Part 32: Countdown Stopped!
Outside, the last of the Trade Federation Battle Driods were being destroyed by the Republic's Army. General Park smiled as he watched, along with Arnold Skywalker's Grandpa, his extended family, Sid 3-PO and Li-la Binks.
Senator Helga Amidala closed her eyes and happy tears fell from her eyes as she felt Arnold thoughts. "He did it! Arnold did it!" She called out, opening her eyes. She stood up, her leg splinted by the med robots and hugged Master Jedi Phoebe who was also smiling happily.
The others, hearing this, broke out in cheers. Sid 3-PO was grabbed by Li-la Binks who hugged him tightly shouting, "Yesa! Arnold ever-so did it! Yahooiesa!" She danced around with him.
Sid 3-PO shouted, "Hey! Wait! I am not programed for...woah!" When Li-la Binks let go of him he fell to the ground on his face.
"Oopsa! Mesa ever-so sorrie!" Li-la Binks said worried.
Everyone laughed at the antics.
Inside the ship however, one more problem that nobody else knew about was making itself known ot Master Gertie, who arrived on the bridge and saw the countdown on the computer screen...it now read two minutes!
She went over to the wrecked deactivation controls and began to work frantically on the jumble of wires...
Gerald finally managed to cut a hole in the doorway and kick it in. He rushed inside, lightsaber at the ready, only to encounter Arnold, kneeling on the floor looking at his lightsaber handle.
"Arnold! Are you ok?" Gerald asked running over.
The young Jedi looked up and nodded, "I'll be fine."
"Wha happened to Darth Curly?"
Arnold said simply, "He lost his head."
Gerald put a hand on his shoulder. "You had to do it, man. He was unstable and I doubt he would have been taken alive anyhow."
Arnold only nodded and sighed.
Suddenly, from their right came the sound of a shuttle engine coming to life. They turned to see Darth Curly's shuttle lift off and Viceroy Rhonda and Commander Nadine wave sarcastic goodbyes to them.
"Oh man, their getting away!" Arnold said, standing up.
Gerald frowned, this was not good. If they got away, then they may still cause trouble somewhere else in the Galaxy, the Republic may still be in danger.
Outside, everyone looked up in time to see a black shuttle emerge from the battleship and lower its wings for space flight.
"Its the Viceroy!" Phoebe shouted out.
Helga looked up, "Somebody do something! Stop her! We can't let her escape!"
General Park sighed and shook his head. "They have too big a head start, they're going to get away!"
"Oh nosa!" Li-la Binks cried in dismay and pounded a fist on the control pannel near her...which happened to control the armored vehichles missle launcher.
A missle fired with a loud bang, it took off, without a direct guide it flew blindly into the sky towards the shuttle and struck it. An explosion made everyone shield their eyes, then they saw one of the shuttle's wings fall off and black smoke come out. The shuttle then turned and crashed not too far away from them on its belly.
Everyone turned to look at Li-la Binks incrudiously. For her part, the gungan only offered an embarrassed, toothy grin and gave a thumbs up.
Helga looked over to see the white clad soldiers pull two dischieveled figures from the wreckage. She limped over as they brought the two prisoners over to her.
Viceroy Rhonda was shouting about her clothes, then stopped in mid-sentence and saw Helga approaching. She folded her arms and snorted, "Oh well, I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to hear the speech about how 'good always triumphs' and 'love conquers all' and stuff huh?"
Not even breaking step, Helga said, "Why dont you speech this you fasion freak!" Then she punched Viceroy Rhonda right in the mouth, sending her on her back hard.
The fatigue Helga felt in the past few hours fell from her and she smiled, "Damn that felt good."
Rhonda looked up at her, her mouth bleeding and said, "You're going to pay for that!"
Helga said, "I'd be more worried about jail right now if I were you, sister. They dont have too many styles in stripes you know."
Instead of being mad and making more empty threats like Helga expected, the vain Viceroy Rhonda did something she didn't expect.
She began to laugh.
"What's so funny, princess?"
Rhonda looked up and a very insane smile crossed her face. "There's no way I'm going to be wearing stripes, cause the ship is set to detonate."
Everyone looked horrified at this.
Rhonda continued, "The antimater containment will detonate the core and destroy us all in...how long Commander?"
Commander Nadine, who looked very ill now and was obviously not as willing to take the same extremes to escape prison as her leader, answered, in a very shakey voice, "O-one minute."
No time! Helga thought to herself in terror and looked over at the ship.
Rhonda laughed like a loon.
On the bridge, Gertie connected two more wires, and for the third time in the last minute was shocked by a current of exectricity.
She looked again at the countdown...thirty seconds!
Gertie pulled several more wires and looked back at the screen...nothing.
"Oh the heck with this!" She said and activated her lightsaber and thrust it into the control pannel.
There was an explosion and Gertie's face was black, her hair standing out, charred in several places. She glanced up at the countdown...it stopped!
She grinned.
A few moments later, everyone outside was looking at the battleship and then....
Nothing!
Viceroy Rhonda looked at the ship in disbelief, all of a sudden at a total loss.
People began to cheer all around her.
Helga and the others felt a great sense of relief.
"No..." Viceroy Rhonda whispered, then said again, this time shouting, "NO!"
Helga looked at Viceroy Rhonda and Commander Nadine and snorted, "Take them away!"
As the troopers began to take the two villians into custody, Master Phoebe stepped forward and removed the "fasion police" ticket from her robes. "Look good with stripes, that bad haircut of yours will not." She smiled at Rhonda, shoving the ticket into her uniform.
Rhonda snorted angrily and was escorted with Commander Nadine into the same armored transport ship under armed guard with Harold Fett to be escorted to the prison planet.
Helga smiled at the little Jedi, "Good one, Feebes." Phoebe nodded, feeling a whole lot better.
Near another transport, the former Chancellor/Emperor Olga was being bound with manicles, and extra strength was given to the lock that held the Force restraining collar on her neck. She glared at all of them.
"This is not over! I will find a way to even the score! You will all pay someday!" She called out.
Big Bob walked over and looked at his creation sadly. "We gave you everything Olga, I loved you as though you were my very own. How could you do this?"
She looked at Big Bob, her face was a snarl. "Love!" She snorted derisively, "Its a useles emotion. All that matters is power!"
"Your wrong, Olga."
Everyone turned to see Arnold Skywalker arriving with Gerald Windu and Master Gertie.
The young Jedi Padawan looked at Olga and said, "Your desire for power is what brought you down...and what destroyed Darth Curly." He pulled the remains of the Sith Lord's lightsaber and tossed them at Olga's feet.
Olga looked at them with absolutely no remorse for the loss of her apprentice. "There are more like him, ready to follow my bidding!" She looked up at Arnold, then to Helga and said, "Someday, you will bow before me before I destroy you!"
Helga looked up at her cloned older sister, and was surprised to feel bad for her. She muttered to the soldiers, "Take her away."
With one last glare, Olga was taken away to her own personal transport with an armed squad of special forces troopers guard her.
Arnold walked over to Helga. "Are you alright, Helga?"
Helga nodded, "I am now, a little medical attention and I will be good as new."
Gerald Windu looked at Phoebe and smiled, "At last, its over. Now everything can go back to normal."
Phoebe nodded.
As Gerald said that, both Arnold and Helga looked up into each other's eyes, a sudden thought crossing their minds.
Everything?
To Be Concluded....
One more chapter to go!!! Will Arnold and Helga get to stay together or will duty tear them apart? Stay tuned for the answer!!! D.R.
Outside, the last of the Trade Federation Battle Driods were being destroyed by the Republic's Army. General Park smiled as he watched, along with Arnold Skywalker's Grandpa, his extended family, Sid 3-PO and Li-la Binks.
Senator Helga Amidala closed her eyes and happy tears fell from her eyes as she felt Arnold thoughts. "He did it! Arnold did it!" She called out, opening her eyes. She stood up, her leg splinted by the med robots and hugged Master Jedi Phoebe who was also smiling happily.
The others, hearing this, broke out in cheers. Sid 3-PO was grabbed by Li-la Binks who hugged him tightly shouting, "Yesa! Arnold ever-so did it! Yahooiesa!" She danced around with him.
Sid 3-PO shouted, "Hey! Wait! I am not programed for...woah!" When Li-la Binks let go of him he fell to the ground on his face.
"Oopsa! Mesa ever-so sorrie!" Li-la Binks said worried.
Everyone laughed at the antics.
Inside the ship however, one more problem that nobody else knew about was making itself known ot Master Gertie, who arrived on the bridge and saw the countdown on the computer screen...it now read two minutes!
She went over to the wrecked deactivation controls and began to work frantically on the jumble of wires...
Gerald finally managed to cut a hole in the doorway and kick it in. He rushed inside, lightsaber at the ready, only to encounter Arnold, kneeling on the floor looking at his lightsaber handle.
"Arnold! Are you ok?" Gerald asked running over.
The young Jedi looked up and nodded, "I'll be fine."
"Wha happened to Darth Curly?"
Arnold said simply, "He lost his head."
Gerald put a hand on his shoulder. "You had to do it, man. He was unstable and I doubt he would have been taken alive anyhow."
Arnold only nodded and sighed.
Suddenly, from their right came the sound of a shuttle engine coming to life. They turned to see Darth Curly's shuttle lift off and Viceroy Rhonda and Commander Nadine wave sarcastic goodbyes to them.
"Oh man, their getting away!" Arnold said, standing up.
Gerald frowned, this was not good. If they got away, then they may still cause trouble somewhere else in the Galaxy, the Republic may still be in danger.
Outside, everyone looked up in time to see a black shuttle emerge from the battleship and lower its wings for space flight.
"Its the Viceroy!" Phoebe shouted out.
Helga looked up, "Somebody do something! Stop her! We can't let her escape!"
General Park sighed and shook his head. "They have too big a head start, they're going to get away!"
"Oh nosa!" Li-la Binks cried in dismay and pounded a fist on the control pannel near her...which happened to control the armored vehichles missle launcher.
A missle fired with a loud bang, it took off, without a direct guide it flew blindly into the sky towards the shuttle and struck it. An explosion made everyone shield their eyes, then they saw one of the shuttle's wings fall off and black smoke come out. The shuttle then turned and crashed not too far away from them on its belly.
Everyone turned to look at Li-la Binks incrudiously. For her part, the gungan only offered an embarrassed, toothy grin and gave a thumbs up.
Helga looked over to see the white clad soldiers pull two dischieveled figures from the wreckage. She limped over as they brought the two prisoners over to her.
Viceroy Rhonda was shouting about her clothes, then stopped in mid-sentence and saw Helga approaching. She folded her arms and snorted, "Oh well, I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to hear the speech about how 'good always triumphs' and 'love conquers all' and stuff huh?"
Not even breaking step, Helga said, "Why dont you speech this you fasion freak!" Then she punched Viceroy Rhonda right in the mouth, sending her on her back hard.
The fatigue Helga felt in the past few hours fell from her and she smiled, "Damn that felt good."
Rhonda looked up at her, her mouth bleeding and said, "You're going to pay for that!"
Helga said, "I'd be more worried about jail right now if I were you, sister. They dont have too many styles in stripes you know."
Instead of being mad and making more empty threats like Helga expected, the vain Viceroy Rhonda did something she didn't expect.
She began to laugh.
"What's so funny, princess?"
Rhonda looked up and a very insane smile crossed her face. "There's no way I'm going to be wearing stripes, cause the ship is set to detonate."
Everyone looked horrified at this.
Rhonda continued, "The antimater containment will detonate the core and destroy us all in...how long Commander?"
Commander Nadine, who looked very ill now and was obviously not as willing to take the same extremes to escape prison as her leader, answered, in a very shakey voice, "O-one minute."
No time! Helga thought to herself in terror and looked over at the ship.
Rhonda laughed like a loon.
On the bridge, Gertie connected two more wires, and for the third time in the last minute was shocked by a current of exectricity.
She looked again at the countdown...thirty seconds!
Gertie pulled several more wires and looked back at the screen...nothing.
"Oh the heck with this!" She said and activated her lightsaber and thrust it into the control pannel.
There was an explosion and Gertie's face was black, her hair standing out, charred in several places. She glanced up at the countdown...it stopped!
She grinned.
A few moments later, everyone outside was looking at the battleship and then....
Nothing!
Viceroy Rhonda looked at the ship in disbelief, all of a sudden at a total loss.
People began to cheer all around her.
Helga and the others felt a great sense of relief.
"No..." Viceroy Rhonda whispered, then said again, this time shouting, "NO!"
Helga looked at Viceroy Rhonda and Commander Nadine and snorted, "Take them away!"
As the troopers began to take the two villians into custody, Master Phoebe stepped forward and removed the "fasion police" ticket from her robes. "Look good with stripes, that bad haircut of yours will not." She smiled at Rhonda, shoving the ticket into her uniform.
Rhonda snorted angrily and was escorted with Commander Nadine into the same armored transport ship under armed guard with Harold Fett to be escorted to the prison planet.
Helga smiled at the little Jedi, "Good one, Feebes." Phoebe nodded, feeling a whole lot better.
Near another transport, the former Chancellor/Emperor Olga was being bound with manicles, and extra strength was given to the lock that held the Force restraining collar on her neck. She glared at all of them.
"This is not over! I will find a way to even the score! You will all pay someday!" She called out.
Big Bob walked over and looked at his creation sadly. "We gave you everything Olga, I loved you as though you were my very own. How could you do this?"
She looked at Big Bob, her face was a snarl. "Love!" She snorted derisively, "Its a useles emotion. All that matters is power!"
"Your wrong, Olga."
Everyone turned to see Arnold Skywalker arriving with Gerald Windu and Master Gertie.
The young Jedi Padawan looked at Olga and said, "Your desire for power is what brought you down...and what destroyed Darth Curly." He pulled the remains of the Sith Lord's lightsaber and tossed them at Olga's feet.
Olga looked at them with absolutely no remorse for the loss of her apprentice. "There are more like him, ready to follow my bidding!" She looked up at Arnold, then to Helga and said, "Someday, you will bow before me before I destroy you!"
Helga looked up at her cloned older sister, and was surprised to feel bad for her. She muttered to the soldiers, "Take her away."
With one last glare, Olga was taken away to her own personal transport with an armed squad of special forces troopers guard her.
Arnold walked over to Helga. "Are you alright, Helga?"
Helga nodded, "I am now, a little medical attention and I will be good as new."
Gerald Windu looked at Phoebe and smiled, "At last, its over. Now everything can go back to normal."
Phoebe nodded.
As Gerald said that, both Arnold and Helga looked up into each other's eyes, a sudden thought crossing their minds.
Everything?
To Be Concluded....
One more chapter to go!!! Will Arnold and Helga get to stay together or will duty tear them apart? Stay tuned for the answer!!! D.R.