It was the next day, around 2 in the afternoon. Candlehead was with the other sugar rush racers trying to cheer the royal family up. Cupcake sat alone on the couch watching tv, checking out the various news programs and documentaries about the game.
"Using state of the art computer animation, experience the devastating fight up close between imperial and droid forces for control of the galaxy of world designer, and the fight that brought about the death of the Lucy empire, here on virtual dogfights"
"That battle was less than a week ago, very surprising this was made so quickly"
The door unlocked, and Candlehead walked in.
"Candlehead, how was lunch?" Cupcake asked
"Could've been better, they're still pretty upset about Lucy. With any luck I'll be able to see her today" said Candlehead
"Has Lucy been released from prison?"
"Well, no, but Vanellope gave me a mission. I'm the only racer with a chain code besides Candlehead, I know where Lucy is, she's on a planet called Nexus Prime or something" said Candlehead
"If she is there, she's more than likely being forced to compete in the games"
"The games? What are these games?" Candlehead asked
"The games are gladiatorial games Lucy created to deal with prisoners, also for people to earn money and fame. Lucy's more than likely being held prisoner there and being forced to compete. The rules of the prisoners there are simple, win enough games and they'll go free. I doubt her living conditions are well, she didn't get far in finishing the prisoner cells, I doubt the empire would care enough about her to give her a finished cell"
"Well I have been tasked with checking in on her, making sure she's ok. I need you to guard the house while I'm gone. What're you watching?" Candlehead asked
"Some tv show talking about the battle last week. Surprised something was made so fast" said cupcake
"The main starfighter of Lucy's fleet is the vulture droid starfighter. In its home games it was developed by the trade federation and used by the confederacy of independent systems. It can travel at a max speed of 1200 kph, has twin blaster cannons, energy torpedo launchers, and optional buzz droid missile launchers. It's also able to walk in combat if needed"
"The main starfighter of the imperial forces is the TIE/ln space superiority fighter. Developed by sienar fleet systems, it has a maximum speed of 1200 kph, and is equipped with a single pair of blaster cannons. It is powered by solar arrays on its wings which power the twin ion engines. Unlike the vulture, it is piloted by a single pilot who must wear a protective suit for the cockpit isn't pressurized. Both starfighters are an even match for each other at first glance"
"So many words I don't recognize" said Candlehead
"Last I remember before dying in the battle was fighting a tie fighter that infiltrated the hangar of Kevin's fury. The craft didn't kill me, but the explosion of a fuel barrel did. They may be basic but they're not to be underestimated" said Cupcake
"Do you remember anything more about life with Lucy?" Candlehead asked
"No, more repairs are required on my memory. I've been working to try and repair but without the resources of Lucy 1's central computer I haven't been able to make much progress"
"I'm sorry, maybe I can help, but right now I got a flight to catch. I'll be back tonight" said Candlehead
Candlehead went to outpost litwak, a large spaceport in space, and caught a flight to nexus prime. It was cold and dark, with neon lights lighting the sky. She found herself in a colosseum with npc's gladly watching carnage from the games. She made it into the prison area, searching for Lucy's cell.
"Get moving scum"
Candlehead looked down a hallway and saw Lucy being escorted by 2 stormtroopers. She ran to her and called her name. Lucy collapsed onto her knees, she was wearing an all black uniform with black boots, her outfit also had glowing blue lines. She didn't look great, her face was bloody, her hair a mess, even her outfit had tears in it, she looked like she'd been through hell.
"Candlehead, help me, please" Lucy begged
"I said get up you worthless scum"
Lucy was brought to her feet and forced into another room.
"What happened to her? What did you do to her?" Candlehead asked a trooper
"Us? Nothing. Let's just say a my little pony holds one heck of a grudge"
The troopers entered the room and locked the door behind them. Next thing Candlehead knew, she was hearing Lucy scream in pain before hearing her crying. She needed more info. She finally found the cell Lucy was being held in. The conditions were poor with a dirt floor and very dim lighting. She saw a group of my little ponies being held prisoner and asked them to talk to her, with a stormtrooper standing guard. To her horror, they admitted to having beaten Lucy up.
"How could you? She's a little girl, mlp is everything to her" said Candlehead
"She's the reason we're in here" a unicorn told her
"She's unfit to be a queen. Even if she was, how would you feel if your queen was a little girl?"
"I already know what that's like, and that queen is now one of my best friends. She didn't deserve that" said Candlehead
"Regardless of what you think, what's done is done. Besides, she's still breathing isn't she?"
Candlehead punched 2 of the ponies in the face before being removed from the prison area by the trooper. She called vanellope and told her Lucy was fine and shouldn't worry. Candlehead hated having to lie about Lucy, but she knew Vanellope and Rancis couldn't handle the truth right now, it would only make them feel worse. And worse yet they couldn't do anuthing about Lucy even if they did know.
"It's for the best they don't know" said Candlehead as she made it back to the transport home
Back home, Candlehead confided to cupcake what she saw
"Her face was bloody, she had tears in her eyes. She was begging me to help her, but I couldn't" said Candlehead sadly
"Mom has dark days ahead of her. But if I know her, she's a survivor" said cupcake
Suddenly his head started twitching
"Cupcake?"
"Alert, Jedi infiltrator detected, alert general Grievous"
He grabbed a knife and threw it at the wall, with Candlehead pulling the other knives away. She immediately switched him off
"Glitches. Kevin's right, you need parts" said Candlehead "there must be someplace else to get parts"
(Elsewhere, planet Epsilon, closest planet to litwak city on Earth)
The empire had almost completely taken control of the planet, with only 1 holdout of droids remaining. Both droids and stormtroopers were locked in a firefight near a wrecked spaceport. The droids were in bad shape, many missing a limb of some kind. They had an assault tank but it had just run out of power and was only good for taking cover. The imperials were closing in with a scout walker
"We're heavily outgunned"
"Then we go out fighting"
"We don't stand a chance against them"
"Imperial sentinel incoming"
"Oh man this really is it"
An imperial troop shuttle flew over the droids and began to land, but before it did, it fired its weapons at the scout walker, destroying it, much to the stormtroopers confusion.
"Hey, we're on your side"
The shuttle landed out of it came a couple large soldiers in battle armor who began providing covering fire to the droids.
"If you droids want to live, get on the transport now"
The droids didn't hesitate and ran up the boarding ramp into the shuttle. They were greeted by Calhoun once the shuttle took off
"You weren't easy to find surprisingly" said Calhoun
"You're Lucy's aunt, you're helping us?"
"All vanellopes idea. We're on our way to pick her up now, said she had some business to take care of" said Calhoun
Elsewhere with Vanellope, who was wearing battle armor that covered her body and face, she was fighting a squad of troopers near a large satellite dish on a tall building. Having killed most of the troops, she grabbed the last survivor
"Why are you hunting the droids? Why are you destroying everything Lucy built?" Vanellope asked in a distorted voice provided by her helmet
"What? We're just following orders"
"That makes you a pawn. Do you carry a communication device?" Vanellope asked
"Y-yes"
"Give it to me, now" Vanellope demanded
"What? Never"
Vanellope held the trooper up over the edge of the roof, it was a long fall to the bottom.
"Ok, ok, take it"
The trooper threw his comlink next to Vanellope.
"Please, I did what you asked, let me go" the trooper pleaded
"Alright, if you say so"
Vanellope let the trooper go, letting him plunge to his death over the side. She finally took off her helmet and could hear her real voice.
"This victory means nothing, but what I'm doing will make a difference later. Lucy's dream mustn't die" Vanellope told herself
She connected the comlink to the satellite dish controls and put her helmet back on.
"This is a message to all you bucket heads and gray shirts, your attack on the droids have failed and your soldiers lives have been forfeited. We renegade troopers will protect all battle droids we come across, and for every one you kill we'll kill triple of you, don't you bucketheads ever forget that"
Vanellope crushed the comlink under her foot afterwards just as the shuttle hovered over her lowering the boarding ramp
"You think they'll get the message?" Rancis asked Vanellope through her helmet
"Oh they will. They'll fight back, but I'll be ready, has the tracking device been disabled?" Vanellope asked as she boarded the shuttle
"Way ahead of you" said Rancis
"Then let's go home" said Vanellope
