Chapter 52
Good Men and True
Cody squinted and blinked, trying for the hundredth time to clear his eyes of dust but to no avail. He peered after Banai until he disappeared with Hex and Theec among the boulders scattered at the mouth of the canyon. Banai's plan to capture the Imps sounded nearly as improbable as the ones Skywalker tended to concoct. Perhaps mutual insanity was what bonded them. Or were wild plans just typical of the natives of this backwater?
On the other hand, if it worked, it would lead to the best possible outcome.
Cody and his remaining men, all now out of armor, advanced to the mouth of the canyon. It was grim work, climbing over and around the bodies of the stormtroopers. What a waste of life. All these years, and still the war dragged on. He arranged his troops ostentatiously in full view of the Imps. If he had miscalculated and some of their blasters were in fact functional, he had probably just condemned his squad to death.
Several stormtroopers took aim at them, but it was evident from their slow and awkward movements that the sand had compromised their equipment as much as it had the clones'. Even without the threat of blaster fire, the wait for Banai's signal seemed interminable. Cody's nerves stretched until they were as taut as a retracting ascension cable.
A ghastly bellow echoed through the canyon behind them.
The clones recoiled, whirling to scan for the new threat. Every stormtrooper in sight brought their worthless weapons to bear on the entrance to the ravine.
Silence fell again. There was no sign of whatever had made that noise. Cody's palms sweated and he had difficulty regulating his breathing as the seconds stretched out into one minute.
Two.
Two and a half.
An indescribable screech resounded south of their position, beyond the Imperial ships.
Cody reeled back to face the desert. He stared in astonishment. The stormtroopers that had held the rearguard position, the ones farthest from the canyon and closest to the IDTs, were laying down their weapons and putting their hands up. The ones closer to the clones' position stood back to back in a fruitless attempt to cover both the canyon and the desert.
Their stiff postures and jerky movements broadcast their unease.
A grin split Cody's face as the surrendering unit—it looked like at least two platoons' worth—shuffled up the ramp of the nearest dropship at the point of Banai and Theec's rifles. Hex, after a quick trip inside, manually sealed the doors. One stormtrooper, wearing the red pauldron of a chief, remained with Banai's group, the barrel of Theec's rifle shoved into the joint in his armor beneath the small of his back. The routine was repeated with another group of stormtroopers. In less time than Cody would ever have thought possible, all the remaining stormtroopers had been confined in the dropships with the hatches sealed. Banai, Theec, and Hex jogged back to the rest of the squad.
Rex gave a low whistle of admiration. "Banai, that was some of the cleverest maneuvering I've ever seen. Worthy of a vod. Where'd you learn to do that?"
"It's how we hunt womp rats." Banai lifted one shoulder casually. "They're fierce but pretty stupid, and they travel in packs. If you get the last one's attention, you can shoot it before the next one knows what you've done. And it was Hex's idea to capture the chief and force him to order them into the transports. Theec did his part by keeping him nice and cooperative. Hex threatened to chuck a grenade into the transports if they tried to leave."
Cody grinned. "Creative thinking. I like that, Banai. You and Theec can have a spot in any operation I run in the future."
Before Cody could decide what the next step should be, that unearthly call echoed through the wastes again. Theec visibly jumped.
"What's that?" Dash reflexively if futilely pointed his disabled weapon up the ravine.
"A krayt dragon call," said Banai in a curious tone.
"A dragon?"
"Yes." He started back toward the mouth of the canyon. "I wonder what brought it out at this time of day…"
"Um, excuse me," Scratch faltered, "but I hope you mean some sort of native lizard that people call dragons because they sort of look like something out of a story. Not a real—"
A massive creature loped down the rocky path. Cody had time only to notice spines along its back and some fierce fangs before it came to a stunningly delicate halt mere meters from the group. Hindbrain screaming and heart hammering, he froze, hands clenched around his rifle.
"Ani!" cried Banai.
Cody wrenched his eyes away from that enormous head and rubbed his eyes. He had not even noticed the dusty figure on its back. That was Skywalker, all right.
"Kit. What are you doing here?" Skywalker's gaze took in the carnage around them, the disheveled clones, and the troop ships in the distance.
Cody called up in a voice that didn't shake more than a little, even as his eyes drifted inexorably back to the lizard, "Watching your back, General. As always."
"I'm…That's…" Skywalker stared at them in wonder for a long moment before shaking his head as though clearing a stupor from his mind. "I'm more honored than I can say." His husky voice betrayed his exhaustion, and maybe suppressed emotion, too.
"Is the Emperor dead?" Rex demanded fiercely.
"Yes. We need a medevac. The twins are injured. Do you have working comms?"
"No, sir," Hex said. "I just checked the ships. The sandstorm knocked out all the equipment."
"I'm not surprised." Skywalker sighed and glanced around the group. "Do any of you have medical training?"
Dash raised a hand. "I'm trained in basic first aid, sir."
"We gave first aid already. Obi-wan and Ahsoka are keeping them stable."
Rex stepped closer, head tilted back as he squinted against the glare of the suns. "What happened? Is Luke going to be all right?"
"He'll live." Skywalker met his eyes with sympathy. "The Emperor cut off his hand."
Rex flinched.
"I need to contact the Rebellion for that medevac." Skywalker resumed his command tone. "I'm going to Mos Espa."
"I can detail a couple of men to come with you, sir," Cody said, "but I'll need everyone else to keep our prisoners shut up in the IDTs." He gestured vaguely toward the vehicles behind him.
Skywalker stared. "You have prisoners? How did you—Never mind; tell me later. I don't need an escort. Just Kit."
"Me?" Banai took a step back.
"I know you want to check on your family. Also, you're the president. You have work to do."
"Right. Uh, just let me get the speeder and we can go," Banai said.
"Nonsense, Kitster Banai."
Cody's blaster was pointing at the lizard's eye before his mind had even registered that it was the creature that had spoken. The foolhardiness of his instinctive response hit him like a concussion grenade, and with great effort, he forced himself to lower the blaster again.
"Get on my back, son of the desert," the uncanny voice was all the more unsettling for its cool gentleness. "The great evil has been defeated, but there is more to do."
"I—I am not worthy, Great Mother," Banai said with a deep bow, evidently far less unsettled than Cody by the appearance of a talking dragon.
A distant and muffled part of Cody squawked. Skywalker was sitting on a dragon. A dragon! It had to be the strangest thing the man had done in a lifetime of unpredictability.
"To the contrary," she replied. "You have dedicated yourself to the freedom of others and have kept your childhood oath to the Krayt Rider. You are most worthy. Therefore, ride, that this day's work may see its completion."
Banai, clearly dumbfounded by the offer, nevertheless reached a trembling hand toward Skywalker, who must have augmented the heave with the Force because Banai rose smoothly and settled behind him.
"Cody Fettson."
Cody struggled not to cringe as the spiked head lowered toward him.
"You have performed a great service for the Krayt Rider and for the children of the desert this day. My sons and daughters will assist you in containing the men of the Great Slaver Sheev Palpatine, that they may despoil the desert no further. So long as you do not attack them, they are no threat to you or your people."
Cody gaped as more dragons appeared over the crest of a dune to the southeast, like a pod of aiwha breaking the surface of the ocean. The creatures, though not as colossal as the one Skywalker rode, were enormous. They encircled the battlefield to guard the ships in pairs.
"You should say 'thank you,' Cody," Skywalker said around a laugh. "Krayts place a high value on civility."
Cody gulped. What was the proper etiquette for addressing a dragon? "Th—thank you, errr, Madame Dragon."
"You are welcome, Cody Fettson. Now, we must go."
And with no further ceremony, she bounded away.
Leaning heavily on the force pike he had repurposed and resolutely ignoring the throbbing in his ankle, Obi-Wan hobbled out the door of his hut, bag of medical supplies slung over his shoulder. He startled at an unfamiliar noise from behind the hut. It would have been a cause for investigation at any time, even if he hadn't still been reeling from an unexpected encounter with a talking krayt—and his padawan's evident familiarity with her—but today Obi-Wan was taking no chances. Senses on high alert, he grasped his lightsaber before peering around the hut.
The path was deserted. He waited, breath suspended. Another scraping noise near his feet drew his attention to the precipice below him.
He blinked rapidly. The incongruous sight didn't change—a tan-and-gold-furred Wookiee clung to the cliff at his feet.
This wasn't a mirage. Or a hallucination—although he could perhaps be forgiven for thinking it might be. Hurried inventory indicated at least a couple dozen Wookiees in various stages of scaling the cliff. Even as he watched, Chewbacca pulled himself up over the edge a short distance away. Obi-Wan laughed before he could help himself—Captain Solo was secured to Chewbacca's back in an improvised harness, and he looked rather seasick.
Solo glared at Obi-Wan over Chewbacca's shoulder. "Laugh again, and I'll shoot you."
Recovering a marginal equilibrium, Obi-Wan forced his lips into a straight line and breathed deeply through his nose. Once he thought he could control his voice, he said with his smoothest manner, "Of course not, Captain. I do, however, find myself curious about your presence here. Aren't you supposed be at the refugee center?"
Other Wookiees were clambering onto the path now as Chewbacca rapidly released the knots in the harness.
"Yeah, well, they heard the Emperor was going to be here today and they're hungry for revenge." Solo dropped to his feet a little ungracefully.
"I see. That is only to be expected, I suppose." Apprehension stirred in Obi-Wan's gut. He wasn't certain he had a sufficient reserve of energy to manage even one thwarted Wookiee, let alone a group. "Are they likely to react violently if I tell you Anakin already killed him?"
Chewbacca howled wordlessly.
Solo clapped him on the back. "I know, pal, but at least he's dead, right?" He squeezed past his friend to stand in front of Obi-Wan. "Chewie will keep them in line."
Chewbacca chuffed agreement.
"It might help if they see the old son of a Hutt," Solo said.
Obi-Wan gestured tiredly in a general southerly direction. "You're welcome to see for yourselves. Just—don't touch the body. I'm not sure what happens next and wouldn't want anyone to be arrested for disturbing the scene." Laboriously, he led the way around the hut, rowdy Wookiees clustering around him.
"Where is the scumbag?" Solo asked after surveying the rubble strewn across the plateau.
Obi-Wan waved his free hand toward the rocky edge of the Jundland Wastes. The Wookiees rushed and scrambled over the rocks, their howls splitting the air. They did not seem on the verge of rioting yet and he had no energy to spare, so Obi-Wan ignored the commotion in favor of making his way toward Ahsoka and the twins.
Solo kept pace with him. "If you're here, where's Skywalker?"
"Mos Espa. We need a medevac and the comms are down. He'll be back, although I don't know when."
Ahsoka was lying beside Luke, monitoring him through the Force. "He's still stable." Her relief was almost palpable. "But who are all these people?"
Leia's eyes flickered, but she didn't try to speak. She rested on her back on Luke's other side, with Artoo hovering anxiously over her.
"Friends." At Ahsoka's skeptical look, Obi-Wan shrugged. "I think. They're the Wookiees from the Death Star. And Captain Solo." He came to a halt beside her.
"Hi." She gave a small nod in Solo's direction but kept her narrowed eyes on Obi-Wan. "Is your limp getting worse?"
"My ankle will keep for now," Obi-Wan said. "How is your side?"
Ahsoka started to laugh but it turned into a wince. "What do you think? Painful."
"I'm sure." Moving a little heavily, Obi-Wan swung the bag off his shoulder to rest on a boulder. "I have enough bandages to wrap your chest. That should hold you until we're in medical."
"Anakin will have a field day with us." At Obi-Wan's quizzical expression, she said, "You promised to stay in medical. As long as the doctors require."
"He's going to be insufferable," Obi-Wan said with a twinkle, "but considering the alternative, I do not intend to repine."
"Point," sighed Ahsoka.
"Now, we should see about moving Luke and Leia into shelter, so let's get those ribs wrapped."
"Right." Ahsoka's attempted to sit, only to groan and sink back. "Argh! I used to better at this."
"You're tired," Obi-Wan said gently. He attempted to crouch beside her, but gave up the attempt with a wince. "We all are. And—perhaps not as young as we once were. Captain Solo, would you be so kind as to help Ahsoka sit up?"
"No problem." Solo squatted next to her. "So you're part of this crazy crew?"
"Yeah, unfortunately. And speak for yourself, Master Obi-Wan," she said pertly, sliding unconsciously into old coping patterns.
"I just did," Obi-Wan retorted. If banter would take her mind off this painful process, then banter she would have. "I, for one, am getting too old for these sorts of adventures."
Solo slid his arm under her shoulders and lifted.
"Ohhh." It was half crow, half groan. "Wait until I tell Skyguy you said that."
Obi-Wan grimaced. "Please don't. He'll never let it go."
"I know. It will be fun to watch." She was panting and leaning hard against Solo.
Obi-Wan gave her a moment to catch her breath before saying, "Lift your arms." She held them up so he could wrap a length of cloth around her ribs. Unable to kneel, he balanced awkwardly with one hand on the boulder and bent until he could reach, but Solo still had to help pass the tape around her ribs. "What would I have to offer you to persuade you to change your mind?"
She sank her teeth into her lower lip as he tied off the wrapping. "I'll have to think about that." The words were breathy and uneven.
"Take all the time you need," Obi-Wan said dryly.
She huffed in amusement. She explored her left side with gentle fingers and finally nodded. "It will do. You can let go now," she said to Solo. After a close study of her features, he shrugged and released her. She braced one hand on the ground and placed the other on Luke's hair. "He's clammy. We should get him inside."
"Well, Captain Solo," Obi-Wan said, "would Chewbacca be willing to assist in carrying Luke? Neither Ahsoka nor I is up for the job at the moment."
"Yeah." Solo stood to bellow, "Chewie."
Chewbacca left the Wookiees, still raucously celebrating the Emperor's demise with what looked like a cross between a wrestling match and a martial dance, to join the group.
Solo seemed to notice the ruckus the Wookiees were creating for the first time. "Maybe they should have a job? Before that gets out of hand?"
Chewbacca didn't bother debating the suggestion. He roared some instructions and in moments the Wookiees had assumed a patrol of the plateau, although it was punctuated by frequent howls and improvisatory dance steps of triumph.
Obi-Wan gave a half-bow to Chewbacca. "Would you carry Luke into the hut? Mind his right arm, though."
Ahsoka looked up at Solo. "Help me stand?"
"Shouldn't you wait for someone to carry you, too?" Solo suggested with a skeptical survey of her battered figure.
She shook her head firmly. "I can walk. It will hurt but I won't do any damage. And I want to stay near Luke." She reached out her right hand.
"Okay. It's your broken ribs." Solo offered her his hand in turn, bracing her as she struggled to her feet until she found her balance enough to follow Chewbacca at a halting pace.
"Leia." Obi-Wan bent over the girl.
She cracked her eyes open. "Uncle Ben, is there water?"
"There is, but let's get you into the house first." To Solo, he said, "Her right shoulder is dislocated. I don't have anything that will work as a stretcher, so I think she should walk, not be carried."
"Sure thing." Solo dropped to one knee on her left side.
Artoo, still hovering anxiously on her other side, planted his wheel in what in a human would have been a protective stance and emitted the closest approximation to a hiss he could manage, jabbing his sparking arc welder toward Solo's arm.
Solo jerked back. "Hey, short stuff. Cut that out. I'm trying to help."
Artoo shook from side to side in a flurry of electronic protests.
Obi-Wan, with a mixture of amusement and understanding, placed a gentle hand on the droid's dome. "Let him help, Artoo. She shouldn't stay out here and I can't lift her."
Beeping disconsolately, Artoo stilled.
"She's going to be all right," Obi-Wan said soothingly. "We all will. Captain, you may proceed."
Solo narrowed his eyes skeptically at the droid before returning his attention to Leia. "All right, sweetheart, let's get you upright."
"Not your…sweetheart."
He slid his arm under her shoulder. "Whatever you say, Princess." He ignored her irritated twitch. "No point in doing this slow and easy. It's gonna hurt no matter what." In one smooth motion, he lifted her torso, then wrapped his other arm around her hip and pulled her to standing. She sagged against him. He kept his arm wrapped around her back until she straightened and pushed feebly against his chest.
"I'm okay. I can stand."
"Sure you can, sweetheart." He gave a lopsided, cocksure grin. "What rancor chewed you up and spit you out, anyway? You're a disaster."
She spluttered and gasped and probably would have taken a swing at him if he hadn't been supporting her good arm. "You—you—you!"
Solo pressed his hand against her back, subtly urging her forward. Distracted by his needling, she took one step, then another. "No offense intended. All I'm saying is—if you look this bad, I'd hate to see the other guy."
She glared at him. Artoo tootled irritably and rolled to take up a guard position on her right side. Both combatants ignored him. "He's dead."
Solo nodded sagely. "I expected nothing less. You could kill a man with that glare alone."
Leia tried to stop moving to glare more effectively. Solo shook his head reprovingly. "Now, none of that, honey. We're halfway there."
"You are insufferable," she panted. "And my name is Leia. Uncle Ben…"
Amused by Solo's outrageous efforts to distract her from her pain, Obi-Wan merely chuckled. "Just let it go, my dear. You should have heard what he called Anakin." He gathered the bag and his staff and followed them.
Leia started to turn her head to look at Solo and hurriedly abandoned the effort with a gasp and a pinched look. "You—know—"
"Skywalker? Yeah, he hijacked my ship. Him and his sneaky, thieving little droid."
Artoo blatted a raspberry.
"Artoo is not—a thief," she panted, so indignant that she never even noticed how skillfully Solo kept her moving at a steady pace.
"Just sneaky, huh?" Solo said drily.
"He is not! He's clever and loyal and—"
"And sticks his nose in other people's business," Solo said firmly. "Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes, sweetheart. He's the most devious little oil can I've ever seen. It's a miracle he didn't corrupt the Falcon's computer."
Artoo let off a series of insults that made Leia laugh breathlessly. "You tell him—Ar—too."
They reached the hut at last. Chewbacca, no doubt unbearably cramped under the hut's low roof, had laid Luke on the floor and stepped back outside. Ahsoka sat on the bench beside him, leaning against the wall. Solo assisted Leia to lie down next to Luke and gently pulled his arm out from under her shoulders.
"There you go, Princess." He sank back on his heels with a smirk. "Now you can give me the full force of that glare without being distracted by having to walk."
She rolled her eyes irritably. "I live here. I am not a princess."
He shrugged. "Okay. Farm Girl, then."
She gasped in outrage. He grinned at her.
"You—you—annoying—scruffy-looking—bantha herder!" she sputtered.
He laughed heartily, which only made her more furious.
Obi-Wan took pity on her. "Captain, perhaps you could ease up your efforts, now that Leia doesn't have to move. I think she might try to rend you limb from limb if you keep on, and I don't know that I could stop her."
Solo shrugged. "I can handle it." He winked at her, mouth quirked lopsidedly. "She's a pipsqueak."
"Pipsqueak!" Leia's voice did in fact squeak. "I'll have you know I helped kill the Emperor today."
"I'm not surprised. I told you your glare is lethal." Solo patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, Princess—I like violent women."
Things degenerated from there.