Chris crept silently down the deserted corridors of the cloud city. Tim2 trumped along behind him, trying his best not to make any noise.
It bothered Chris that no one had stopped them yet and asked for landing permits or travel passes or any other such nonsense as that. It disturbed him even more that they hadn't even seen another living being since they arrived in the system. Where was everyone? It was painfully obvious that something wasn't right here. Where were his friends? Was he too late to save them?
Just then, Chris heard approaching footsteps coming down the adjacent corridor. He quickly ducked into an alcove and watched a very strange procession go by. A strange humanoid creature decked in green armor led the way down the hall, holding a laser mallet tightly in both hands. Behind her walked two Woodwind Sax troopers escorting some sort of floating cargo box. Chris thought he saw something white but he couldn't be sure. After that a group of clarinet officers came into view, led by a man dressed in a flowing black cape. In the middle of the group walked Amanda and Bruchacca, with A-10 strapped to Bruchacca's back.
Chris' heart leapt for joy at having found them, but other questions soon surfaced in his mind. Where was Keoni? Why couldn't A-10 walk?
Chris signaled for Tim2 to stay behind and immediately stepped out into the corridor to follow them when suddenly, out of nowhere, blaster fire ripped into the wall just above his head. Chris ducked behind a fountain and returned fire at his assailant. The pit hunter, Chelsea Fett.
Meanwhile the officers were leading Amanda and Bruchacca away. But the moment Amanda realized that it was Chris firing at the pit hunter, she began shouting hysterically.
"CHRIS! Chris- don't it's a trap!" she screamed as the officers dragged her away.
"A TRAP!"
Chris immediately jumped up. The enemy had retreated but he had no idea what Amanda had just shouted. Her words had been muffled by the sound of blaster fire.
The youth cautiously made his way into the corridor they'd retreated to. But when he made his way down it he discovered that the way was split. One fork simply continued the corridor he was in now. The other led into some sort of darkened chamber. Chris decided that it would be better to take the chamber, as there was no sign of his quarry down the corridor. So he stepped inside, not seeming to notice that the door slid shut before Tim2 had a chance to follow him inside.
Chris surveyed his surroundings, finding himself in some sort of chemical plant or junk disposal. For some reason unknown the air seemed thick to him, almost tainted in some way. But suddenly he knew why.
His gaze drifted up a small flight of stares and came to rest on the black incarnate of an evil spirit. Chris could hear the ragged breathing coming from Darth Fred's shako mask system as one hears the labored breathing of a dying animal. His dark figure was strangely silhouetted in a halo of light as he drew his red laser sword.
"The Drill is with you, young Skywalker……but you are not a Trombone yet."
Chris slowly ascended the stairway. He looked upon the tall form of the dark Drum Major and did not feel the crushing fear that he had expected. Some tiny portion of his brain told him that Fred should be feared but he refused to listen.
As Chris drew his father's band saber he felt the Drill flowing through him. The two stood facing each other for a moment before Fred brought up his heathen red saber and delivered the first blow. Chris blocked it easily and sent a thrust of his saber Fred's way. Its pure blue light would guide him and he would defeat the darkness. He would triumph over this hideous monster for the sake of all. For his friends. For Jason. For Keena.
And for his father.
XxX
Six Sax troopers still guarded Amanda, Bruchacca, and Keith. Amanda was still grief-stricken over Keoni and she was gravely afraid for Chris. What did Darth Fred want with him?
Suddenly Amanda found herself staring down the bell of a sax. Only it wasn't the alto sax of the Sax troopers. It was a tenor sax. They were surrounded by Arapahoe guards!
The six sax troopers quickly surrendered and K-2 took their weapons. He handed one to Keith and one to Amanda.
"Hold them in the security tower, and keep it quiet," Keith hissed to his aide. "Move!"
Amanda stared in shock as the guards led the troopers away. She watched this turn of events with amazement as Keith began to undo the bonds that held Bruchacca.
"What do you think you're doing!" Amanda asked in bafflement.
"Getting out of here," Keith answered brusquely.
"I knew it all along," A-10 said with relief. "It had to be a mistake."
"Do you think that after what you did to Keoni that we're going to trust you!" Amanda asked furiously.
Without stopping to question, Bruchacca turned on the man who'd freed him and promptly began to strangle him.
"I had no choice!" Keith choked.
"What are you doing! Trust him! Trust him!" A-10 shouted in a panic.
"Oh we understand, don't we Bruce? He had no choice!" Amanda mocked.
"I'm just tryin' to help."
"We don't need any of your help," Amanda warned.
"Ke- Keo- ni," Keith tried to explain.
"What?"
"It sounds like Keoni," A-10 interpreted.
"There's still a chance- to save Keoni. At the east- platform."
Amanda's eyes opened wide. There was still time?
"Bruce," she signaled before turning and heading in the direction Keith had indicated.
Bruchacca quickly released Keith and he lay, gasping on the floor for a moment before running to join them.
"I'm terribly sorry about all this," A-10 called back to him.
XxX
Chelsea Fett stood halfway up the gangway of Slave I, watching as the Sax troopers passed her, escorting Keoni's spitized body.
"Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold," she ordered in a voice free of emotion.
But beneath her green, pitted helmet, Fett wore an evil sneer on her usually stoic face. Kim would undoubtedly pay double for the trumpet captain considering the state that he was in.
XxX
The stout little Tim2 meandered up and down the corridor, sending his scanners in every possible direction as he tried to detect some sign of his master, or of any kind of life. He realized that he was dreadfully turned around and had lost track of how many meters he had traveled.
As Tim2 turned a corner he spotted several forms moving up the corridor. Beeping and whistling sax greetings, he hoped that these were friendly sorts.
His notes were detected by one of the creatures, who began to call out to him.
"Tim2...Tim2! Where have you been!" It was A-10.
Bruchacca, still carrying A-10, turned around to see the stubby Tim2 running their way. But as he turned, A-10 was spun out of sight of his friend.
"Wait! Turn around you hairy…Tim2, hurry! We're trying to save Keoni from the pit hunter!"
Tim2 scooted forward, beeping the whole way, with A-10 answering to his frantic remarks.
"Well at least you're still on your own feet. Look what happened to me!"
XxX
As soon as the cargo hold was sealed shut, Chelsea Fett ignited her case's engines and the craft began rolling across the platform for takeoff.
Keith, Amanda, and Bruchacca raced onto the platform only in time to see the Slave I lifting off and soaring into the orange and purple of the Arapahoe sunset. Raising his stolen sax weapon, Bruchacca howled and fired the weapon at the departing case. Amanda just stared after it, her face radiating utter despair.
All but A-10 gazed after the departing craft. Still strapped to Bruchacca's back, he saw something that the others had not yet noticed.
"Oh no! Bruce, they're behind you!"
The group was being charged by a detachment of Sax troopers. The three quickly dove for cover, evading the deadly sax fire. Tim2 scooted over to the platform's elevator and hid inside, peeking out to see the brilliant criss-cross of red and green laser bolts from a safe distance.
The platform erupted in light as, one by one, the sax troopers were felled by the furious fire of the angry trio. Once they were certain that they were safe they rushed to join Tim2 in the elevator.
They absolutely had to get out of the school.
XxX
Band sabers clashed in Chris Skywalker and Darth Fred's battle on the platform above the spit-freezing chamber. Chris felt the shaky platform shudder with every blow, parry, and thrust of their weapons. But he was undaunted, for with every thrust of his sword he drove the evil Darth Fred back. Fred, using his band saber to ward off Chris' aggressive lunges, spoke calmly as they fought.
"You have learned much, young one."
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," the confident youth retorted, threatening Fred with yet another thrust.
With two graceful moves, the dark Drum Major hooked Chris' weapon out of his hands and sent it flying away. A slash of Fred's energy blade at Chris' feet made the youth jump back in an effort to protect himself. But he stumbled backward, and tumbled down the stairs.
Sprawled on the platform, Chris looked up and saw the ominous dark figure looming above him at the top of the stairs. Then the figure flew right at him, its sable cloak billowing out in the air like the wings of a monstrous bat.
Quickly Chris rolled to one side, not taking his eyes off Fred, as the vast black figure landed soundlessly next to him.
"Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker," Fred hissed, looming over the crouching youth. "Jason knew this to be true."
"No!" Chris whispered fiercely, trying to fight off the evil presence. Fred's influence was incredibly strong; it seemed to Chris like a living thing.
Don't listen to him, Chris told himself. He is trying to trick me, to lead me astray, to lead me to the dark side of the Drill, just as Jason warned me!
Chris began to back away from the advancing Flute Lord. Behind the youth, the hydraulic elevator door opened silently, ready to receive him. The dark Drum Major suddenly lunged at Chris with his band saber, so forcefully that the youth lost his balance and tumbled into the gaping opening.
Fred turned away from the freezing pit and casually deactivated his band saber. "All too easy," he shrugged. "Perhaps you are not as strong as the Empress thought."
As he spoke, molten spit began to pour into the opening behind him. And, while his back was still turned, something rose in a blur upward.
"Time will tell," Chris quietly replied to Fred's remark.
The dark Drum Major spun around. At this point in the freezing process, the subject certainly shouldn't be able to speak! Fred glanced around the room and then turned his helmeted head towards the ceiling.
Hanging from some hoses draped across the ceiling, Chris was suspended, having leaped some five meters into the air to escape the spit.
"Impressive," Fred admitted. "Most impressive."
Chris dropped back to the platform on the other side of the steaming pit. He reached his hand out and his sword, lying on another part of the platform, flew back into his grip. Immediately the band saber ignited. Fred's sword sprang to life at the very same moment.
"Jason has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now…release your anger. I destroyed your family. Take your revenge. Only your hatred can destroy me!"
But this time Chris was cautious and more controlled. If he could subdue his anger, he would not be swayed.
Remember the training, Chris cautioned himself. Remember what Keena taught! Cast out all anger and hatred and receive the Drill!
Gaining control over his negative feelings, Chris began to advance, ignoring Fred's goading. He lunged at Fred and, after a quick exchange, began to force him back. Chris had just begun to realize just how awesomely powerful his dark enemy was as he slowly continued his advance toward him.As Chris approached, Fred slowly moved backward in a retreat. Chris lunged at him with a powerful swing. But when Fred blocked it, he lost his balance and fell into the outer rim of steaming pipes.
Chris' knees nearly buckled with the exhaustion of battling his fearsome opponent. He gathered his strength, cautiously moved to the edge, and looked down. But he saw no sign of Fred. Switching off his band saber and hooking it into his belt, Chris lowered himself into the pit.
He dropped to the floor of the pit and found himself in a kind of maintenance and control room that overlooked the reactor core powering the entire city. Looking around the chamber, he noticed a large window; standing silhouetted in front of it was the unmoving figure of Darth Fred.
Chris slowly moved closer to the window and reignited his band saber.
But instead of making a move to defend himself from Chris' advance, Fred raised his hand in the air. For a moment, Chris was confused at the gesture. But suddenly he felt the Drill's power surging about him and a giant control panel came flying at his head.
Chris quickly raised his saber to deflect the object but a barrage of other huge objects came quickly after it. Chris swung his laser sword blindly about, desperately trying to keep any of Fred's flying projectiles from hitting him. But finally, the cloven pieces of a piece of machinery flew back from his band saber and went crashing through the large window, letting in the screaming wind. Suddenly everything in the room was blown about, and the fierce wind lashed Chris' body and filled the room with a banshee like howl.
And in the very center of the room, standing still and triumphant, was Darth Fred. As the wind whipped about his black figure, a final piece of machinery soared through the air, striking the young Trombone and sending him flying out the broken window. Everything became a great blur as the wind carried him, tossing and rolling, until he managed to grab hold of a beam with one hand.
When the wind subsided a bit and his vision cleared, Chris realized that he was hanging from the gantry of the reactor shaft outside the control room. When he gazed down he saw what appeared to be an endless abyss. A wave of dizziness swept over him and he squeezed his eyes closed in an effort to keep from panicking.
Compared to the podlike reactor from which he hung, Chris was no more than a speck of squirming matter, while the pod itself, just one of many jutting from the circular, light-dotted inner wall, was no more than a speck itself in comparison with the rest of the immense chamber.
Grasping the beam firmly with only one hand, Chris managed to hook his band saber onto his belt and then grab the beam with both hands. Hoisting himself up, he scrambled onto the gantry and stood on it, just in time to see Darth Fred walking toward him down the shaft.
"Calm," he reminded himself. "Be calm."
But the grimly cloaked specter stalked toward him along the narrow gantry, and it seemed he wanted the young Trombone's life.
Or worse, his fragile soul.
XxX
"The security code has been changed!" Keith shouted frantically as he dialed the code into the keypad over and over again. He had to warn the citizens to get out of the system but the Woodwinds must have changed the citywide alarm signal. Plus, if he couldn't crack the code then everyone would be trapped inside the school.
"Tim2," A-10 suddenly realized. "You can tell the computer to override the security systems! Hurry!"
Tim2 immediately hooked his sax up to the terminal and worked the keys. While he was busy doing that, Keith accessed the manual overhead speakers.
"Attention," he spoke into the microphone, broadcasting throughout the school. "This is Keith Calrissian. The Empire's taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Woodwind troops arrive."
No sooner had Keith finished his message then Tim2's sax began to smoke and he quickly pulled himself out of the terminal. He beeped at A-10, clearly annoyed.
"Well, don't blame me," A-10 said indignantly. "I'm an interpreter. I don't know computer terminals."
Keith quickly led the group away. The only other way to bypass the terminal was from the computer next to platform 327. The Trumpet'sdocking station.
As the group ran through the hallways they were caught up in the crush of humanity. Hundreds of people fleeing for their lives, desperate to escape from the city. There were also Sax troopers in the mix, gunning down as many people as they could. One section of troopers had caught up with Keith and the others and a fierce, on the move laser battle was fast underway. When they had reached the backup computer the three immediately gathered to protect Tim2 as he hacked into the terminal.
And as he chewed threw the security systems with his biomech brain, Tim2 discovered something else, something very disturbing. Tim2 quickly turned over to A-10 to try and warn him but the protocol student simply refused to listen to his frantic whistling.
"We're not interested in the metronome drive on the Millennium Trumpet! It's fixed!" A-10 screamed as another blaster bolt exploded overhead.
Tim2 protested but A-10 wouldn't listen.
"JUST OPEN THE DOOR, YOU STUPID LUMP!"
Tim2 did as he was told and the landing platform door slid open. Keith, Amanda, and Bruchacca raced out the door and Tim2 sprayed a jet of concentrated smoke from the bell of his sax to cover their retreat. Then he ran after them.
As Tim2 and Bruchacca ran aboard the Trumpet, Amanda and Keith turned and fired on their pursuers. Keith knew that he had done everything that he could to help his fellow citizens escape. Now all he could dowas make sure that his friends got out safely.
"Ow! That hurts!" A-10 shouted at Bruchacca. The blond was accidentally bumping his head against the case as he tried to board. "Bend down, you thoughtless- OW!"
Once he was inside the case, Bruchacca set A-10 down in the entry hall and went to start up the case for a quick getaway. Tim2 came across A-10 soon after and immediately began to drag him back to the Trumpet's engine room to work on his inanimate legs.
"I thought that hairy brute would be the end of me," A-10 griped, his head bouncing along the floor as Tim2 dragged him. The small student whistled a few words of comfort to his companion but it didn't do much good.
"Of course I feel better!" A-10 snapped.
"Amanda!" Keith shouted to the princess as they continued to defend the case. "Go!"
Amanda took one more shot at an advancing troopers and then ran inside the case. Keith soon followed her and the two ran up to the cockpit. Once Bruchacca knew that they were safe he fired up the engines and the Millennium Trumpet rocketed up into the dusky sky.
XxX
