THE GLOVE OF DARTH VADER - CHAPTER 1: Droids on a Mission
See-Threepio's frantic voice echoed through the Droid Repair Shop on Yavin Four, the fourth moon of the planet Yavin.
"But Master Luke," Threepio was saying (in nervous protest), "Kessel has always been last on my list of places in the galaxy I'd like to see. Particularly on a dangerous spy mission without my own head."
"You're only getting a different head cover, not a whole new head," Luke Skywalker said to his golden, human-shaped droid (trying to calm his electronic nerves).
He bent to examine a used droid head on a shelf. (It was seized four years ago when ace rebel pilot Wedge Antilles' Y-Wing was shot down over Kile II. Luke and the other members of Rogue Squadron undertook a daring mission to Kessel to rescue Wedge from an armored hovertrain. Then, with the help of General Madine, they returned to rescue several additional prisoners.)
"We're not going to touch a single one of your microcircuits. We just don't want you to be noticed in a crowd of Kessel droids." (Luke assured him).
The Kessel droid head Luke was holding had a punched-in, evil-looking face. It was a face that didn't match Threepio's gentle personality at all.
"What do you think of this one?" asked Luke.
"That one? There's something lacking in your taste, Master Luke. It's unsightly – and…and it's green!" Threepio stammered (in disbelief).
"Didn't I tell you about your new color-plating?" Luke replied (with a teasing smirk).
"You're not going to make me green, are you?" Threepio exclaimed (in incredulous protest), waving his arms (frantically).
"Don't panic," said Luke (with a light, amused chuckle). "Your gold color will be restored, along with your usual head cover, when the mission is over. Come on, let's get started."
BZZZZZZZT!
Luke pressed his inter-office communications device, signaling the Droid Modification Team that Threepio was ready. The team was a group of Too-Onebee technical droids that specialized in repairing other droids and replacing their worn-out parts. The Too-Onebees brought with them Artoo-Detoo, a barrel-shaped droid that they had just finished modifying. Artoo now resembled a dark green Kessel mining droid, complete with a Kessel insignia on his dome.
"Dweeet bchooo tzniiiiiiiiit!" beeped Artoo-Detoo, turning his new dome left and right so that Luke and Threepio would notice.
"No, I don't think you look wonderful," replied (an exasperated) Threepio, who was an expert at translating six million galactic languages and understood all of Artoo's beeps, buzzes and whistles.
Walking away from his little friend, Threepio reluctantly left with the Droid Modification Team. He returned an hour later.
"I hope you're satisfied," Threepio said with dismay.
"You look perfect," Luke replied with a(n assuring) smile. "Come on, we have to get to the new Senate. You don't want to miss the beginning of Mon Mothma's briefing do you?"
(The Rebel Alliance, formally known as The Alliance To Restore The Republic, was formed to return the galaxy to the representative democracy that had existed before the tyranny of the Empire. Although Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were dead, the Empire still stubbornly clung to control of Imperial Center, Kessel, and other sectors of space. But, that did not stop the Alliance, who were now calling themselves The New Republic, from declaring the formation of a new senate here, at their temporary headquarters on Yavin 4, made up of representatives from all allied sectors. They would govern from here, the site of their first Rebel base and the victory over the first Death Star, until Coruscant could be liberated.)
Luke walked toward the door quickly, thinking to himself how fortunate the Alliance was to have a distinguished and brilliant woman like Mon Mothma as its leader. (Without her careful planning and unshakable resolve in the face of a seemingly all-powerful Empire, the Rebellion might never have gotten off the ground. Or, held together amid the numerous perilous struggles of the Galactic Civil War. She was just as much to thank for their victory.)
"When Mon Mothma explained our strategy for the battle against the Death Star, you were on time to hear her then – and this is no time to be late, either, Threepio. Especially since all of the key members of SPIN will be there."
SPIN was short for the Senate's Planetary Intelligence Network, a secret organization within the Alliance's new galactic government. (It was an analysis and infiltration network with a Rapid Response Team made up of some of the most skilled members of the Alliance to deal with covert missions.
(SPIN also worked to counter the efforts of the Empire's secret police, the Imperial Security Bureau or ISB. The Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard, had violently suppressed the numerous celebrations that broke out on Coruscant in the wake of Emperor Palpatine's death during The Battle of Endor. Recently, she had worked to undermine Grand Vizier Sate Pestage and effectively seize control of Imperial Center herself. She was one of many Imperial leaders that the New Republic would have to face before the galaxy was truly free.)
WHOOOOSH!
Luke's airspeeder zoomed over the treetops of the rain forest on Yavin Four, dodging the peaks of the old pyramids. Soon, he could see many of the elaborate structures that had been built by a long-vanished race. He saw the Great Temple. And, to his left the Temple of the Blueleaf Cluster (,named for the numerous carvings of Blueleaf Shrubs found on the ancient rock walls). And up ahead, the Palace of the Woolamander, where the new Senate met.
(The palace had been named for the numerous blue and gold-furred, pot-bellied monkey-like creatures that inhabited the Massassi Trees around the temple ruin. This was much to the chagrin of some members of the Alliance, who felt as though making such a place into the seat of democracy was handing the Imperial propagandists on the holo-net an easy way to mock and undermine its legitimacy.)
It was nearly twilight when Luke landed the airspeeder. He hurried Threepio and Artoo up the ramps to the main Senate entrance and they proceeded down a stone hallway until they reached the briefing room.
Seated at the conference table were two human women, two human men, and two aliens. The women were Mon Mothma and Princess Leia; the men were Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, the governor of Cloud City on the planet Bespin; and the aliens were Chewbacca, the Wookie, and Admiral Ackbar, the sad-eyed fishman and war hero from the watery world of Calamari (who had led the rebel forces against the second Death Star).
Luke took his place at the center of the table, with Threepio and Artoo standing nearby.
"Well, kid," Han said to Luke, "you sure did a great job on these droids. If I didn't know what was going on, I'd swear I was on Kessel."
"Thanks, Han. Coming from you, that really means a lot," Luke said to his friend.
"Kessel is a planet that all experienced cargo pilots try to avoid," said Han (thinking back to his days before joining the Alliance). "Especially me. But a few times, when there was a fortune to be made from transporting spice, I flew the trip from Kessel anyway, against my better judgment. In fact, I've made the Kessel Run in the Millennium Falcon in less than twelve standard timeparts (er-I mean Parsecs)."
(Han had come to regret running spice for Jabba the Hutt. Especially after that slimy slug put a bounty on his head. But, he still considered the daredevil maneuvering that had allowed him to avoid Imperial patrols in the Maw Cluster that day a point of great personal pride.)
(Lando, who had been the original owner of The Millennium Falcon before Han won it from him in a game of Sabacc, looked to him, smiled and shook his head. Some things never changed.)
"You told me that the day I first met you, back in the cantina at Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine," said Luke (with a warm smile). "Remember? When I showed up with Obi Wan Kenobi and-"
"Yeah, I remember, kid, now that you mention it," interrupted Han (knowing that they could spend hours reminiscing about their adventures). He knitted his brows and frowned. "Well, take my word for it – things have gotten even meaner on Kessel since then. "(Word is, the new overseer is even more brutal than the last.) And it's tough times there for spice traders and old Corellian space pirates like me. These days, if they even suspect you might be loyal to the Alliance, they send you straight to the spice mines – to be a slave for life!"
"Which brings us to the urgency of the Kessel mission," Mon Mothma said strongly. "Thousands of grand moffs, evil warlords, stormtroopers, Imperial droids, and enemy officers from the Empire are arriving at Kessendra Stadium on Kessel for a big gathering in their capital city."
("Our spies have confirmed that Director Isard has declared the Grand Moffs, who control Imperial Oversectors, and Moffs, who govern Imperial worlds, illegitimate after failing to stop the celebrations around the galaxy after Endor. This has caused a schism within the Imperial ranks. Many of the Grand Moffs and Moffs who wish to preserve their power have organized what they are referring to as the Central Committee of Grand Moffs as a separate faction.")
(Leia bit her lip. She remembered well the cold-hearted Grand Moff Tarkin, who had ordered the destruction of her home planet of Alderaan by the first Death Star.)
(Seeing her concern Solo chimed in. "But that's a good thing, isn't it? If the enemy is divided and fighting each other, it will make taking back the galaxy that much easier, won't it?"
(Mon Mothma nodded. "But that doesn't make them any less of a threat to us. And this group may use very different tactics to attempt to stop us from reforming the Republic. Furthermore, if they are able to appoint a leader who is able to draw a broader base of support, then they can prevent the Empire from fracturing further into warlord states.)
She turned to Artoo-Detoo and continued. "Artoo, your data banks now contain information on every important Imperial who might be at that meeting, including all those who may have ambitions to become the new leader of the Empire. You also have date on the Prophets of the Dark side. There seems to be much controversy about the latest prophecy of the Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side, Kadaan."
(After the Empire's defeat at Endor, SPIN had intercepted numerous cryptic prophecies from this mysterious group of prophets. Kadaan had apparently foreseen Palpatine's defeat. And, now, many within the Empire looked to him for guidance on how to continue the fight. He had formed a religion called The Church of the Dark Side, and written an unholy book – 'Secrets of the Dark Side', to seduce the populace into continuing to uphold the twisted ideology of the Sith.)
Mon Mothma touched a button on the conference table console and a holo-projector flashed Kadaan's words in midair:
After Palpatine's fiery death
Another leader soon comes to command The Empire
And on his right hand does he wear
The glove of Darth Vader!
A menacing silence fell over the briefing room. (It was their worst fears confirmed.)
"Ptoog bziiiini?" beeped Artoo, as his new dome rotated back and forth.
"He wants to know how the right-hand glove of Darth Vader can still exist," said Threepio (who sounded equally perplexed).
"Unlike the left-handed glove, the right glove was made to be indestructible (using an evil Sith amulet)," Mon Mothma replied. "A symbol of evil that would survive forever. After Luke cut off Darth Vader's right hand in their lightsaber duel, the glove was believed to have been hurled out into space when the Death Star exploded."
(Luke looked down at his mechanical hand, over which he too wore a black glove. He remembered his final duel with Darth Vader in the Emperor's throne room. He had almost lost himself to The Dark Side by letting his rage consume him. Although he'd regained his senses, his decision had now come back to haunt them.)
(Leia, sensing his feelings, placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder.)
"According to our intelligence reports," she continued. "The glove has not yet been found. We have teams out searching for it, but it's possible that someone at the Kessel meeting might have found the glove already and (will then) claim to be the new Emperor."
("Great, just what we need," Han Solo said, folding his arms.)
(RRRrrruurgh! Arrggg…") Chewbacca added in an equally morose interjection in Shyriiwook, the language of the Wookies.)
Suddenly, Mon Mothma's holo-projector created an image of a meteor.
"Threepio and Artoo, this may look like a meteor, but it's actually your landing pod," she explained. "Admiral Ackbar and his fellow Calamarians built this especially for your mission."
"We guarantee that it will do the job," Admiral Ackbar said confidently.
Lando smiled and nudged his friend Han Solo, who was sitting beside him.
"Han has been kind enough to offer me a ride back to Bespin," said Lando. "So that I can get back to Cloud City for some urgent business. On our way, as we pass near Kessel, we'll eject the pod from the Millennium Falcon, right, Han?"
"Sure thing," Han put in.
(Shortly after The Battle of Endor, Lando had fought to re-take Cloud City from the Imperial forces that were stationed there by Darth Vader. There was still much work to be done getting the city back to running as it had before the occupation, but he retained a General's commission and lent his aid to the New Republic where possible.)
"The pod should get through enemy defenses undetected," said Mon Mothma, turning to the droids. "It's also been designed for your escape from Kessel. When your mission is over and you re-board, the pod will shed its meteor coating so that it will look like a spherical Imperial probe droid. Then it will automatically soar to the upper atmosphere, where you'll be picked up by an Imperial command speeder we captured and modified with hyperdrive for interplanetary flight – Command Speeder 714-D."
Threepio rubbed the back of his new metal head cover. He thought he could hear a fuse popping somewhere inside his electronic brain. This was all so shocking!
"And what if we get lost on Kessel?" he asked timidly.
"You droids managed to find Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine all by yourselves," Luke reminded Threepio.
"And you even helped rescue Han when he was frozen in suspended animation inside a block of solid carbonite," said Leia (joining Luke in trying to bolster Threepio's confidence).
"Grrrowff!" Chewbacca agreed.
"On the outside chance that you droids do get lost," Mon Mothma added, "remember that we've programmed Artoo-Detoo's data banks with maps of Kessel that we recovered from an escaped slave. Those maps show every street in the capital city of Kessendra, and the layout of Kessendra Stadium – even the slaves' secret escape tunnel you'll be using to get into the stadium."
At last Mon Mothma concluded the briefing and sent everyone to get a good night's rest before the mission began.
"Master Luke, sir," said Threepio in a sinking voice. "Are you sure there's no one else in the Alliance better suited for this mission than Artoo-Detoo and me?"
"You computed the odds yourself, Threepio," replied Luke. "I asked you what the chances are of any human or alien who's loyal to the Alliance getting back from Kessel alive."
Threepio nodded. "Only one chance in twelve thousand six hundred," he said, sighing. "Very well, then. It's all for the best. We droids are replaceable after."
("You'll be alright. I promise." Luke replied. "What was that you used to say? 'Freedom is everybody's fight.'")
("I suppose you're right," Threepio admitted, defeated. "Oh dear.")
Under the starlit sky of Yavin Four, Han Solo walked Princess Leia to her quarters.
"Your highness," said Han. "After Chewie and I drop off the droids in the meteor pod on Kessel and take Lando back to Cloud City…well, I don't exactly know how to put this…I'm not planning on coming back for a while."
(Leia had a stunned expression on her face. After the kiss they shared on Endor, the last thing she'd expected was for Han to go running off on her.)
(As for Han, he had put off having this conversation for so long. But, he couldn't bottle it up any longer. Still, the release wasn't going to be easy. For either of them.)
"But, Han," Princess Leia protested (,her voice choked as anger and sadness fought for control)," you know how important you are to SPIN."
"Maybe so (…), but Lando's offered me a lease on a piece of sky near Cloud City. I've always dreamed of having a place of my own, and I figure it's about time Chewie and I built my dream sky house."
(Having grown up on the streets of Corellia as a beggar and a pickpocket, there was a part of him which had always longed for the simple comfort of having a home to call his own. After all of his escapades and brushes with death, he wanted to finally have some stability in his life.)
"Can't you put it off until we know what's going on with the new Emperor?" asked Leia, (her eyes pleading with him).
"Princess, there's always something important that seems to come up before I can take care of my own dreams. Time is running out. And a man' got to do what he's got to do."
(Han had recently turned 37. He wasn't getting any younger. After the victory at Endor, he thought that the rebellion would be able to handle things without him. He thought that he might have a moment to catch his breath and think through what his next steps should be. But, then came the Ssi-Ruuk invasion and the Battle for The Eclipse over Kuat. Then, he had another run-in with Boba Fett, who'd apparently survived being eaten by the Sarlaac, followed by the Nagai-Tof War, he felt like his entire life was constantly being lurched from one crisis to another.)
"If that's the way you want it, Han," Leia said, not quite understanding him. She turned away. (Her heart was broken. Her mind raced with a hundred different things to say.)
(Han thought about putting his arms around her. But, perhaps this was for the best. Her life was the Alliance. He loved her. With all of his heart. But, he didn't know if he had another war in him. The way he was feeling, he was worried that he would let her down. Let the Alliance down.)
"I'm going to miss you, Princess," said Han, taking her hand.
("I know", Leia replies, her lip quivering. She remembered their parting in the carbonite freezing chamber. When she feared that he wouldn't survive the process. When she thought that she might never see him again. Once again, Bespin was taking him away from her.)
"May the Force be with you." (Han said solemnly.)
(She held his hand for a few seconds. Then, she let her fingers slip away from his. She walked to her quarters and opened the door. Stepping inside, she glanced back over her shoulder at him. They met each other's gaze in silence. Neither knew what to say. Then, she turned away and closed the door.)
(Han stood by himself in the hallway. Alone with his thoughts. Placing his clenched fist against the wall, he leans there for several long seconds. Then, he begins the long walk back to the waiting Millennium Falcon.)
(Moments later, Luke arrives at Leia's door. He could sense her immense sorrow. The door creaked open and she looked up at him. She threw her arms around him and sobbed against his shoulder. She was used to being strong. But, now, she couldn't be. Not now.)
("Hold me," she repeats. The words escaped her lips before she even realized what she'd said. It was the same thing she'd said to Han on Endor that night that she'd learned that Darth Vader was her father. The night that her whole world was turned upside-down. The night before the mission that would decide the fate of the galaxy. She felt now just as she did then. Was Han right? Would they, or the galaxy, ever find peace?)