Part 24: Arnold's Second Vision
Arnold found himself standing in the middle of the same blackness as before, in his vision, surrounded by the white fog.
Not again, he thought to himself.
He peered into the fog and saw the outline of a familiar figure with golden blonde hair.
"Helga!" He called out to her, but it was as if she was unable to hear him. She turned slightly and it was then that Arnold saw the look on her face.
She looked sad, and alone, almost as if she were a lost soul.
But she was not alone.
Darth Curly appeared next to her, his black cloak clashing against the white fog.
Arnold reached for his lightsaber, but he could not find it. He ran right at the demonic figure of the Sith Lord, determined to fight him barehanded if need be...but passed right through him.
Frustrated, Arnold could only watch as the scene progressed.
Another figure appeared next to Helga and Darth Curly, a tall, dark figure in a hooded cloak. For a moment, only the shadowy outline of a face could be seen, the mouth smirked with a sadistic glee, the bright eyes alive with the hunger for power that drove the Dark Lords of the Sith. Then all at once, the shadowy face appeared...it was Chancellor Olga.
She looked over at Arnold, a triumphant smile on her once pleasant face. Then she looked over at Helga, and all at once, her gloating, wicked smirk turned to a gasp of horror. Those eyes widened...
Helga, acting quicker than either of the Sith Lords seemed to have thought possible, produced Arnold's blue lightsaber and, her plain-featured, but once beautiful face streaked with tears for her grief, quickly turned into a face full of anger. In one quick strike, Emperor Olga was reduced to a cloud of ashes. She turned on a now suprised-looking Darth Curly, her face now contorted into one of pure hatred, and delivered a smiliar blow, destroying him as well.
"HELGA NO!" Arnold screamed, looking on in abject horror.
Helga still did not seem to hear him. She looked down at the lightsaber, the blade of which seemed to turn from blue to a deep red, and smiled.
It wasn't the smile of the strong, beautiful girl that Arnold fell in love with, but a smile that was almost identical to the one her evil cloned sister had only moments before. Her eyes, no longer shinning brightly with tears, or full of the laughter and understanding he'd seen in them, but now full of a wicked knowledge. They well full of anger, yet gleefully powerful...with the Dark Side of the Force.
A voice called out to Arnold from the mist, "Arnold! Hey Arnold!"
The scene around him began to slowly fade...to be replaced by the worried looks of Master Gerald and his grandparents.
"Huh? G-gerald? Where am I?" Arnold lifted his head and a sharp pain filled it.
"Woah, take it easy there, Arnold," Gerald said, trying to hold him down. "You need to rest, you're fortunate to still be in one piece."
They were in a small cave not far from Beggar's Canyon, it was still dark outside, but the setting moons said that it was still night outside, but a few hours left to daylight. Sid 3PO, Li-la Binks, and the other farm hands were all nearby watching him worried.
"We found you by the riverbank, boy," Grandpa Phil told him. "You took quite a bump on the head there, shortman."
"Do you remember where you are, what happened?" Grandma Girtie asked him.
Arnold sat up quickly, everything coming back to him all at once...Darth Curly attacking him, Helga captured...."Helga! We have to get to her!"
"Arnold, listen to me, we are going to try and save her. I was able to contact the Republic's forces, they will be here to help in about an hour. We will get them back. I promise." Gerald thought of Phoebe too as he said those words.
"No Gerald, you don't understand!" Arnold said desperately, anxiety clear on his face. "I had a vision...I have to get to Helga and stop her before she makes a terrible mistake!" He looked over at his grandmother. "She thinks I am dead, her mind is full of grief because of it." He looked guilty to be partly responsible for that.
Grandma Gertie looked at him. "Her feelings for you are strong. Do not underestimate them. Her grief may make her easy prey for the Dark Side, but yet the true love you both feel may yet save her."
Arnold blinked at his grandmother.
She continued, "Her use of the Force, as well as Master Phoebe's is being blocked somehow, she cannot sense you are still alive. However, I do sense that she has yet to make her decision."
Arnold nodded, "She hasen't turned yet, and I wont let them turn her!" He turned to Gerald. "Do you know where they may have taken her?"
Gerald nodded. "Yes, we do. The Trade Federation's Battle Ship has landed near Patty The Hutt's palace. It seems that she's been using slave laborers to build a large droid army."
"How did you find this out?" Arnold asked, blinking.
"Well, Patty The Hutt and her goons tried to capture us, but they only sent two dozen or so, nothing me and your grandmother couldn't take care of." He actually smiled then. "One of them told us everything we needed to know."
"What did you do?" Arnold asked curiously, "The Jedi Mind Trick?"
"No, we had to do something a little more cruel. We told him if he didn't tell we would leave him with Li-la Binks instead of the authorities."
Li-la Binks snorted, "How ever-so wode!"
Arnold got up and looked around at everyone. "If the Sith use that droid army, they can conquer the Galaxy. We have to help stop them and save Helga and Pheobe."
"Are you sure you are up to this, grasshopper?" Gertie asked, looking him into the eyes.
Arnold nodded, looking back at her determined. "I must save her Grandma...I love her."
She smiled and nodded.
"Yeeha! Letsa open up a can of whoop-tooshie!" Li-la Binks shouted with a yell.
Everyone looked at her strangely, then smiled and nodded in assessment.
They set off on their date with destiny. Arnold, with a determined look on his oblong face, thought to himself, Hold on Helga, I'm coming!
To Be Continued...
Arnold found himself standing in the middle of the same blackness as before, in his vision, surrounded by the white fog.
Not again, he thought to himself.
He peered into the fog and saw the outline of a familiar figure with golden blonde hair.
"Helga!" He called out to her, but it was as if she was unable to hear him. She turned slightly and it was then that Arnold saw the look on her face.
She looked sad, and alone, almost as if she were a lost soul.
But she was not alone.
Darth Curly appeared next to her, his black cloak clashing against the white fog.
Arnold reached for his lightsaber, but he could not find it. He ran right at the demonic figure of the Sith Lord, determined to fight him barehanded if need be...but passed right through him.
Frustrated, Arnold could only watch as the scene progressed.
Another figure appeared next to Helga and Darth Curly, a tall, dark figure in a hooded cloak. For a moment, only the shadowy outline of a face could be seen, the mouth smirked with a sadistic glee, the bright eyes alive with the hunger for power that drove the Dark Lords of the Sith. Then all at once, the shadowy face appeared...it was Chancellor Olga.
She looked over at Arnold, a triumphant smile on her once pleasant face. Then she looked over at Helga, and all at once, her gloating, wicked smirk turned to a gasp of horror. Those eyes widened...
Helga, acting quicker than either of the Sith Lords seemed to have thought possible, produced Arnold's blue lightsaber and, her plain-featured, but once beautiful face streaked with tears for her grief, quickly turned into a face full of anger. In one quick strike, Emperor Olga was reduced to a cloud of ashes. She turned on a now suprised-looking Darth Curly, her face now contorted into one of pure hatred, and delivered a smiliar blow, destroying him as well.
"HELGA NO!" Arnold screamed, looking on in abject horror.
Helga still did not seem to hear him. She looked down at the lightsaber, the blade of which seemed to turn from blue to a deep red, and smiled.
It wasn't the smile of the strong, beautiful girl that Arnold fell in love with, but a smile that was almost identical to the one her evil cloned sister had only moments before. Her eyes, no longer shinning brightly with tears, or full of the laughter and understanding he'd seen in them, but now full of a wicked knowledge. They well full of anger, yet gleefully powerful...with the Dark Side of the Force.
A voice called out to Arnold from the mist, "Arnold! Hey Arnold!"
The scene around him began to slowly fade...to be replaced by the worried looks of Master Gerald and his grandparents.
"Huh? G-gerald? Where am I?" Arnold lifted his head and a sharp pain filled it.
"Woah, take it easy there, Arnold," Gerald said, trying to hold him down. "You need to rest, you're fortunate to still be in one piece."
They were in a small cave not far from Beggar's Canyon, it was still dark outside, but the setting moons said that it was still night outside, but a few hours left to daylight. Sid 3PO, Li-la Binks, and the other farm hands were all nearby watching him worried.
"We found you by the riverbank, boy," Grandpa Phil told him. "You took quite a bump on the head there, shortman."
"Do you remember where you are, what happened?" Grandma Girtie asked him.
Arnold sat up quickly, everything coming back to him all at once...Darth Curly attacking him, Helga captured...."Helga! We have to get to her!"
"Arnold, listen to me, we are going to try and save her. I was able to contact the Republic's forces, they will be here to help in about an hour. We will get them back. I promise." Gerald thought of Phoebe too as he said those words.
"No Gerald, you don't understand!" Arnold said desperately, anxiety clear on his face. "I had a vision...I have to get to Helga and stop her before she makes a terrible mistake!" He looked over at his grandmother. "She thinks I am dead, her mind is full of grief because of it." He looked guilty to be partly responsible for that.
Grandma Gertie looked at him. "Her feelings for you are strong. Do not underestimate them. Her grief may make her easy prey for the Dark Side, but yet the true love you both feel may yet save her."
Arnold blinked at his grandmother.
She continued, "Her use of the Force, as well as Master Phoebe's is being blocked somehow, she cannot sense you are still alive. However, I do sense that she has yet to make her decision."
Arnold nodded, "She hasen't turned yet, and I wont let them turn her!" He turned to Gerald. "Do you know where they may have taken her?"
Gerald nodded. "Yes, we do. The Trade Federation's Battle Ship has landed near Patty The Hutt's palace. It seems that she's been using slave laborers to build a large droid army."
"How did you find this out?" Arnold asked, blinking.
"Well, Patty The Hutt and her goons tried to capture us, but they only sent two dozen or so, nothing me and your grandmother couldn't take care of." He actually smiled then. "One of them told us everything we needed to know."
"What did you do?" Arnold asked curiously, "The Jedi Mind Trick?"
"No, we had to do something a little more cruel. We told him if he didn't tell we would leave him with Li-la Binks instead of the authorities."
Li-la Binks snorted, "How ever-so wode!"
Arnold got up and looked around at everyone. "If the Sith use that droid army, they can conquer the Galaxy. We have to help stop them and save Helga and Pheobe."
"Are you sure you are up to this, grasshopper?" Gertie asked, looking him into the eyes.
Arnold nodded, looking back at her determined. "I must save her Grandma...I love her."
She smiled and nodded.
"Yeeha! Letsa open up a can of whoop-tooshie!" Li-la Binks shouted with a yell.
Everyone looked at her strangely, then smiled and nodded in assessment.
They set off on their date with destiny. Arnold, with a determined look on his oblong face, thought to himself, Hold on Helga, I'm coming!
To Be Continued...