Endor was a sprawling continent in the untamed regions that was host to a wide range of biomes. The westernmost part, aside from the coastal Cliffs of Kef Bir, was the enormous sacred forest. Further inland were swamps and mountains, with savannah plains and a large desert north of the forest.

Much like Kashyyyk, the forest of Endor was made up mostly of towering arch trees. Despite also sitting at the conflux of leylines, these arch trees did not have the same innate magical properties that the Wroshyr variety possessed. It has been hypothesized that the reason for this is the ley lines themselves. Whereas the lines of Kashyyyk correspond to the Light Side of the Force, the lines of Endor are a balance of Light and Dark. This state of balance has not always existed though.

Han landed the airship in the middle of the forest in the closest thing to a clearing he could find. The Rebel detachment, clad in armor and helmets hastily painted green and brown, followed General Solo's lead. He had a rough idea of where to go based on the landmarks he saw as they flew in.

As they moved through the forest, Han suddenly raised his hand to halt the march. He gestured for them to get down.

Threepio knelt along with the soldiers, but still stuck out like a gold coin in a plate of salad. "Oh, I told you it was dangerous here," he whispered to Artu.

Han pointed to Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca and beckoned them over. The four of them crouched behind a moss and lichen covered deadfall. Ahead of them were a pair of white and blue armored scout troopers and their steamhorses.

Originally designed for civilian use, steamhorses were machines adopted by the Empire as a replacement for real horses. These two-wheeled mounts take far less time to produce and train riders for and are fairly simple to repair. Their biggest downsides compared to the animals they replaced are their need for fine fuel oil - typically sourced from whales - to keep the boiler hot enough and their inability to leap obstacles.

Leia watched the scouts eating their tinned rations. "Should we try and go around?"

Luke shook his head. "It'll take time."

"This whole party will be for nothing if they see us," Han said.

Chewbacca quietly growled.

"Good idea," said Han, crouch walking away from the log. "Chewie and I will take care of this. You stay here."

"Quietly," Luke whispered. "There might be more of them out there."

Han smiled. "Hey, it's me." He crept away.

Luke and Leia gave each other knowing looks.

The scout troopers finished their rations and threw their tins into the undergrowth. One of them picked up his helmet and smiled at whatever was inside. The other wiped his eating utensils and returned them to a pouch on his belt. "Sometimes I swear they're trying to kill us with those rations."

"From what my brother in the 224th tells me, we might as well be eating like we're from Coruscant."

"This slop? How?"

"We don't have to pull mudworms out of our food before we eat."

"Ugh."

One of them stood. "I'll be right back. Got to mark a tree." He walked over to a tree and relieved himself. Afterwards, he turned to go back to his comrade.

Chewbacca peeked his head out from behind the tree and nodded to Han a short distance away. Han nodded back and thumbed the cock back on his revolver. He took a few steps forward to follow the oblivious scout trooper.

The Force, as has been attested innumerable times across the ages, works in mysterious ways. Take, for example, a simple stick. Most people wouldn't even register the existence of a stick on the forest floor. Why would they? There are countless others all around. Sometimes, however, that stick is in just the right place at just the right time to completely change the world. Han Solo of Corellia, in the forest of Endor stepped on just such a stick and heard it snap under his foot.

The scout trooper turned and yelped at seeing Han right behind him. He backhanded Han hard enough to knock him over and Han unintentionally fired off his revolver as he fell. The unexpected recoil knocked it out of his hand.

"Go for help," the scout yelled to his comrade. "Go!"

The trooper sprinted to his steamhorse.

Luke groaned. "Great. Come on!"

Han sprang to his feet and grabbed the arm of the scout that had hit him. The trooper grunted loudly as Han slammed him into a tree.

The other trooper vaulted onto the seat of his steamhorse and mashed the rune to turn up the heat in the boiler. He twisted the throttle and took off through the underbrush.

Chewbacca knelt and aimed his enchanted Wroshyr wood crossbow towards the fleeing scout trooper. A bolt made of a pale green energy shot forth, whistling through the air. The bolt struck the steamhorse's cast iron boiler. There was a loud boom and a large cloud of steam and the scout trooper was launched off the ruined steamhorse. He hit the ground and rolled, coming to rest at the base of a tree, groaning.

Han ducked a punch from the trooper he was fighting and pulled his leg out from under him. As Leia and Luke rushed in, Leia saw more scout troopers on steamhorses tear off into the forest. "Two more of them! Come on!"

"I see them," Luke said. "Wait, Leia!"

Leia was already on the remaining steamhorse and had hit the boiler rune. Luke hadn't even put his arms around Leia to hold on before she had opened the throttle.

Han watched them go, annoyed. "Hey! Wait!"

The scout grabbed his shoulder from behind. Han took hold of the trooper's arm and flipped him over his shoulder. With a pained groan the scout looked up at the man he had been fighting.

"Stay down," Han commanded.

The trooper lifted his head up but put it back down when he saw Chewbacca approaching.

The two fleeing scout troopers rushed through the ferns and saplings that covered the forest floor, their steamhorses' engines thudding. Leia and Luke raced after them, gradually closing the gap.

"Quick," said Luke. "Jam their communications! Center rune!"

Leia glanced down and tapped the indicated symbol. A moment later, there was a loud screech from one of the scout troopers' comm crystals when he tried to use it.

The forest floor was rough and the steamhorses' leaf springs could only absorb so much of the jostling. Rooster tails of dirt and leaf litter flew off of the rear wheels. Trees whizzed past, momentarily reflecting the sound of the cycling steam pistons.

"Move closer," Luke said. "Get alongside that one!"

Leia twisted the throttle to fully open and the piston's thudding sped up. The rear scout turned his head as Luke and Leia pulled up beside him. He twitched the handlebars and banged his steamhorse into Leia's.

Leia kept control and returned the gesture, slamming into the scout trooper. They exchanged blows repeatedly, each at times almost losing control. Luke leapt from one steamhorse to the other while the trooper was recovering and threw him off before taking the controls himself. The scout trooper smacked into a tree at speed with a wet crack.

Leia glanced back to see if Luke was all right. Flinging the scout off had upset the steamhorse's balance and it took Luke a bit of work to steady it again. Once he had it under control, he pulled up alongside Leia. The two of them followed the remaining scout trooper, weaving between the towering trees.

Two other scouts patrolling the forest watched the three steamhorses tear past. They looked to one another, nodded, and opened the throttles of their own mounts. The scouts drew up behind their comrade's pursuers and flipped up the sighting rings for their steamhorses' inline Puckle guns.

A shot hit the right side heat shielding of Luke's steamhorse. The round glanced off the iron shell, denting it before hitting a tree. Luke stole a glance back. "Keep on that one ahead! I'll take these two!"

Leia nodded. Luke cut his throttle back and both Leia and their pursuers zipped past him. The Jedi opened the throttle again and flipped up his own sighting rings.

His first shot hit the scout on the right in his rear wheel. Immediately, the steamhorse went over and skidded into a tree. The boiler cracked upon hitting the trunk, engulfing the rider in a scalding cloud.

Trying to avoid the same fate, the other pursuer serpentined. Luke couldn't line up the rings with the scout, but he was able to gain on him.

Leia gritted her teeth and pushed her steamhorse to its limit. The handlebars shuddered as she pulled up beside the trooper. They exchanged looks of enmity and the scout pulled out a small revolver.

There was a pop and a small caliber bullet flew past Leia's face. The scout fired again and the shot pinged off her helmet. A third bullet hit a pipe and the steamhorse rapidly lost speed. The escaping steam hit Leia's leg and she cried out and fell off her mount.

The trooper turned back to see the steamhorse flipping end over end as twisted metal flew away. He looked forward just in time to see the tree stump he wouldn't be able to avoid. His scream was cut short as he hit it at full speed.

Leia rolled to a stop in a patch of large ferns feeling dizzier than she had ever felt before. She tried to get to all fours to attempt to stand and a tidal wave of nausea hit her. She gave two dry heaves before collapsing.

Luke, meanwhile, was neck and neck with the final scout trooper. The Jedi tried slamming into his foe's steamhorse to minimal effect. The trooper tried drawing his pistol, but fumbled as he pulled it from the holster and it fell to the forest floor.

Luke peeled off and came back for a strong sideswipe. The scout preempted the attack and moved with Luke to absorb part of the impact. Unfortunately, the fairing over their front wheel struts hooked around one another.

For several tense seconds, the two riders struggled to pull their steamhorses away from each other until the rivets holding Luke's fairing failed. He overcorrected and bailed off the mount a moment before it careened into a fallen tree. Luke rolled on hitting the ground and came up in a crouch.

The scout trooper swung around and lined Luke up in his sighting rings. Luke ignited his Lightblade and deflected the scout's shot into the ground. Undeterred, the trooper opened the throttle, meaning to run Luke down.

The Jedi leapt out of the way at the last moment and brought his Lightblade down. The front wheel and the lower half of the fairing and struts skipped off the ground and landed nearby. The top half of the struts embedded into the soft loam and catapulted the scout trooper into the base of an arch tree, instantly snapping his neck.

Luke retracted his blade and heaved a sigh of relief. All he had to do now was join back up with the detachment. Leia was probably already halfway there by now.

Han had tried to interrogate the scout trooper that he and Chewbacca had captured, to no luck. Commander Rex, an older man with a full white beard walked over. He gestured to the tied up trooper with the muzzle of his carbine. "He giving you trouble, General?"

"Yeah," Han replied. "Our friend seems to only be able to say his serial number."

Rex crouched next to the scout who glared at him. The old soldier noticed a square piece of metal fastened to the inside of the scout's upturned helmet sitting next to him. "May I have a few minutes with him, General?"

Han shrugged. "Knock yourself out. Come on Chewie."

After he and Chewbacca walked away, Rex looked back to the scout. "Did you, by chance, ever learn about any of the battles of the 501st during your time in the Academy?"

The scout's anger was replaced with confusion. "What?"

Rex smiled. "So you can say something other than your TK number. Good. The General didn't scramble your brain." The old soldier pulled his canteen off his belt and took a swig. He offered it to the scout. "Thirsty?"

"Whatever you want, you won't get it from me."

Rex sighed and put his canteen back. "Could you at least tell me if they taught you about the battles of the 501st?"

"Why do you care?"

"There's a lot of history behind that white and blue armor of yours. I want to know what they told you about it."

"Not much."

Rex's face fell. "I see." He picked up the helmet. "You know, I've never met an Imperial soldier who carried a tintype of a homunculus before."

"What's it to you?"

"A sergeant, looks like. 501st, too." Rex carefully placed the helmet back down. "So how do you know Fowler?"

The scout flinched. "H-how do you know his name?"

"Answer me and I'll be glad to tell you."

The trooper was quiet for several seconds. He looked away. "...He was my father..."

"Did he ever tell you about his service?"

"Why are you so interested?"

Rex took off his helmet and used it to cover his beard. "Do I remind you of anyone?"

The scout scowled, about to say "no," then his face slowly turned to an expression of shock. "You're a homunculus!"

Rex replaced his helmet. "That's why I want to know. Did your father ever talk about his service?"

"Yes. He used to tell me stories about the War to put me to sleep. It's because of him that I joined up."

Rex smiled. "Did he ever tell you about General Skywalker?"

"Yeah. And Commander Tano and Captain Rex."

"I'm Rex."

The scout blinked. "What?

Rex removed his white and blue vambrace and showed him the tattoo of his CT number.

"501-7567... You are Rex... But why are you fighting for the Rebellion?"

"Because I, like your father, swore an oath to defend the Republic. The entire reason for the Rebellion is to restore the Republic."

The scout scowled. "That's not what we were told."

"I'm sure. But I swear to you, on the memory of all my brothers, that it's the truth."

The trooper was silent as he processed this.

"I know you don't want to betray your brothers, but the Empire threw me and my brothers away after we dedicated our very existence to unknowingly bringing it about."

"...So what do you want from me?"

"All I want to know is where the Death Star's fortress ward drum is."

"Just where? Nothing else?"

Rex nodded.

"And what'll happen to me if I tell you?"

"I'll personally make sure you return home safely."

The scout weighed his options for a few minutes. "It's in a large bunker built into a hill southwest of here."

"Southwest?"

The trooper nodded. "Near the landing platform. There's a grey obelisk at the top of the hill."

"Thank you." Rex stood and called over two Rebel soldiers. "I want you two to take this Imperial back to the airship. Keep him safe at all costs. Understood?"

"Yes, Commander."

Rex patted the scout on his back and cut his bindings. He handed him his helmet back. "You did the right thing. Your father would be proud." The old homunculus walked over to Han and Chewbacca. "General?"

"So how'd it go?"

"We need to go southwest. The sigil drum is in a bunker built into a hill near the landing platform."

"So that's what that flat top fortress was." Han nodded. "Not bad."

Not far away, Artu chirped.

"General Solo," Threepio said, "somebody's coming."

Han and his soldiers readied their weapons and took up positions. Everyone relaxed when they saw who it was, though.

Han holstered his pistol. "Luke!" His smile vanished and his brow furrowed. "Where's Leia?"

Luke's eyes widened. "She didn't come back?"

"I thought she was with you!"

"We got separated. We better go look for her."

Han swept his hand through his hair and sighed. "Rex! Take charge of the detachment. We'll meet you at the bunker in..." He looked at the sun shining through the canopy. "...three hours."

Rex saluted. "Of course, General. Best of luck to you."

Threepio turned to his counterpart. "Come on, Artu. We'll need your scryers." He followed after Luke, Han, and Chewbacca. "Don't worry, Master Luke. We know what to do."

As Artu followed Threepio, the gold automaton harrumphed. "And you said it was pretty here."

A pair of little brown furry feet cautiously stepped across the forest floor towards the unconscious Princess Leia. The owner held up a crude flint headed spear and gently poked her in the side, only to be greeted with an unyielding surface. She did not move.

The short furry creature stepped back. To him, what he had found looked like the strange tall things that had taken over parts of the forest - at least what they looked like without their white shells - but this one here was different. He poked it again, this time on the back only to have the same result as before.

One more time, he poked the strange creature lying on the ground. This time he went for the arm. Leia yelled and sat up, making her assailant jump back.

The fuzzy creature that had been investigating Leia was a member of a primitive species known as an Ewok. These small snub-nosed ursines are omnivorous tree dwellers native only to Endor. Their culture is a very spiritual one that values peace and generosity. Despite their pacifist views, Ewoks will not hesitate to defend their tribe members from external threats. Very little was known about the Ewoks prior to the Empire's occupation as most of the contact beforehand was limited to hunters collecting Ewok meat for jerky.

What is known now comes from a Rebel soldier-turned-researcher who spent nearly a decade living amongst them following the Battle of Endor.

The Ewok growled and brandished his spear, stabbing at the air. Leia cocked an eyebrow before shaking her head and sighing. She stood, all while the little ursine kept the tip of his spear pointed at her. He growled and followed as Leia walked away with disinterest.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Oh!" Leia winced as a sharp pain hit her hip. She rubbed it as she sat on a fallen log. Her tumble must have hurt more than just her head. Fortunately, nothing seemed broken.

The Ewok looked at Leia with suspicion and spoke in his native dialect.

Leia looked around at the forest stretching in every direction. "Well, looks like I'm stuck here. Trouble is, I don't know where here is." She looked at the Ewok. "Maybe you can help me?"

The Ewok lowered his spear. The Tall Ones that he had encountered before had never been passive like this. Then again, the Tall Ones had never looked like this before.

Leia patted the soft moss on the top of the log. "Come on. Sit down."

The Ewok raised his spear again.

"I promise I won't hurt you. Now come here."

He growled and stabbed the air.

"All right. You want something to eat?" Leia opened the top flap of her leather satchel and pulled out a small waxed paper packet of hard biscuits.

The Ewok growled even louder. Nothing good ever came out of the Tall Ones' pouches. The Ewok cocked his head when this one tore open the packet and started eating the contents.

Leia pulled a second biscuit from the packet and held it out. "That's right," she said as the Ewok walked towards her. He climbed up onto the log and slowly reached his furry hand towards the offered biscuit. "Come on."

The Ewok snatched the biscuit from Leia's hand and jumped back. He sniffed the biscuit, finding its aroma simple but agreeable. The little ursine bit into the firm whitish square. It was earthy and salty, unlike anything he had ever tasted before, but it was good. Perhaps this Tall One wasn't like the other ones.

The Ewok sat next to Leia and continued to eat his biscuit, occasionally muttering in his simple language. Leia loosened her chin strap and removed her helmet. Her ursine friend gave a high pitched cry and jumped away from Leia with his spear at the ready.

Leia looked at the spear point, then to her helmet, and then to the Ewok. She presented the upturned metal and leather shell. "Look. It's a hat. It's not going to hurt you. Look." She let the Ewok see every angle of it.

The ursine examined it carefully, then lowered his spear. He climbed back onto the log and took the helmet to look at it more closely.

"You're a jittery little thing, aren't you?"

The Ewok suddenly dropped the helmet and dropped to a crouch, gripping his spear tightly. He sniffed the air.

Leia looked in the direction that the Ewok was facing, but saw nothing. "What is it?"

The ursine whispered something in Ewok. Both he and Leia scanned the trees, watching for anything out of place. A bird called mournfully in the distance.

The Ewok whispered again and sniffed as a breeze blew past.

A bullet hit the front of the log. Both Leia and the Ewok rolled off the back and took cover. Leia drew her pistol and peeked over the log, wishing she hadn't removed her helmet. Her little friend poked his head up, muttering in Ewok.

Leia squinted, not seeing anything amongst the trees and bushes. There was a bang and a cloud of smoke and a bullet whistled over Leia's head. She and the Ewok ducked back down and the little ursine crawled away into the underbrush.

Leia slowly raised her head again and concentrated on the area around where she had seen the telltale cloud of gunsmoke.

"Freeze," ordered a voice to Leia's right. She gasped and saw a scout trooper pointing a small caliber pistol at her. "Come on. Get up!"

Leia slowly rose, the scout relieving her of her revolver. Nearby, the Ewok growled.

Another scout trooper - the one that had been shooting - emerged from a thicket holding a long barrelled stocked pistol.

"Go get your ride," Leia's captor ordered to his marksman subordinate. "Take her back to base."

"Yes, sir." He slung his gun over his shoulder and moved back through the thicket.

Leia glared at her captor and the pistol in his hand wondering how she was going to get out of this one.

A little war cry came from a shrub behind the scout trooper. Immediately after, the Ewok charged out and stuck the entirety of his spear's head into the trooper's kneepit, where his white armor did not cover. The trooper dropped his gun and grabbed at his leg as he fell over. Simultaneously, Leia grabbed a gnarly bit of wood and after the trooper was on the ground, smashed it against his head.

Leia grabbed her pistol and vaulted over the fallen tree. She ran through the thicket and came face to face with the very surprised scout trooper marksman. He twisted the throttle of his steamhorse just as Leia fired her pistol.

The bullet punched through the fairing and hit the pilot light. The flame, no longer regulated, lit the fuel oil and the delicately balanced heat of the boiler skyrocketed. The steamhorse exploded violently enough to tear the one next to it apart as well.

The Ewok appeared beside Leia, triumphantly holding his bloodied spear. Leia sighed at the destruction of the steamhorses and returned her pistol to its holster. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Uuikkit," he said, standing proudly and beating his fist into his chest. He looked at Leia expectantly. "Uuikkit."

"I don't understand."

The Ewok thumped his chest again. "Uuikkit." He then pointed towards Leia.

"Oh!" She pointed at the Ewok. "Wicket? Is that your name?" Leia pointed at herself. "Leia."

"Yub-yub."

Close enough. "We need to get away from here. Come on!" Leia started walking.

"Yub-yub!"

Leia looked back. Wicket was pointing another way then gestured for her to follow. She shrugged. Wicket seemed to know which way to go and the directions of an Ewok were better than none at all.