Chapter 15.

PLANET CHURBA (10 B.B.Y.)

Bruce was halfway to the Tisshar Consulate when he received the emergency message from R5-D4. The impulses being auto-translated into Basic on the transparisteel lenses of his face mask.

"Red-to-Dark Knight. Red-to-Dark Knight. Relaying-urgent-message-from-LFR-3D."

"Put him through, Red."

A moment later, the costumed crusader from New Cov heard the reassuring voice of his faithful droid retainer via the transceivers built into his 'hawk-bat ears'.

"Hello! Hello! Do you read me, sir?"

"Roger that, Alfred. What's up?"

"Urgent news from your uncle, sir. Courtesy of his contacts at ICP Headquarters. It seems that an attempt was made on Emperor Palpatine's life! By a Sakiyan bounty hunter named Thaal Dergib (alias 'Darth Sinestro') and a mutant Ragithian Human accomplice named Aimee Zahn (alias 'Darth Giganta'). Both of them exhibiting startling levels of... superhuman size adjustment."

"The same kind of size adjustment I encountered on Nar Shadda?"

"Yes, sir."

"And do either of these self-proclaimed 'darths" have any mutual acquaintances?"

"The Sakiyan has only one known associate I can find reference to within the BHG database. A Myke bounty hunter, named Mirl Yinn, currently employed as a 'debt collector' by the Chief Commercial Attaché of the Tisshar Consulate... on Churba."

Bruce smiled. "Good work, Alfred. Hawk-Batman, out!"

MOS EISLEY, TATTOOINE (12 YEARS EARLIER)

The attacking army of Sand People had made it past the outermost defense perimeter of Jabba the Hutt's fortress. Namely; the ring of rock-lie worrts whose saliva-covered tongues had had no trouble ensnaring small groups of Tusken Raiders, in twos and threes, before engulfing them in their cavernous mouths behind all those venomous teeth. Chief Brightburn, however, had had no trouble dealing with them the same way he had dealt with Anakin Skywalker! And those not optically burned to a crisp right away...

...were quickly put out of their misery by his followers.

The automated turbo-laser batteries were the next line of defense to be penetrated before the Sand People reached the main entrance to the fortress. And, once again, a great many of the chief's followers fell to the photonic fusillade before he melted those laser cannons into so much slag. After which... came the main gate, itself.

"Ranger Wayne!" commanded Tot Doneeta. "Contact the Nightshrike. Jabba employs the finest mercenaries credits can buy. But even they will not be able to repel an assault like this! I will guide us to a secret exit deep in the catacombs of the old monastery. Sergeant Logunn can land outside it and meet us there."

Bruce nodded, relaying to the Zehethbran what the disembodied ex-Jedi master had said, word for word.

"I'll keep my comm-link open so you can home in on the signal," he added.

"Copy that! I'm on my way."

Even as that exchange was going on, Doneeta had retracted the spidery metal legs of his droid body in order to activate the repulsorlift motor that he had had secretly installed, the previous year, and which allowed him a limited distance of flight. He thereby led the way, followed by Bruce and Jedi Master Tomkin, with Jonn Jonzz acting as rear guard. And, as promised, they made it to the secret exit unimpeded as Jabba's mercenaries unwittingly delayed the advance of the Tusken attackers.

But, it proved a different story when they got outside.

Some of the Sand People had been ordered to scout around behind the fortress. To look for an auxiliary entrance in order to open a second line of attack! And it was these scouts who now attacked the would-be evacuees.

"No blasters!" commanded the Morseerian Manhunter. "Master Tomkin and I will deal with them."

He was as good as his word. For, between his wan-shen and her lightsaber, they managed to hold off these Sand People long enough for the Nightshrike to come soaring down from the sky. Slave-circuited turbo-lasers strafing those Tusken Raiders foolish enough to try and shoot down the YT-1000 with their muzzle-loading slug throwers. Sergeant Logunn then brought the ship in for a perfect two-point landing. Activating the boarding ramp even as he did so!

Yet, just as it looked like they were going to make a clean get-away, disaster struck. First, came the murder of Master Tot Doneeta as his droid body suddenly became red hot. Culminating with the explosion of his brain globe! Then, came the thunderous sound of a heavy object landing on the ground behind them. A landing preceded by a brief-but-blinding dust devil! When the sand had finally settled, however, the evacuees saw before them... Chief Brightburn, himself.

"Finish boarding," commanded Jonn Jonzz. "I'll keep this Darksider barbarian occupied."

"No!" Bruce instinctively objected.

"Do as he says," said Lezlee Tomkin. Using the Jedi mind trick to insure the young ranger complied!

The last Bruce saw of the Morseerian Manhunter, as the Nightshrike lifted off, was the latter's wan-shen being whirled about with eye-blurring speed. The ex-matukai actually managing to get close enough to tear off large patches of Chief Brightburn's desert clothing. But, without managing to land any fatal or crippling blows.

Would that the same could have been said for the chief's gaffi stick.

The Nightshrike landed at Mos Eisley space port a half hour later. Its pilot and passengers finding shelter at a veterinary clinic run by Gantheka Tarhol; formerly, chief medical officer of the Ithorian herd ship, Green Lanternbird.

"I got a lot of sand to clean out of my exhaust ports," reported Logunn. "But, once that's done, we've got to get off-world and report this development to the Jedi Council."

"Agreed," said Tarhol (telepathically relaying the reply via the vocal cords of his pet shamarok*). "I have received word that Jabba's fortress has been burned to the ground. With Jabba, himself, literally torn to pieces... alongside his half-grown pet rancor! It is, thus, only a matter of time before the Sand People march on Mos Eisley."

"And who told you that?" grumbled Bruce, somewhat bitterly. "Some Jawa scavenger with a sick ronto?"

"No, he heard it from me."

Bruce was absolutely slack-jawed with shock as he watched Jonn Jonzz stagger in through the back door of the clinic. His lower pair of arms nothing more than cauterized stumps!

PLANET CHURBA (10 B.B.Y.)

Diana Themiscyra, special agent of the Royal Hapan Constabulary, had made use of the Huntress' on-board communications array to determine what spaceships had gone outbound from the Y'toub System within half an hour following the Huntress' disappearance. And, upon hearing the unscrambled transmission of an Imperial Star Destroyer concerning a flight plan to Churba, she had decided to act on a hunch. Of course, that meant keeping Harlek Wynn aboard the XLR-8 a little longer! But, there was no other choice that she could see. So, upon checking on her prisoner and seeing she was awake, Diana drew her own Gun of Command... and fired it at the blonde-haired Nightsister.

"You will now what I say without question or hesitation," stated Diana.

"I will-now do-what you-say-without-question-or-hesi-tation," repeated Harlek.

They had now been planet-side. on Churba, for at least an hour. And, again, while monitoring all communication bands, she heard something (via a technically illegal auto-decoding of a scrambled Imperial transmission) that involved an attack on the local Tisshar Consulate. More specifically? An attack by a pair of rancors... and an unusually large hawk-bat.

"That sounds like our mysterious friend from Nar Shadda," mused Diana (as much to herself as to Harlek). "So, that's our next stop: the Tisshar Consulate!"

"Yes- -ma'am."

Whereupon Diana ordered Harlek on to the back of the Huntress' speeder bike. The same one she had confiscated from the leader of the Ambush Bugs back on Nar Shadda!

"Hold on tight," she added.

"Yes- -ma'am."

Then, with a 'whoosh', they were off on their way.

tbc

Shamarok: also known as the Ithorian flitterbat.