, standing terribly close to the edge of a deep ravine, four Jedi students, one Jedi master, a former smuggler, and a rancor were running out of options.
The heat from the flaming forest about twenty meters behind them was beginning to take effect. Jacen tried to create a cool barrier between the group and the fire, but the fire was growing fast. Anakin was struggling to keep the cliff under their feet from sliding into the ravine. Jaina was protecting her uncle. Han was desperately trying to modify the ground transport to take them safely down the side of the cliff. Lowbacca and Rachtog were fighting off the TIE's, which were coming in faster and faster. Everyone was loosing their battle.
The tension reached its peek when another whistling came from above. They all looked skyward to see a bomber fly away and a small speck falling towards them. Jaina reached out to it with the Force. She frowned. "There must be an ysalamiri on board. I can't redirect it."
"Well guys-" Han started, but was interrupted when the bomb exploded prematurely several hundred feet above them. "Wha-"
A W-wing streaked through the dissipating explosion. Han squinted and could see Jon giving him a thumbs up through the cockpit. "Ha! I never thought I'd be happy to see that punk."
Bep and Vince swept down into the ravine and the group on the cliff watched in awe as the three fighters tore through the ranks of TIE's. A large shadow loomed over the group and they looked up to see the underside of a very familiar ship. "The Falcon!" they all screamed
Anakin began to wince under the strain of keeping the near collapsing cliff side together. "Bring it down! Bring it down!" Han yelled as he saw the look of effort on his son's face. Lando obliged and the ship hovered in the air as he lowered the ramp to the cliff side. Jaina and Jacen carried their uncle into the ship with Lowbacca close behind. Han watched Anakin as his son spoke mentally to the Rancor. The beast nodded and jumped off the edge of the cliff. Anakin lowered him slowly until he reached the bottom. Han watched as the animal scampered away from the place where the cliff side would soon be. "Let's go, son."
Anakin followed his father into the Falcon. As soon as Anakin's foot left the cliff, he blinked, and the whole area slid down into the ravine.
* * *
Wedge and the rest of the New Republic dropped into a high orbit around the planet of Hastrin. They were facing a Super Star Destroyer and a wide spread of listless Imperial Star Destroyers.
Snotzenexer saw them and decided that enough was enough. He knew when it was time to regroup, and now was as good a time as any. He sent a message to the rest of the fleet saying as much. Seconds after Wedge dropped in, the rest of the Imperial fleet dropped out.
Somewhere deep in Wedge's Calamarian cruiser, R2-D2 was beeping furiously. "What is it? What is it?" an exasperated C3-PO asked. After listening to a few shrill whistles that only he could interpret, Threepio gasped. "Oh my, we must tell Princess Leia."
"Tell Leia what?" Leia walked out of a nearby hallway.
"It seems that Artoo has been talking to the ships computer and there is a huge comet that is on a collision course with Hastrin."
Leia wasted no time racing through the ship and relaying the information to Wedge. Wedge was just about to try to raise the rest of the fleet on the com, when an incoming message cut him off. "Hey, everyone. Glad you could join us."
"Han!" Leia screamed.
"Leia! Boy, have I missed you. You must have been worried sick. Don't worry Luke is fine. The kids are with me too, don't ask how or why."
"I'd love to chat with you Han," Wedge put in. "But you've got to get off that planet. It's got an ETA with a comet in less than two minutes."
"No problem."
* * *
Thrawn was pacing again. His computer screen beeped at him. They had given him a new one after he had thrown the old one at the Maltha ice vine, which still hadn't died yet despite the fact that he had moped up all of the water and the vine was now just lying on a dry floor. Thrawn sneered at it as he flipped the screen on. Thrawn looked at the young officer standing before him. It was obvious to Thrawn that this man had just lost whatever game it was that his officers played to decide which one had to tell Thrawn bad news. "Report."
"Sir," he started, but decided to try again. "Admiral, we have just received word from Commander Snotzenexer that the Dark Ring has been destroyed." The officer paused and Thrawn saw that he had more to say, much more. "Also the planetary shield has been destroyed, along with a sixth of our fleet in orbit." More. "Um, the uh, Jedi have made it to their ships, defeated the guards, and are leaving the planet." Thrawn waited patiently. "A large New Republic fleet has just dropped in, forcing our remaining fleet to retreat." Sweat was really starting to stand up on the young lieutenant's forehead now. "And Admiral," he really didn't want to say this," uh Sir, we are all screwed." This last bold comment left Thrawn slightly reeling. On his screen, the lieutenant's face was replaced with that of Danzig 6. On the bottom of the screen it said, "Collision course. ETA: 0:01.26"
Thrawn put his head in his hands and remained in that position for the rest of his life, which lasted slightly under a minute and a half.
The six ships left Hastrin in tight formation. "Nice to see you," Wedge said with an enormous grin.
"Like wise," Han replied. "What do you say, we blow this joint."
"Agreed."
Danzig 6 was now clearly visible as it sped toward Hastrin. Han looked at it for a long time. "I wonder where it came from."
"Something that big can't be natural," Lando interjected.
"I guess it doesn't really matter," Han said and he pushed the hyperdrive forward and disappeared into the starry sky.
Danzig 6 was a boiling mass of super compressed gasses that was quite mad at being forced so far from its home. It finally got its chance to vent its fury. It is of interest to note that at this point the Maltha ice vine shriveled up, incinerated, and died. Thrawn probably would have been more appreciative of this fact if he wasn't so busy shriveling up, incinerating, and dying himself.
THE END
For curiosities sake: An Epilogue
Luke stood on the hill as the wind swept through is unkempt hair. He shifted his weight slightly from his good leg back to his cane. He was gazing down in the valley where the ancient temples lay in ruins. He looked over the activity of his students cleaning up all of the twisted metal that had been shaped in the form of walkers, TIE fighters and tanks. He sighed deeply. He had asked that the temples not be rebuilt. What was the point? He had always hated those dank things anyway. They would build a more modern Academy about a kilometer away in the nice clearing that the Empire had made when they landed for the attack.
"Are you sure you don't want us to cleaned up the temples?" Luke turned around and winced at the pain is his bad leg.
"No, I'm sure. I want them to stand as a reminder to everyone what the Dark Side does. I want people to see why I have this Academy here in the first place. If we didn't have tombstones we would never remember where our loved ones were buried. I want everyone to remember what happened here so it will never happen again."
Streen nodded. Together they stood atop the hill and watched the activity.
* * *
Han cleared his throat and squinted for the umpteenth time into the bright stage lights. "And that," he said in conclusion, "is what it is like to be a smuggler. As you can see, it isn't the best occupation in the galaxy." Han looked toward the edge of the stage to the school principal to show he was finished with this torture session.
The elderly woman walked onto the stage. She literally glowed with admiration for Han. It made him sick. "Thank-you very much, General Solo." Han cringed at the title. "Do you have time for a few questions?"
Han tried to say no, but he caught Leia's eye in the back of the crowd, and he folded under the pressure. He nodded weakly. Every hand in the auditorium of children popped up.
* * *
Lando slowly lowered the Lady Luck down on the small asteroid. A short while later the ramp lowered and Lando emerged followed by three rather tall youths. After the battle at Hastrin, Lando had promised to see if he could find Jon, Vince, and Bep crystals to improve their already spectacular W-wings. The three members of the 185th jumped at the opportunity.
Lando was greeted by Mansenchin and Dexter outside the main housing hut. "Hello, long time no see."
Lando returned the greeting with a hand shake. "Where's everyone else?"
Dexter looked at Mansenchin and tried to hide his grin when he spoke. "We told them they could go home." Lando's face was that of one in shock. "There really wasn't a point in them staying. We've searched this whole place and can't find one crystal."
Lando was almost crying. "You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding." The look on Lando's face was too much for Mansenchin and he opened the door to the building. Inside Lando could see about twelve large containers overflowing with the most beautiful crystals he had ever seen.
* * *
Anakin and Jacen stood about ten meters apart, again. This time Jaina and Lowbacca were the only people watching. Jacen had both of his lightsabers out and Anakin was cautiously handling his. All three of the sabers had the filters on them. Over the past few weeks, the four friends had worked out what had happened, and all the guilt that Lowbacca, Jaina, and Jacen had felt had been washed away by the Force.
Jacen charged his younger brother with both blades twirling. Anakin stood motionless. Jacen remembered the trick that Anakin had played on him back on Hastrin. Jacen stopped in front of what he though to be just a projection of his brother. That "projection" swung and connected with Jacen's torso.
Jacen looked stunned. "But I thought-"
"Don't think - know."
The two laughed and started to spar furiously. Jaina watched her brothers go at it with awe. She was glad that this time they were on the same side, and only fighting for fun. At the rate the two of them were striking and parrying, they could be busy all day. Jaina and Lowbacca got comfortable, determined to watch it to the end.
* * *
Snotzenexer sat at the table across from Sanson, his wife. Granted the marriage wasn't a joyous occasion. In fact there wasn't really anyone who attended the union. Just a priest that they had found on some desolate world. They were hiding out in the back waters of the galaxy. Their meager fleet was in a small asteroid belt where no one would ever find it. The bar in which they sat now was very dark and musty. They weren't scared about anyone recognizing them, no one had ever seen them before. To everyone in the bar they were simply Alex and Jill, the newly-weds.
"So have you found whom you were looking for?" Sanson asked, looking up from her food.
"I have indeed," Snotzenexer responded, looking into his wine glass as he held it up to the bar's poor lights. "I have indeed."
"Does he have a name?"
"Eranadis Palpatine."
Sanson smirked. "This should be interesting."
*******
The story is continued in the Snotzenexer Trilogy