Chapter 26
Thirty-two hours after the commander promised an EVAC.
"You think you can escape me!" The witch screams, looming over him. The commander flails, filled with panic. Immediately he's seized, arms wrapping around him and grabbing him.
"Sir!" Raspy voices call out. "Commander!"
Heart pounding, he fights to break free. The blurrg groans angrily before bucking, throwing them to the ground with a mutual "Oof!"
The fear and impact kick in his adrenaline as he continues fighting. Suddenly, the commander blinks, shaking off his drowsiness. The near-infinite trees of Endor mute the dawn's light, but even in the dimness, he recognizes his filthy comrades and their blurrg. The commander looks around before realizing he had a nightmare leading to their fall.
"Brilliant," Dr. Wither groans, her voice deeper and drier than usual. Her once-tight ponytail is matted, filthy, and wild. Gary's stormtrooper armor is more muck and dirt than white. He couldn't camouflage his armor better than the sludge and mud already had.
"Sorry," the commander rubs his burning throat. "Where are we?"
"We're around halfway home," Gary croaks. He rubs his throat too.
"A little more than that," Dr. Wither corrects him. "You fell asleep too, and you snore."
The commander disentangles himself from the pile before the blurrg turns and nudges him for attention. He reaches up and strokes the beast; the creature wiggles happily, shifting position to have its side rubbed. He grabs the stirrups and pulls himself to his feet before offering a hand to Dr. Wither. She mumbles irritably but takes it; then freezes, staring at his waist.
"I don't remember you picking up the ax."
He follows her gaze, no less surprised to see Ruin jammed through his belt. He stares, immediately reliving the event and the witch dropping Ruin after it rejected her. He mutters weakly, "I-…must have grabbed it on the way out…uh, what's wrong with our voices?"
Her eyes narrow, unimpressed by his attempt to change the subject. She scowls at him, "When the witch choked us, it bruised our larynx and throats. If we survive the next few hours, we'll have bruises, and I used what little bacta we had on your back."
"She called it the Shadowstone," Gary whispers timidly. When they remain silent, he motions at the ax, his voice growing intense. "The musician called it Ruin, King Gorneesh too, but you heard her. 'The Shadowstone.'"
"We don't know what we saw," Dr. Wither dismisses him with a wave of her hand.
"That's bantha poodoo!" Gary snaps, in complete contrast to his nature, startling the commander. He'd never heard Gary curse or raise his voice before. "You heard what she said, what she did! She's no conjurer of tricks; she had real power!"
"Who do you think you're speaking to, trooper!" Dr. Wither hisses before poking him.
Just then, the commander realizes how tightly Gary clenches his carbine. His finger is off the trigger, but that could change in a split second. He forces them apart, "Hey, enough! We're all tired and hurt, but this isn't the time or the place…I'm sorry I knocked us off the blurrg."
Neither speaks nor relents, and the commander knows this isn't over. He doesn't overlook how quickly Dr. Wither changed the subject either. Next time this conflict may be worse. Endor and its tribes have many secrets and stories the Empire was blissfully unaware of.
Gary's comlink beeps, and the commander has never been so thankful for a distraction. Unfortunately, Gary and the doctor's emotions are so high neither react. Finally, he points it out. They listen to a stream of binary before Gary says, "Sir, Vee detects an anomaly nearby."
"Whatever it is," Dr. Wither declares. "We can't afford to investigate."
Gary insists, "Vee wouldn't waste our time unless he thought it was important."
"Commander," Wither drives it home. "You said we're 'running out of time,' I strongly urge you to press on to the compound. The shield and our return with the vane is crucial."
He considers it a long moment, they have at least an hour of travel left, but Wither is correct. We're living on borrowed time.
"You're both right, so we'll do both," the commander decides. "Gary, tell Vee to meet us there. Once we investigate, Vee will return with the vane."
The blurrg looks at each of them expectantly, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs the air. Dr. Wither seems about to argue, then huffs in frustration. Gary relaxes, his hand lowering from his blaster. Gary mutters, "No one gets left behind."
"Except us," the commander laughs, then adds. "I know, Gary; I'll check my magazine."
The commander can't see it, but he thinks Gary smiles. He reaches for his pistol, but his holster is empty. He recalls losing it in the witch's hut. Immediately and far too comfortably, his hand rests on his ax. The commander feels Wither's gaze and shifts the weapon to ensure it's loose. Then he checks the force pike before moving on to his blaster rifle.
The doctor slams another magazine into her pistol, revealing her frustration. Gary's movements are efficient, lacking his earlier casualness, replaced by cold confidence. The commander climbs onto the blurrg and assists the doctor, who no longer cares about being squeezed between them. He orders, "You two focus on the right; I'll cover the left."
"Yes, sir," they nod curtly. Gary adds, "It's only a few hundred meters away, at 225."
The commander nudges the blurrg with his heels, and the creature picks up speed, moving swiftly through the woods. Distantly, tree branches sway, and they hear squawking. He immediately realizes it's the sound of geejaws and that the fight grows fiercer by the second.
A wild rakazzak, one of Endor's enormous spiders, looms over a royal guardsman. Six geejaws surround it, the wicked red birds that attacked the commander days before. A flock of them surround and harass the rakazzak over the meal.
The commander assesses the fight and fires, nailing one bird. Surprised, the Geejaws cry and screech, flapping wildly. Those closest to the giant spider remain focused on the rakazzak because it's the immediate threat. The spider catches one in its mandibles and snaps it in half. The commander shoots another avian. Dr. Wither and Gary blast away, but their shots are accurate and deadly now. In seconds, the geejaws are down or fleeing. Unfortunately, the rakazzak feels no appreciation for their rescue. It spins, raising its prickly legs threateningly.
Without warning, their blurrg cries out and tosses the imperials, fear overwhelming it. The doctor and Gary land hard, but the commander rolls with his fall. He blasts the spider twice more. It snaps its mandibles and swipes its legs at him while the commander dodges to avoid them. He runs to put a tree between them before blasting the Rakazzak again. The creature squeaks in agony before Dr. Wither and Gary shoot it from the other side. It tries to fall back, but Gary advances, spraying one blast after another into its carapace. The creature collapses under the assault, but Gary doesn't pause, shooting its corpse until his carbine clicks empty. He continues advancing, click-click-click, oblivious to the creature's death or his empty weapon.
"Gary," the commander calls, but he doesn't respond. He only squeezes his trigger. Click-click-click, he continues. The commander crosses the distance, grabbing him, "Gary-"
Without warning, Gary swings his rifle at the commander, who blocks it. The commander spins Gary before grabbing him in a tight bear hug. He screams, "Gary!"
His friend tenses, wrestling for a moment before recovering his wits and slumping against the commander. "I'm sorry, sir."
With a sigh, the commander releases him. Deeply ashamed, Gary's shoulders slump like a punished child. When he confesses, Gary doesn't look up, "I should have shot her. I shouldn't have asked permission; I should have blasted that witch until she turned to dust."
"Maybe," the commander admits, it would have saved them some trouble. "Who knows how things will play out, Gary, but we can't change the past. We can only learn from it."
"If I'm not interrupting…?" Dr. Wither scolds them, kneeling beside the royal guardsman's body. Half-wrapped in webbing, he's missing his ceremonial helm. She struggles to pull the webbing off. "Perhaps it caught him by surprise because I don't see any wounds."
"No need," the commander grumbles. "Spread out; look for his helmet and his lifepod."
"What?" The doctor gasps. "He didn't just sit down and die."
"That's exactly what happened," the commander tells her. After joining her beside the body, he turns the man's head, revealing scorch marks from a close-range shot.
"How'd you know?" Dr. Wither demands breathlessly but doesn't press the issue. Both follow his orders in silence while the commander closes the man's eyes.
"Found his helmet," Gary announces. He steps behind a log and lifts it reverently before handing it to the commander. "I would love to wear that armor."
"Don't even think about it!" He snarls, startling Gary. The commander pulls the helmet over the guardsman's head and locks it in place. "Call Vee, and see if he can detect the lifepod."
"What happened here?" Doctor Wither finally inquires.
The commander sighs, "His tracks come from the north. He sat down on the log, took off his helmet, then shot himself. Someone else found him and took his blaster and his forcepike. From the tracks, I think it was Dulok hunters. I'm surprised they didn't take the helmet."
"Decomposition hasn't set in," the doctor argues. "He can't have been here for 24 hours."
"I think he waited in space for someone to rescue him, following protocol. Eventually, as the pod began to run out of power, he chose to land on Endor. He failed the emperor, then spent a week in isolation. I think the end of the Empire and the struggle to survive was too much."
After a moment of disquiet, Wither asks, "Do you think this is happening elsewhere?"
"Yes." the Grand Commander immediately recalls Gary's resignation during the ambush. Iona flashes through his mind, holding a blaster to her head. Unintentionally, the enormity of their problems overwhelms the commander. Even if we escape, the stability offered by the Empire is gone, divided into who-knows-how-many factions. There's no guarantee we'll survive. Even if we do, will we be changed beyond all recognition?
"Sir," Dr. Wither interrupts his thoughts gently. "I recognize the reverence stormtroopers hold for the royal guard. It speaks well of you, but time is running out."
As good an excuse as any, the commander admits. He asks, "What's Vee's ETA?"
"There," Gary points, a black droid descends from orbit like a flying octopus.
"Leave the vane with him," the commander points at the royal guardsman.
"Sir, are you certain?" Dr. Wither asks. "You want to trust our safety with a droid?"
"He can fly," the commander reminds her. "He'll arrive before we do. We have to assume the Ewoks and rebels have scouts in the trees. Gary, tell V to move cautiously."
"Yes, sir," Gary relays his orders over the comlink.
From behind them, the blurrg approaches slowly before whimpering. The commander looks at the beast and grumbles, "You little coward. You ran again!"
The blurrg hunches and whining but won't look him in the eye. Gary pets it, "Well, everyone is afraid of spiders, and the rakazzak are huge."
Gary's comlink blares rapid binary, "Sir! Ewoks are converging on the compound!"
"Let's go!" The commander immediately mounts the blurrg, followed by Wither and Gary. With a last look at the royal guard, he kicks his mount. The blurrg lurches forward, racing through the woods. Trees and bushes pass in a blur as their hearts race; desperately, they fear they're too late. Before they even see their base, they can hear the battle. Explosions roar, and the volume of blaster fire is unmistakable.
Suddenly, an arrow flies by the commander's head, then another in front of him. He flinches but can't see his attackers. As the compound comes in view, he crouches lower, blaster rifle ready. Ewoks and troopers fight on the walls; meanwhile, more of them surge through the front gate. Fire licks the entryway, obviously damaged by explosives. Volleys of blasterfire erupt from within the second-floor windows and the rooftop. Above them, Viper probes mark leaders among the Ewoks with spotlights. Immediately barrages of blaster bolts shred the targets. Even mouse droids flash the Ewoks with light, squeaking loudly, to warn of their infiltrators.
Exhausted, the blurrg digs deep for one last charge, hurtling faster towards the entrance. The thunder of its trot picks up as the commander blasts an Ewok with a spear. The gathered Ewoks turn in surprise as a horn sounds, Doot-doo-doo-DOO! They lower spears, setting them to repulse his charge. Then an explosion tears through their close ranks before a trio of vipers shoot into the knot. More imperials blast away, cutting a path through the tribals. As the Ewoks try to hold position, grenades fly over the walls, exploding among the imperial's ranks. Snipers in the trees fire at the defenders on the walls, but the response is overwhelming from the compound.
The blurrg crushes an Ewok and barrels over more. The commander fires constantly, echoed by his comrades. There's no safety within the courtyard; instead, they discover mounds of dead and a fierce hand to hand. Swansong and Caizor hold the line in their heavy dungeoneer armor. Stormtroopers shoot and stab Ewoks with bayonets fixed; the beasts fight back just as savagely. From the second-floor windows, Diggz leads techs and support staff covering them from above. After recognizing the riders, the imperials cheer and redouble their efforts. The commander, doctor, and Gary rejoin the fight immediately. Inch by bloody inch, they drive the Ewoks out. Finally, the tribals sound the horn to retreat as a few more shots ring out.
A sigh of relief is quickly followed by a roar of celebration among the defenders. Imperials rush the trio, patting them and congratulating them on their success. Even the wounded and dying, clutching their injuries, find the strength to cheer. The commander motions for them to quiet down, "Gather and tend to the wounded; we're not finished yet, brothers!"
Suddenly Gary's comlink emits Vee's binary. Gary cries out, "Incoming bombers!"
"Take cover!" The commander screams. "Defensive positions!"
The roar of X-Wings announces the next wave of attacks, and soon lasers strafe the compound. From the rooftop, anti-aircraft weapons fire, forcing the X-wing to evade. A bomb misses colliding with a tree before striking them. "Doctor, tend the wounded! Gary, on me!"
They race into the compound, up the stairs, and to the roof. On the way, they pass Serrano, who carries the deceased royal guard. Gale organizes the defenders while technicians struggle to repair the shield emitter.
"Gary, help the techs! Vee, fly up and tell us where the X-wings are coming from!"
Lieutenant Gale rushes up to him. "Do you know how to use these?"
"Oh yeah!" the commander assures him excitedly, grabbing a rocket launcher. He lifts it to his shoulder. "Call the targets, lieutenant."
"Target coming in from point one-one-three! A thousand meters, no, twelve hundred!"
"Backblast clear!" The commander warns, then squeezes the trigger. The rocket flares before launching, trailing smoke. Coming in low to avoid their cannon fire, the X-wing peels off. The rocket explodes, knocking out his shields and ruining his attack. His bombs explode just short of the base, leveling trees and sending up a pillar of fire.
Vee beeps, and Gale warns, "Two fighters coming in from two-five-seven!"
"Reload! Gunners focus on two-five-seven!" He orders before kneeling. Gale grabs another rocket and loads it into the tube. The commander aims and fires; amazingly, the X-wing shoots the rocket before impact. Anti-aircraft cannons fire, but the X-wings are relentless. Both fighters race overhead, the second dropping its bombs too late and overshooting the compound. The third X-wing strafes them again, forcing the troopers on the roof to flee for cover.
"Last one!" Gale warns as he reloads the rocket launcher.
Instead of peeling off, the strafing X-wing flips and circles back around. The pilot's erratic flying dance around each AA blast. The commander waits, aiming carefully, and spots the flare from the engines. At first, the pilot shoots from a safe distance. Then he charges, shooting through the courtyard, up the building, and across the roof.
"Backblast clear!" The commander fires as it advances, leaving little time to evade.
The rocket nails the X-wing, destroying a wing and causing it to spin out of control. Gale tackles the commander and covers him as the X-wing passes overhead. It's so close that wind batters them, and its engines howl in their ears. It plows through several trees, cutting a path through the woods before bursting into flames.
"Incoming at seven-four-three!" Gale warns as he climbs off the commander. Both raise their rifles; although a nearly useless gesture, it feels better than standing idle.
Suddenly, a hum occurs behind them, casting a bluish beam into the sky. An energy field expands over them, forming a shield. Torpedoes strike it harmlessly; bright orange explosions flare but do not penetrate. Realizing their opportunity has passed…the fighters withdraw.
The commander breathes a sigh of relief, tempered by the knowledge they're not safe yet. Another cheer rises from the defenders, muted, mixed with death cries and pleading for aid.
"I have an idea," Gale says quietly, looking at the commander, "…an idea to reach the Research Station 9, but you're not going to like it."