Chapter 2
"I was cast out by fools who thought I had nothing to offer. They had no idea what riches I really have. I'll show them, I'll show them what its all really about. My name is Starbuck and I'm here to save the universe."
"I arrived on Core Ascendant and found the place a ruins. I wanted to know what Iblis was up to? Well this is it. I've fallen in with a smuggler named Han Solo, I figure maybe if I throw in my lot with him, I can get the lay of the land here, see what's happened, where things went wrong, and then maybe, just maybe, I can go back and undo it."
The Millenium Falcon burst out of hyperspace with a flash of light. It hurdled towards the planet Kashyyk.
"Hey Starbuck get up here, we're about to dock." Han called. Flipping off the intercom he turned to Chewie, "I don't think this guys gonna work out Chewie, I'm half tempted to leave him here when we're done."
Chewie gave a growl reminding Han he had made a promise.
"Right, I'll give him his share, but I never promised he could sign on, I don't think I like the guys style." Chewie huffed an amused reply.
"No its not because I lost the game! It was beginner's luck, the guy's never even played before!"
Chewie began preparing the Falcon for its approach as he answered tactfully.
"No, he's nothing like me and if he were, why would that be a reason to dislike him?" Han demanded, "I'm a swell guy, people like me!" At Chewie's retort, Han said,
"Well you don't count anyway."
Preceded by the sound of pounding footsteps in the corridor Starbuck at last made his appearance.
"What's up boss?" he inquired cheerfully leaning Chewie's chair and peering out the cockpit window. Before them the brownish green orb of kashyyk turned slowly. Coming up over the horizon dozens of large ships could be seen clustered around a space station from appeared to dangle a large thread. As starbuck watched a car seemed to drop down from the station and after a moment, disappeared down into the cloud cover below.
"Lords of Kobol what is that?" he breathed
"What's the matter kid you never seen a skyhook?" Han asked smugly. It DID rankle him that the little upstart had already been able to beat him at Sabacc, but they had played for hours, Han winning every time, so he supposed it was little bit overdue, if only that stupid Wookiee would stop rubbing it in…
"Well I mean I read about them in history books, back before the colonies really got into space, but we stopped using them long before I was born." Replied Starbuck, "And the ancients just beamed whatever they wanted up from the surface with ring transporters."
"I guess we must look like backward yokels to you." Gritted Han.
"No not at all!" Starbuck replied hastily, "The engineering of this is amazing, I mean the sheer scale! Let me tell you Han when you guys build you don't mess around, why that station's the size of a battlestar!"
Han returned to his duties somewhat mollified. Starbuck kept an eye on him as he worked the controls of the Falcon. Starbuck had given Han a quick overview, explaining that he had come from colonies the cylons had destroyed in their home galaxy. He hadn't really gone into his time as an ascended being, acutely aware that Han would deem him a lunatic. As the Falcon flew smoothly into a docking bay and settled to the ground, Starbuck felt a ripple of anticipation. Through the windows he could see a somewhat dimly lit bay with several ships in different berths. Humans and aliens of different species moved about their duties and Starbuck recognized this as a port of call.
"This is my kind of place." He said aloud, "Lots of local color."
"Some of that local color will eat you alive." Han warned him, "Stick close to me until you learn the ropes."
"Hey I can take care of myself." Said Starbuck amiably.
"Fine but if you get yourself killed I'm taking your share." Han replied.
"Well maybe I could use someone to show me the ropes." Starbuck decided as he realized that if wasn't present during the negotiations he would have little idea of what his share actually was.
"First things first." Said Han, "Keep one hand on your blast// er Zat thingey." He pointed at the Zatniccketel, "Don't talk to anyone you don't need to." They began to descend down the ramp and out into the landing bay. Chewie followed them."
"I guess you don't need a blaster." Starbuck observed to the Wookiee. Chewie clarified that Aliens were not allowed to go armed, but that if need be he had a bowcaster on the falcon that Han let him keep.
"I'm a sentimental fool." Deadpanned Han, "The others say, 'Don't trust the aliens' I say 'The alien who could rip me apart in my sleep but hasn't is the alien I won't argue with over weapons. Besides, Chewie knows if I died he'd never find a better master."
"You know you keep saying that." Starbuck observed suspiciously, "Almost like you're expecting to die any day now."
"You really ARE new around here aren't you." Han retorted.
***
"Where are you taking this… thing." Demanded the customs official with obvious disdain.
"he's a Wookiee." Han answered irritably, "You know, native to the planet below?"
"Not after their cylon friends got through with it." Sneered the customs agent, "No aliens are allowed out of the docking bay unaccompanied."
"What are we chopped Daggit?" Starbuck chimed in.
"I have no idea what a Daggit is…" said the customs agent "But your witticism has bought you a visitation restriction. You are all to wear these bracelets for the duration of your time on this station. A simultaneous electrical charge will be issued to all three of you should you attempt to remove the bracelets, or be involved in any… unpleasantness on station." He looked at Han, "Maybe next time you'll think before bringing your little pet into a place meant for civilized people."
"What did he mean about the Cylons, what did they do?" Demanded Starbuck.
"During the war the rebellion allied themselves with the Cylons." Han explained, "Cylons had a problem with humans and the rebellion was mostly aliens who were sick of Imperial rule. It bit them in the end when the Cylons felt they had enough of a beach head they let it out that they were after all organic life. If the Vong hadn't shown up we might have had some real trouble from them, but as it was when they foundd themselves caught between the Vong and the restored Empire, the Cylons tried a scorched ground move, and burned several of their own planets. Kashyyk used to be overgrown with trees a thousand feet high, now there's nothing taller than a bush down there and Wookiees are few and far between."
Chewie gave a defiant roar.
"yeah those bushes are growing back, and the Wookies will come back some day." Han agreed clapping an arm around his friend. "In the meantime he sticks by me, because I treat him good."
"Do we really have to wear these?" Starbuck demanded holding up the bracelet. "it's a little embarrassing."
"yeah you do look like kind of a fool." Said Han holding up a bracelet free hand, "Maybe someday I'll show you how to remove them without killing yourself.
They made their way to a crowded cantina. Where the landing bay had been crowded with aliens, the interior levels of the station seemed nearly all human. It seemed most owners were unwilling to be shackled for their slaves. Starbuck was surprised to see a number of blue and green skinned humans milling about.
"Near humans became socially acceptable after they saved our bacon from the Vong and the Cylons." Han said, "In the old empire they were treated a little less kindly but it's a little hard to discriminate against the same race as your supreme ruler. Now the fellow we're about to meet is as smooth as they come so keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking."
"han are you telling stories about me again?" bellowed a deep voice. Starbuck turned to regard a dark man with black oily hair and a neatly trimmed mustache saunter smoothly towards them. The man was dressed fashionably and wore a cape that reminded Starbuck of his colonial military dress uniform. "Lando Calrissian." The man introduced himself, "Don't listen to a thing this old pirate tells you, it wasn't me."
"Relax Lando, he doesn't have anything you want, your dealing with me." Said Han tiredly, "Lets get a table."
Lando eyed Starbuck shrewdly as they sat down, and Starbuck returned the favor. After a moment of sizing each other up, Han cleared his throat and looked expectantly at lando. Lando straightened in his chair and put up a hand. A waitress immediately came over. "First round's on me gentleman." After a moment he flicked a finger at Chewie, "Except for him of course, "
Han bristled, and Starbuck crossed his arms. Finally lando relented and said "Fine get him whatever he wants." Chewie indicated that a filtered water would be fine. "So Boys, tell me you have what you promised."
"Oh we have that." Said Han archly, "And a quite a little bit more."
"A full shipment?" asked Lando incredulously, "Well I'll be damned, you're gonna make me rich Han old buddy, whats this talk about more, how many crates we talking here?"
"Six crates, and more where they came from." Clarified Han, "But my new associate here tells me there is a lot more down there and he claims he can identify it and what it does."
"Really?" asked lando doubtfully, "and who might you be? The last I heard the Empire's best scientists were picking apart Imperial city, which by all accounts is just a knockoff of the ruins of Coruscant."
"Well I'm no expert..." began Starbuck..." Look i told you about the Stargate right?" he said to han who was looking at him cynically. "The communications devices?" He pulled it out and handed it to Lando.
"My name is Lando Calrissan, I'm a wanted man. A few years back I deserted my post in the heat of battle, when my commanding officer ordered us to die a meaningless death. That man became Emperor, and I became an outcast. Someday the galaxy may forgive me, but first I have to forgive myself."
"Now i should warn you..." said Starbuck as Lando examined the odd stone, "It doesn't look like much, but right now its broadcasting your thoughts to a reciever in another galaxy. They used it as sort of a news program, you know? Send a correspondent of somewhere and it reports back." Lando dropped it on the table.
"Your telling me that thing can read my thoughts?" he demanded tensely
"Well sure, but what do you care about someone in another galaxy anyway?" asked Starbuck mildly, all the while guaging his reaction, "Besides someone else would have to have a compatible stone. More than that they wouldn't process the signal conciously, they'd ahve to go to sleep, to them it would just be like a dream.. an impression."
"What good is that?" asked lando laughing uneasily, "Who'd want to dream about me?"
"Well..." said Starbuck taking the stone back, "No offense but I don't think it was designed just for. No ofense," he said putting up a hand as lando shot him a dirty look, "I'm sure your life is fascinating, anyway its low level unless you attach the stone to the relay, then it's powerful enough to impose on a concious reciever."
"Like mind control?" lando asked stroking his chin, "Hey yeah I can see how that would fetch a profit..."
"Well.. this one's not for sale." said Starbuck, "But I'm sure there's more." he added quickly, "The governors and elders of each city would use them to stay in tocuh, hold conclaves, that kind of thing."
"Wait a minute why am I even lsitening to any of this?" Demanded lando, "Han its a fairy tale, how can he prove this?"
"Well..." said Han clearing his throat, "Chewie rigged the Falcons sensors and we found a micro hypercom signal transmitting from this little device. Theres a bigger one back at the ruins. Its on a really exotic band, we'd never have picked it up if he hadn't told us what to look for.
"So what?" demanded Lando, "That could be any kind of signal, doing who knows what?"
"Thats why I wouldn't let the big one near the falcon." said Han, "I kept this little number myself to bring to you, and then i started ahving dreams. "
"Dreams?" asked Lando doubtfully, "Whats got into you, you sound like you're a jedi mster all of a sudden."
"You know i don't believe in any of that hokey stuff." said Han, the thing is it was so vivid... so alien..." He leaned in, "Lando I dreamed for several nights about being a vid producer on a primitive alien world. They were in year 1983 lando, thats how backwards they were, their whole civilization has only been around for 2000 years! I was trying to launch this show, "Battlestar Galactica" and I couldn't get any support except through some religious group, I needed the break, I mean I had other shows, one about a talking landspeeder, one about a flying device called a "Helicopter"... really outlandish stuff Lando, but I was THERE."
"Once he had enough of Glen's life, he gave me the stone back." said Starbuck wryly, "It keys to whoever touched it last. I need my story to be told for my own reasons."
"Fine so what do youw ant from me?" demanded lando, "I can sell those drones to my friend at military supply, I might have a friend or two in the communications industry..."
"No Lando, we want more than that." said Han, "We want wookiees."
"Wookiees?" Demanded Lando, "Whatever for?"
"This is a big job lando, that place needs to be excavated, artifacts catalogued, and who can we trust with something like this?" demanded Han, "Nobody will miss a crew of wookiees and some equipment."
"You would trust a crew of wookiees?" asked lando skeptically, "No ofense Chewie, but government regulations don't alow congregation of more than three in any one place."
"Thrawn is trying to depopulate them out of existence." said Han, "The Wookiees know this whole terraform project is an act, with these regualtions, their population will never recover from the bombardment. Thats why inknow i can trust them lando, they need this."
"How many are we talking about here?" asked Lando surprised, "How many do you need to excavate a city han?"
Han sat back and grinned at Chewie, "Lots."