"There it is, come on!" Han shouted as he ran down the ramp of the Falcon.
Uratis' ship was parked in the docking bay across from them. According to
the tracking device, it had landed here in Alderaan's capital city at least
an hour ago. It was unlikely that anyone was still in the ship, but Han
refused to give up hope. The others followed behind him more slowly as he
entered the docking bay. No one was there, and the ship was completely
powered down. "Leia!" Han shouted into the emptiness. There was no reply.
"Han," Luke said gently, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "They're gone." Han stared straight ahead, gritting his teeth, refusing to look at anyone. There was a long silence.
"There have to be some clues about where they went," Indy said finally. He walked over to the ship's hatch and began searching for a way inside, running his fingers along the edges. "We just have to get inside somehow." He looked all around the smooth searching for a button to open it. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around.
"It can only be opened by an eye scan," Luke said, pointing to a small screen to the door's left.
"Oh," Indy said sheepishly. He turned to Obi-Wan. "Well that's no problem, right? You can just use the Force to get through, can't you?"
"It's doesn't exactly work like that, I'm afraid," Obi-Wan replied. "A retina scan is much more complicated to decipher than a simple code."
"Luke," Indy said, "Can your lightsabre cut through metal?"
Luke shrugged. "It might take a little effort, but I think so."
Indy nodded towards the ship, "Well, do that then."
"There will undoubtedly be a security device on the hatch," Obi-Wan cautioned. "He'll set off an alarm and then we'll have to explain ourselves to local security, which I'm not too keen on doing."
Scratching the back of his head, Indy thought it over for a moment. Then he pointed to the top of the ship, "Why not go through there?"
"Just cut through?" Obi-Wan asked.
Indy shrugged. "Why not? It's the same material and there won't be an alarm."
"I suppose that would make sense," Obi-Wan replied.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Han asked, breaking out of his statue like state, now filled with exuberance. Luke and Obi-Wan looked at each other briefly, then both climbed atop the ship and began burning through the hull.
With both of them working together, it was only about 10 minutes before a section of the roof melted and collapsed, leaving a hole big enough to climb through. The two Jedi clipped their lightsabres back on their belts, and crawled inside the ship. Han and Indy were not far behind them. Luke and Obi-Wan were already heading for the cockpit to check for any messages or maps that might have been left behind.
"I'll check his room, you look in here," Han said to Indy as he quickly headed toward the small sleeping compartment.
Indy looked around the corridor he was in. There were a few compartments along the wall, but a quick inspection showed them empty. He sighed in frustration and leaned against the other wall. The panel beneath his left foot lit up, as did the one he was leaning on. To his right, a hidden vault on the wall opened up. After a few moments of confusion, he looked inside. There were a few papers inside with some handwritten notes on them. Indy took them out and looked at them; they seemed to be written in some strange alphabet. "Guys!" He shouted, "I found something!"
The others quickly rushed in. "Hey, good work Indy," Han said. Indy wasn't about to admit that the find had been an accident. "What are they?"
"Some kind of coded documents."
"Let me see," Obi-Wan said, taking the papers. He glanced at them, then at Indy in confusion. "They're just in normal Aurebesh," he said.
"Oh, right, of course," Indy mumbled.
Obi-Wan gave him another strange look, but then returned his focus to the papers. He scanned through the first one, then flipped through the others. "They're letters to Uratis detailing some sort of operation." As he read on, some of the colour drained from his features.
"What?" Luke asked.
Obi-Wan gave him a worried look. "It appears the conspiracy against Senator Organa may be greater than was first thought. Uratis seems to be in charge of a rather large group calling themselves The Armoury Movement. They have a hidden base here in the capital."
"Does it say where?" Han asked urgently.
Obi-Wan hesitated before replying, "Yes," he added quickly, "but it would be foolish to try to infiltrate it. Unlike the outpost we invaded before, this base sounds like it houses at least 50 men. We'd never be able to overpower them."
Han looked angry, but Luke spoke up before he could fume against Obi-Wan again. "Are there any details about the assassination attempt or their motives?"
"The details are sketchy, but I believe their aim has something to do with the weapons ban on Alderaan," Obi-Wan paused, then added, "Which doesn't apply to Jedi, of course," as if feeling the need to justify himself. "As for the assassination attempt." he flipped through several more pages. On the last page, he found what he was looking for. "Here, it says it's set for two days from now at the capital building." He frowned. "I think it's time I contacted my master and requested some backup."
"First we get Leia back," Han insisted. Luke shook his head slightly, but Han ignored him.
Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan replied, "I'm sure Uratis took him with her to the base."
"I agree, so shouldn't we go after her?" Han asked forcefully. Obi-Wan didn't have to say anything to give his answer. Han was about to go on another rant, when Luke forcefully pulled him down the hallway toward the cockpit.
"Excuse us a moment," Luke said to the others. Once inside with the door closed, he turned to Han. "Obi-Wan is right."
"Oh, here we go again-"
"Han, listen! I know you're worried about Leia. I am too. She's my sister, remember? But if Bail is assassinated, getting Leia back won't matter. The entire course of time will be altered. The three of us may never meet, the Empire may never fall." He stopped and took a deep breath. "The base will be too heavily guarded anyway. We have to help Obi-Wan stop the assassination, then worry about Leia. She's more than capable of looking out for herself."
After a moment of pause, Han smirked slightly. "Yeah, she is isn't she?" he said. He let out a sigh. "All right, I understand what you're saying."
"Good." They rejoined Indy and Obi-Wan in the small hallway.
"Everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, we're fine," Han replied confidently. "So what are we waiting for? If we're going to put together a plan, we've gotta start now. And don't you have someone to get a hold of?" he looked to Obi-Wan, who appeared to be pleasantly surprised at the smuggler's change of demeanor.
"Yes, let's get back to the Falcon and I'll contact Master Qui-Gon," Obi- Wan replied with a nod. He tucked the papers in a pouch on his belt, and climbed out of the hole in the roof, the other three following behind.
"Han," Luke said gently, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "They're gone." Han stared straight ahead, gritting his teeth, refusing to look at anyone. There was a long silence.
"There have to be some clues about where they went," Indy said finally. He walked over to the ship's hatch and began searching for a way inside, running his fingers along the edges. "We just have to get inside somehow." He looked all around the smooth searching for a button to open it. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around.
"It can only be opened by an eye scan," Luke said, pointing to a small screen to the door's left.
"Oh," Indy said sheepishly. He turned to Obi-Wan. "Well that's no problem, right? You can just use the Force to get through, can't you?"
"It's doesn't exactly work like that, I'm afraid," Obi-Wan replied. "A retina scan is much more complicated to decipher than a simple code."
"Luke," Indy said, "Can your lightsabre cut through metal?"
Luke shrugged. "It might take a little effort, but I think so."
Indy nodded towards the ship, "Well, do that then."
"There will undoubtedly be a security device on the hatch," Obi-Wan cautioned. "He'll set off an alarm and then we'll have to explain ourselves to local security, which I'm not too keen on doing."
Scratching the back of his head, Indy thought it over for a moment. Then he pointed to the top of the ship, "Why not go through there?"
"Just cut through?" Obi-Wan asked.
Indy shrugged. "Why not? It's the same material and there won't be an alarm."
"I suppose that would make sense," Obi-Wan replied.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Han asked, breaking out of his statue like state, now filled with exuberance. Luke and Obi-Wan looked at each other briefly, then both climbed atop the ship and began burning through the hull.
With both of them working together, it was only about 10 minutes before a section of the roof melted and collapsed, leaving a hole big enough to climb through. The two Jedi clipped their lightsabres back on their belts, and crawled inside the ship. Han and Indy were not far behind them. Luke and Obi-Wan were already heading for the cockpit to check for any messages or maps that might have been left behind.
"I'll check his room, you look in here," Han said to Indy as he quickly headed toward the small sleeping compartment.
Indy looked around the corridor he was in. There were a few compartments along the wall, but a quick inspection showed them empty. He sighed in frustration and leaned against the other wall. The panel beneath his left foot lit up, as did the one he was leaning on. To his right, a hidden vault on the wall opened up. After a few moments of confusion, he looked inside. There were a few papers inside with some handwritten notes on them. Indy took them out and looked at them; they seemed to be written in some strange alphabet. "Guys!" He shouted, "I found something!"
The others quickly rushed in. "Hey, good work Indy," Han said. Indy wasn't about to admit that the find had been an accident. "What are they?"
"Some kind of coded documents."
"Let me see," Obi-Wan said, taking the papers. He glanced at them, then at Indy in confusion. "They're just in normal Aurebesh," he said.
"Oh, right, of course," Indy mumbled.
Obi-Wan gave him another strange look, but then returned his focus to the papers. He scanned through the first one, then flipped through the others. "They're letters to Uratis detailing some sort of operation." As he read on, some of the colour drained from his features.
"What?" Luke asked.
Obi-Wan gave him a worried look. "It appears the conspiracy against Senator Organa may be greater than was first thought. Uratis seems to be in charge of a rather large group calling themselves The Armoury Movement. They have a hidden base here in the capital."
"Does it say where?" Han asked urgently.
Obi-Wan hesitated before replying, "Yes," he added quickly, "but it would be foolish to try to infiltrate it. Unlike the outpost we invaded before, this base sounds like it houses at least 50 men. We'd never be able to overpower them."
Han looked angry, but Luke spoke up before he could fume against Obi-Wan again. "Are there any details about the assassination attempt or their motives?"
"The details are sketchy, but I believe their aim has something to do with the weapons ban on Alderaan," Obi-Wan paused, then added, "Which doesn't apply to Jedi, of course," as if feeling the need to justify himself. "As for the assassination attempt." he flipped through several more pages. On the last page, he found what he was looking for. "Here, it says it's set for two days from now at the capital building." He frowned. "I think it's time I contacted my master and requested some backup."
"First we get Leia back," Han insisted. Luke shook his head slightly, but Han ignored him.
Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan replied, "I'm sure Uratis took him with her to the base."
"I agree, so shouldn't we go after her?" Han asked forcefully. Obi-Wan didn't have to say anything to give his answer. Han was about to go on another rant, when Luke forcefully pulled him down the hallway toward the cockpit.
"Excuse us a moment," Luke said to the others. Once inside with the door closed, he turned to Han. "Obi-Wan is right."
"Oh, here we go again-"
"Han, listen! I know you're worried about Leia. I am too. She's my sister, remember? But if Bail is assassinated, getting Leia back won't matter. The entire course of time will be altered. The three of us may never meet, the Empire may never fall." He stopped and took a deep breath. "The base will be too heavily guarded anyway. We have to help Obi-Wan stop the assassination, then worry about Leia. She's more than capable of looking out for herself."
After a moment of pause, Han smirked slightly. "Yeah, she is isn't she?" he said. He let out a sigh. "All right, I understand what you're saying."
"Good." They rejoined Indy and Obi-Wan in the small hallway.
"Everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, we're fine," Han replied confidently. "So what are we waiting for? If we're going to put together a plan, we've gotta start now. And don't you have someone to get a hold of?" he looked to Obi-Wan, who appeared to be pleasantly surprised at the smuggler's change of demeanor.
"Yes, let's get back to the Falcon and I'll contact Master Qui-Gon," Obi- Wan replied with a nod. He tucked the papers in a pouch on his belt, and climbed out of the hole in the roof, the other three following behind.