A Parallel SW Universe

Han Solo paced back and forth across the small holding cell's floor, trying to act calm but failing miserably. Nearby, Chewbacca was pulling on the cell's durasteel bars in frustration. The Wookiee let out another moan. "Easy, Chewie," said Han. "It won't be much longer."

And sure enough, just moments later a distinctive vibration through the ship's floor and walls signalled its return into realspace. Soon, thought Han Solo. Very soon . . .

* * *

The instant Jaster Mareel's ship dropped out of hyperspace, a red light appeared on his computer console. The light signalled an incoming Holonet message. Mereel quickly brought it up to view, glancing at the desert planet Tatooine as he did so. Then he read the text-only message. It was not very long, but it was very intriguing.

* * *

The ship shuddered slightly as it set down, and Han prepared himself for action. The bounty hunter appeared and walked toward the holding cell, one hand gripping a powerful blaster. "You'll be staying here for now," he said. "I'll be back shortly."

"What's going on?" demanded Han. But the bounty hunter had already turned to leave.

* * *

[What is the meaning of this?] boomed Jabba the Hutt. [You said you had Solo and the Wookiee.]

"I do," Mereel answered tersely. "First we must negotiate a bounty."

[Negotiate?!?] Jabba laughed cruelly. [The bounty was agreed upon! Fifty thousand, once you bring them here.]

"One hundred thousand."

[Those smuggler scum are not worth one hundred thousand! Fifty is a generous offer.]

"Perhaps I've received a more generous offer," said Mereel, a cold smile appearing on his face.

[I don't know why anyone else would want those two,] laughed Jabba. [All right, seventy-five.]

"One hundred."

Jabba laughed again. [I thought you were smarter than ordinary human slime.] One of his hands was slowing moving down in an obvious attempt at subtlety. It did not fool Jaster Mereel, however. [I guess I was wrong.]

Mereel jumped back, just as the floor beneath him disappeared. The bounty hunter quickly trained a blaster on Jabba. The Hutt roared his displeasure and knocked a bowl of disgusting looking food aside. Finally composing himself, he said, [I guess you can leave alive. But never come back!]

"As you wish," said Mereel sarcastically. He turned and began to exit the palace. Suddenly, he dove to the ground, just as a blaster bolt sizzled through the air where his head had been a fraction of a second before. Mereel went into a roll and came out of it firing. One of Jabba's henchmen instantly dropped dead.

Mereel pulled himself back up, his icy gaze moving slowly around the room, challenging anyone to try that stunt again. Then he looked back to Jabba, nodded, and left. No one made any attempt to stop him this time.

 

Luke could feel the Force flowing through him. A barrage of blasterfire shot toward the young Jedi, but each bolt was deflected by his blue lightsaber. He gritted his teeth as the incoming fire's intensity increased, but he still managed to escape unscathed. After continuing for a few minutes, the two droids suddenly stopped their assault.

"Not bad, my young apprentice," came a voice from off to the side. Luke turned to meet the eyes of his "Master," Emperor Palpatine. "But I still sense a reluctance in you to follow my teachings." The Emperor paused for a moment before continuing. "Concentrate on the object of your hatred. The . . . Rebel Alliance.."

Luke stared into Palpatine's eyes, concentrating only on the old man, every bone in his body aching to destroy the galaxy's tyrannical ruler. "Good!" exclaimed Palpatine. "Now concentrate on your hate; feel it coursing through your veins. It makes you strong." Luke's eyes blazed as he continued to stare at the Emperor. "Now you know the true power of the Force."

Palpatine gestured with his hand, and the droids resumed their barrage. Luke blocked the blasts with ease, drawing on his feelings toward the Emperor as he did so. The young Jedi moved with superhuman speed, his lightsaber flashing through the air at a rate faster than any normal being could follow, and the increasing intensity of the assault did nothing to harm him. "Good!" cackled Palpatine, clasping his gnarled hands together. "Now release your anger. Attack!"

Luke sprang forward, knocking one blaster bolt aside and dodging another. His saber slashed into the first droid with lightning speed, disabling it immediately. As the second droid adjusted its aim for another shot, Luke gestured with his hand. The hapless automaton was sent flying toward the wall. Before it could fire, it was smashed to pieces.

Luke switched off his saber and bent over to catch his breath. Using the Force had never been so exhausting before . . . but he had certainly gotten good results!

Finally, Luke stood up straight, wiping sweat from his brow as he did so. He looked up into the Emperor's eyes. "Excellent work, my young apprentice. You are indeed powerful, as I have forseen." A wide grin appeared on the old man's wrinkled face. "And soon, the Rebel Alliance will be destroyed."

 

just wanted you all to know that i am really enjoying the story! keep it up please

 

"Sir!"

"Yes?" replied General Jan Dodonna as he briskly strode toward the young Rebel technician's computer terminal.

"We've just picked up a freighter on our sensors, Sir. It's the Mynock. The ship that disappeared along with General Kenobi and . . ." The tech paused, pulling up some information onto his display. " . . . and Beren Luthione, Sir."

"Interesting. Have you made contact with them?"

"Not yet, Sir. We have not received any communications from them. The ship's heading straight towards us, though."

"Very interesting." Dodonna stroked his beard in concentration. Why wouldn't they have sent any transmission to the Rebel base? There were multiple explanations for that, none of them particularly pleasant. "Did they, ah, just come out of hyperspace?"

"No, Sir," replied the tech, scanning the data on his screen. "We didn't pick up a transition into realspace. They must have jumped in beyond the reach of our sensors. There's no telling how long they've been in-system." The young Rebel looked up at Dodonna. "Shall we contact them, Sir?"

After a moment of thought, Dodonna replied. "Yes. Open a transmission."

"Yes, Sir." The young tech entered a few commands into his console, and a signal sounded to announce that the transmission was open.

"This is General Dodonna of the Rebel Alliance. Freighter Mynock, please respond," said Dodonna.

Seconds ticked away, and nothing happened. "Are we getting anything?"

"No signals have been picked up, Sir. It's possible that--wait." The tech pointed toward an image of the ship on one of the display screens. "They just flashed their running lights. I guess their comm transmitter's down."

"That would be the most likely explanation," replied Dodonna. Or it could be some sort of trap. "All right," he said, turning to a lieutenant who stood nearby. "Prepare a shuttle. I want to go out and meet them."

"Sir," came a worried voice from behind. Dodonna turned back to the young technician. "There is a possibility of . . . danger. Are you, um, sure that you want to go out yourself?"

"Of course, there's always a possibility of danger," said Dodonna, a small smile appearing on his face. This tech must be seriously worried to be questioning one whose rank was so vastly superior to his own. Facing the lieutenant again, he said, "I want Red Squadron to escort the shuttle."

* * *

"Go to hyperspace on my mark." Red Leader's voice crackled over Wedge Antilles' com. "Mark."

Wedge sent his starfighter into hyperspace, then dropped back to realspace a fraction of a second later. Eleven other X-wings appeared beside him, along with one shuttle. And in front of him . . .

Wedge cringed as he surveyed the damaged freighter. The Mynock had taken quite a beating. It's a wonder they made it back alive,, thought Wedge.

"Red Squadron, maintain escort formation." The X-wings slowly moved forward, while the shuttle flew out in front of them. As Wedge watched, the shuttle cautiously approached the freighter, then executed a smooth docking operation.

* * *

A dull, reverbrating sound of metal against metal announced the completion of the docking operation. Beren Luthione pressed a button to open the Mynock's docking port, then stood by it anxiously. He didn't have to wait long. Less than fifteen seconds later, the shuttle's matching door slid open, and two Rebel troopers appeared on the other side. Close behind them was General Dodonna, and a smile appeared on the Rebel officer's face as he made eye contact with Beren. He motioned to the troopers to move away, then reached out a hand to the young Rebel. "Welcome back, Beren."

"Thank you, Sir," replied Beren, taking Dodonna's hand. The young man then stepped over to the shuttle's interior. Artoo-Detoo followed closely behind him. Dodonna looked a bit surprised at the sight of the little droid.

"I'm sure you have a lot to tell us," said the General. Suddenly, a frown appeared on his face. "Where's General Kenobi?"

"I'm, ah, afraid that I don't know," replied Beren slowly. "We . . . had to leave

 

Anakin and Leia proceeded through the main corridor of the command center. Leia dared not speak aloud. She was concentrating on keeping down her fear.

Leia,Anakin spoke in her mind, Give into the force, let go your conscious self. You will find your fear diminish rapidly.

Leia looked at her father and nodded. She attempted what he asked, and surprisingly, felt her fear start to disappear.

Anakin smiled, and waved his hand in front of him slowly, as they came across a Stormtrooper patrolling the hallway. The stormtrooper stopped in his tracks, and turned and faced the wall. Leia was responsible for masking them from sensors throughout the hallway. And Anakin was quite impressed with the ease with which she accomplished this.

Anakin could have done all these deeds himself, with little effort. He was strong in the force, but he had to give Leia as much experience as possible. Only then could she overcome her fear and prepare for the challenges ahead of them.

Anakin stopped in front of a door suddenly. Leia asked him, Father...what's wrong?

Reach out into this chamber. What do you feel?

Leia did as he asked. I feel...Father, I am sorry, but I feel nothing.

Nor do I. This is the first room where I have been unable to sense anything. If you will notice, it is a sort of "empty space." There seems to be nothing there. We must be cautious.

Yes, Father. The hairs on the back of Leia's neck stood on end. Whatever it was there had obviously shaken Anakin. And, if it did that to him...

Leia shivered, and the two continued slowly through the compound.

 

Breakfast turned out to be porridge, made from some sort of starchy root. Once again, the food tasted better than it looked. Mara and Yoda ate silently, regarding the meal as a time of truce. When they had both finished, Yoda took her bowl away and regarded her steadily for a moment. She returned his gaze, wondering what came next, but determined to show no uneasiness in front of the Jedi Master. He seemed satisfied with whatever it was he saw. Nodding briskly, he pulled an object out of his robe and handed it to Mara. "Need this you will."

It was her lightsaber. Mara stared at it in disbelief for a second, then hastily clipped it onto her belt before Yoda changed his mind. "Aren't you afraid I'll attack you?" she asked.

Yoda cackled with laughter. "Jedi Master I am! Think you can surprise me? I fear you not." His expression turned solemn. "Fear leads to the Dark side. Remember that you must."

Mara raised one eyebrow at the little Jedi. "You're not afraid of anything?" she asked skeptically. Everyone was afraid of something, surely even Jedi Masters. "Not even Palpatine?"

"Fear him as little as I do you," Yoda replied calmly.

"Then why have you been hiding here for the past 20 years?" Mara challenged. "That is, I assume you were hiding since you survived the Jedi Purge. Unless Palpatine just liked you enough to spare your life?"

He ignored her barb. "Hide from his servants I did, but so that my task could be complete. Harder to do if I was dead, yes?"

"What task was that?" Mara asked, trying not to sound to eager. Part of her was simply curious; another part insisted that when... if... she returned to Palpatine he would be glad of the information about this hidden Jedi Master. However, the most disturbing thought was that Yoda's task involved her somehow. She rather doubted that she wanted to be included in any way.

"To restore balance to the Force," Yoda sighed. "Balance that Palpatine destroyed. To restore the Jedi."

"By training Luke Skywalker," Mara said, a statement rather than a question. "Then you failed your task. He's Palpatine's new apprentice." The bitterness she hadn't wanted to admit even to herself writhed within her, until she remembered her vision of the night before. Had she truly lost anything when the Emperor passed her over in favor of Luke? The image of Luke striking down Obi-Wan Kenobi flashed through her mind. She'd killed on the Emperor's command, but dispassionately, efficiently? never with the savage joy that Skywalker had.

"Failed, have I?" Yoda asked. "Two more Jedi there are now, and carry on the struggle they will. Young Skywalker, return to us, he may."

"You think they can make him a Jedi again?" she wondered aloud.

"Perhaps," the Jedi Master answered. "Or another can, perhaps." His gaze was fixed firmly on her, and an enigmatic smile played across his lips. "No," Mara said firmly. Why did everyone seem to think she was linked to Skywalker somehow? Why couldn't they just take a hint; she wanted nothing more to do with the head-strong, overeager, whiny young man. "Just forget it. I am not his destiny; he is not mine. I refuse."

Yoda chuckled. "Believe that, do you, Mara Jade?" No, she thought, and that was the problem. As much as she wanted to believe it, she just couldn't convince herself it was true.
*******************
The Emperor sat in the massive control chair that served as his throne here on Had Abbadon. He was pleased with young Skywalker's progress, the hate flowed within in him. Soon he would be stronger and more powerful than even his father had been, a worthy successor for the Dark Lord of the Sith. Soon his sister would join them as well. Leia...Palpatine frowned. He had heard no word from Mara Jade, and that was unlike her. I am displeased with you, Emperor's Hand, he thought. There was no answer. Anger built within him, and he reached along the connection he'd established to her mind when she was but a child, so that he could hear her thoughts, see through her eyes. It had been snapped, her mind closed to him. Palpatine grasp

 

"Sithspit!" Wedge cursed as a third Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace. Then the enormous arrowhead-shaped warships quickly powered up their huge sublight drives and began to accelerate.

"All right, boys, looks like two of them are heading toward the planet and a third toward us," said Red Leader. "For now, maintain escort on the shuttle. We've got to protect them so the General can escape. S-foils to attack position."

Wedge pressed a button, locking the wings of his snubfighter into their distinctive X shape, then turned it toward the oncoming Star Destroyer. As he did so, the young Corellian caught a glimpse of the Rebel shuttle slowly undocking from the Mynock. The Star Destroyer was quickly approaching, and things did not look good.

"Launch proton torpedoes . . . now!" Wedge sent two torpedoes shooting toward the Star Destroyer, and they were joined by twenty-two others. As the warheads rapidly flew toward the huge capital ship, it returned fire with its turbolaser batteries. Countless bursts of bright green energy shot through space, some of them passing dangerously close to Wedge's X-wing. He sent it into a pattern of bobbing and weaving, still approaching the attacking warship. Then the torpedoes hit their target, and explosions of energy surged across the Star Destroyer's shields. Wedge glanced down at his sensors to see that one portion of the shields was near failure, and he quickly shot toward it in an attempt to do some real damage before the shields could be fully restored. Half of the squadron followed him in close formation, and turbolaser fire continued to shoot past the tiny snubfighters. Then one of the bursts hit its target.

Wedge cringed as an explosion appeared off to his port side. "We've lost Four!"

"Keep at 'em, boys," came Red Leader's voice over the com. "We've got to give the General more time!"

Wedge clutched his firing trigger hard, sending bursts of crimson energy into the enemy ship. Most of the lasers were absorbed by the Star Destroyer's shields, but a few punched through and caused small explosions to appear on its hull. As Wedge continued to shoot toward the enemy capital ship, the return fire became more intense. He let the range drop to one kilometer, then looped around and went into evasive maneuvers. Green blasts shot past him into the depths of space, but he continued to escape unscathed. He was about to pull around for another attack run, when a concentrated barrage shot toward the pair of Rebel ships that the X-wings were escorting. An enormous explosion appeared, and when it had dissipated, neither the Mynock nor the shuttle was there.

 

"There's . . . there's nothing more we can do here," crackled Red Leader's voice over Wedge's com. Even through the distortion, the pain there was evident, and it was not hard to figure it why. The leader of Red Squadron was a veteran of the Rebel Alliance who had undoubtedly served under General Dodonna since Wedge was just a boy.

"Set a course straight for Ton-Mummd, and prepare to make the jump to hyperspace." He's gone crazy! was Wedge's first, panicked thought when he heard this, but he quickly realized the obvious. The planet's gravity well would pull them out of hyperspace before any fatal collision could occur, and the X-wings would reach the planet well before the Star Destroyers that were chugging along at maximum sublight speeds. Wedge quickly obeyed the orders, and seconds later the eleven remaining X-wings entered space above the planet Ton-Mummd. "Red Squadron, what's your status?" came a voice over the com.

"We've . . . lost the-" Red Leader's voice was suddenly cut off. He must have switched to a private channel, mused Wedge. I can understand why. The young Rebel pilot turned his X-wing away from the planet and glanced down at his sensors. The two closest Star Destroyers had an ETA of one half hour; the third would arrive ten minutes later. But they would probably launch TIEs before then. And lots of them . . .

"All right, boys," Red Leader's voice interrupted Wedge's thoughts. "The Imperials' likely attack plan will be to send in bombers to take out our shield generators. The evacuation has begun down there, but they don't have enough time before those Destroyers arrive. We've got to hold them off as long as possible. They're sending up the rest of our fighters to help, but we don't have much to work with. For right now, we're to maintain our current position."

"Copy, Red Leader," said Wedge, and similar acknowledgments filled the squadron's com channel.

"This will be a tough battle, boys," continued Red Leader. "May the Force be with us." He paused, then more quietly said, "We're gonna need it."

 

To Beren Luthione, it was becoming a familiar sight. The shuttle came out of hyper in deep space, where a sky filled with countless stars, none of them extremely bright, greeted its occupants. "What's our status?" asked General Dodonna, moments after the return to realspace.

"We've taken some damage, but it's not too bad," replied the pilot. "The shield generator's malfunctioned, there's some minor hull damage, and our engines are running at 60 percent. We obviously don't want to take her into battle, but we'll survive."

"That's good," said Dodonna. "But I fear that we can't say the same thing about our friends back at the base." The General remained silent for a long while, seemingly staring off into space. Beren could guess at what he was thinking about. Judging by the size of the attack force that had caught them by surprise, any Rebels who could not escape Ton-Mummd in time would likely be obliterated. Those three Star Destroyers packed more firepower than the entire Rebel fleet, and though the Rebels might fight with more heart, that alone was not enough to win the battle. Why couldn't I find some way to warn them in time? thought Beren bitterly. But he knew that there was no use thinking about that now. He had done his best, and in this case, his best hadn't been enough.

"What now, General?" asked Beren, breaking the silence.

"Well, there's nothing more we can do back there," replied Dodonna, gesturing back toward the way they had come from. "We'll just have to hope we can get in touch with the survivors"--If there are any, thought Beren, and from Dodonna's inflection he was clearly thinking the same thing--"after it's all over. As for now . . . " The General took on a pensive look for a moment, then turned to the shuttle's pilot. "Set our course for Alderaan."

 

Four more X-wings rose from the planet's surface, followed by a full squadron of twelve Y-wings, and then six ancient Z-95 Headhunters. Wedge Antilles grimaced when he realized that no more fighters were coming after them. "Rebel fighters, please identify yourselves," said Red Leader over the com.

"This is Blue Leader along with Blues Two through Four," reported the lead X-wing.

"Gold Squadron is here and ready to assist," said the leader of the Y-wing squadron.

"This is Green Leader, with Greens Two through Six."

"The greatest--"

"--and only--"

"Excuse me! Z-95 squadron in the Alliance."

Sounds like we've got some comedians, thought Wedge. I appreciate the effort, but . . .

"You can save your witty banter for later," said Red Leader.

"Witty?" replied one of the Green Squadron pilots. "Well, I can see that someone around here appreciates-"

"Check your sensors," continued Red Leader. "The Star Destroyers are launching TIEs."

Wedge's eyes went wide as he scanned his sensor displays. Each of the two lead Star Destroyers had spewed forth three squadrons of TIE Fighters and one of TIE Bombers from its fighter bays. It was a total of ninety-six starfighters, against a mere thirty-three for the Rebels.

"Three to one odds?" commented one of Green Squadron's pilots.

"I believe you mean thirty-two to eleven," put in another.

"Whatever! But as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, is that this should be no problem with the mighty Green Squadron here!"

"Well, of course," returned his squadron-mate.

"Looks like each Destroyer's fighters are remaining together, with the TIE Fighters screening the Bombers," said Red Leader, ignoring the Headhunter pilots' attempts at humor. "Red Squadron and Golds One through Five will take the first group, while Blue, Green, and Golds Six through twelve will take the second. Form up, and prepare to attack."

 

As the range rapidly decreased, the swarm of TIEs filled up more and more of Wedge's field of vision. I can do this, he told himself, only half believing it. I'd take my X-wing over a TIE any day. And it's not like we haven't faced long odds before.

Red Leader's voice broke into the young pilot's thoughts. "We'll be entering firing range soon. Concentrate on those TIE Bombers. We can't let them take out the shield generators. Open fire . . . now!"

Wedge launched a single torpedo toward the cloud of enemies, hoping to detonate it right in the middle of the Bomber squadron. A few of his squadron-mates were employing the same tactic, but the Fighter screen and the barrage of return fire it unleashed was incredibly thick. Wedge's torpedo was quickly shot down. He switched to lasers, then brought up the nearest TIE on his targeting computer. A burst of green laserfire splashed across his forward shields, but then he managed a shot straight through the attacking TIE's cockpit. The Imperial fighter continued flying straight ahead, its pilot no longer alive. Wedge quickly shifted his fire to the first TIE's wingman. His first few shots were a bit off. The TIE, however, dodged to its left and managed to fly straight into its dead wingman. Both TIEs were vaporized in a brilliant explosion.

Wedge let himself admire the fireball for a moment, and it nearly proved fatal. His fighter was rocked by successive laser bursts from yet another TIE. The Correllian threw his X-wing into a dive, then quickly pulled it back up and got off a quick, close range shot. It missed, however, and then he was past the enemy squadron.

As Wedge looped his fighter back around, he allowed himself a brief glance at his sensor displays. Quite a few TIEs had been taken out in the first firing run. The vast majority were merely Fighters, however, and the Rebels had suffered losses as well. One X-wing was gone, two Y-wings had been destroyed, and--

What?!? How could that be? Wedge did a double-take, but he had seen it right the first time. All six members of Green Squadron were gone. I guess the joke was on them, he thought morbidly.

 

I am very impressed! Keep this thread going!!

 

I am very impressed! Keep this thread going!!

 

"Baron Administrator? There's a message coming through the holonet relay for you." Lobot's voice interrupted Lando's thoughts. He flicked his eyes away from the sabacc cards for a second. "Can't it wait? I'm a bit busy at the moment." Lando assessed the value of his cards, the stack of credits in the center of the table and the lovely young gambler seated to his right. He wondered if he it would be worth the credits to lose this hand to her. She caught his glance and gave him a teasing smile. Lando gave her his patented roguish grin in return. "Baron Administrator. It's urgent." Lobot was never agitated, and his flat voice belied his words. Lando was tempted to tell him it would have to wait, but Lobot leaned forward and in a low voice said, "It's Boba Fett." Lando dropped his cards onto the table, as his stomach gave a sickening lurch. He should have known the bounty hunter wouldn't take it lightly that Lando had captured him. He suspected that he owed his continuing existence only to the fact that there was no profit in his death. Yet, if Fett was after revenge, why call first? To give him a chance to flee and make the sport more fun? Possible, though it didn't sound like something Fett would do.

Lando recovered his composure and stood up with a grand swish of his cape. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take my leave of you, friends. Duty calls." He swept up the woman's free hand and kissed it lightly. "Perhaps I'll see you later." She gave him another coy smile. "Perhaps."

He retreated to his private office, located conveniently near the casino, and settled into the overstuffed nerf-hide chair. Lando flipped on the vidscreen. Boba Fett's image crackled to life, his face as expressionless as his Mandalorian helmet had been. "Calrissian," he rasped.

"To what do I owe this unexpected ...pleasure, Fett?" Lando asked sardonically.

"It's not Fett anymore," the bounty hunter said. His face remained impassive, but a trace of malevolence flashed through his dark eyes. "You made sure of that." Suddenly, his lips curled up into a feral grin that was more frightening than the blank stare. "But maybe I should thank you. As Jaster Mereel, I accomplished a task that had been plaguing Boba Fett for years."

"I'm so happy for you," Lando said, rising. "Now, if you're through expressing your gratitude, I'll be going. I'm a very busy man, and..."

"Sit down, Calrissian," Mereel ordered, and despite his intentions to the contrary Lando sat. He glowered at the screen, ashamed that he could be so intimidated by this man. He'd best Mereel once, while he was still Fett in his Mandalorian armor, so what was there to be fear from him now? Plenty, Lando thought, as Mereel continued, "You'll be interested in this. I promise you." The camera switched from him to the top view of a small holding cell. Inside the cramped chamber, a man sat on a narrow cot, leaning against the wall with his head tipped back and eyes closed. A large hairy shape was hunched in the opposite corner, a Wookiee, Lando realized. Chewbacca. And the man who was slumped so despondently against the wall was Han. "Ten years I've been waiting for this. The elusive Han Solo is finally mine."

"So you just had to call and gloat." Lando gripped the armrests of his chair, digging his nails into the soft nerf-hide. He leaned towards the vidscreen as if he could reach through it and throttle the bounty hunter who was holding his friends captive. "What do you want from me, Fett?" Lando demanded.

"Mereel," he corrected calmly, as the image panned back to his expressionless visage. "Only what's due me. A fair bounty, plus some for the trouble you caused me. One hundred thousand."

Lando shot out of his seat. "A hundred! Are you crazy? I don't have that kind of money."

"I suggest you find it somehow. If Solo's life means anything to you." Mereel reached forward towards the switch that would disconnect the holonet, then paused. "Though perhaps another arrangement could be reached."

"What's that?" Lando asked. He eyed Mereel warily, but t

 

hey, what's this doing so far down the list?

Back to the top!

Write more, pleeeeeease?
This is a really well developed storyline.

 

Anakin stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to Leia, and as he did, coldness seemed to envelop the both of them.

Speaking out loud, he said to her, "We have erred, Leia."

"Father...what? I don't understand."

"Prepare yourself. We are in grave danger."

The hiss of a door behind them...it was the same door from which they could sense nothing. An armored man stepped out. He was followed by 2 more men. and then 2 more again. 11 men, counting the lead man, were now in the corridor. Men in red armor. The Emperor's elite.

Anakin stood tall and proud...The Crimson Guard...I should have known, he thought.

"Father..." Leia started, but could say no more. She didn't have to.

"Calm yourself, my dear. Stay alert. Keep your focus on the here and now."

"Yes, Father."

The two Jedi...A Master and his Apprentice stepped forward... and faced the Crimson Guardsmen. They removed their cloaks, and waited. They left their lightsabers attached to their belts, and the Guardsmen took a step forward, removing their cloaks as well. No one spoke, or made any movement. They simply faced one another... and waited.

Leia felt a slight tremor in the force, and reached out to see what was the matter... A small garrison of Stormtroopers had filled the hall behind them, and another garrison had filled in behind the Crimson Guardsmen.

Anakin turned to his daughter and smiled. Leia smiled back. Wait, he told her.
She nodded, and as she did, the Stormtroopers raised their weapons... and the lead Guardsman leaped into the air...

 

That is a mean, mean thing to do, leaving us hanging like that! ::waves hand and uses the Force:: You will write more.

 

Biggs Darklighter pushed his throttle forward as his X-wing looped around and came up behind the swarm of TIEs. After the first head-to-head run, his momentum had taken him well past most of the Imperial craft, but his X-wing was much faster than the enemy Bombers. Soon he came back into firing range. Four TIE Bombers flew in formation ahead of him, seemingly oblivious to the young Rebel's presence, and Biggs smiled as he brought his targeting brackets around the closest one. A clear, melodious tone announced the acquisition of the targeting lock. Biggs pressed down on the trigger, and--

His X-wing was rocked by repeated impacts from behind. The young pilot threw his X-wing into a dive, cursing himself at the same time. Dammit, Biggs! They always say "watch your six," and what do I do? Let myself get too distracted by what's in front of me, and now look what's happened! Another shot hit the back of his fighter. Biggs poured power to his shields, but they were still near failure. He threw his flight control stick around in a random pattern, but the TIE was more maneuverable and remained on his tail. Another burst of fire pounded the back of his starfighter. I wish Luke was here, thought Biggs mournfully, just as his shields failed.

The young Rebel maneuvered desperately, waiting for his inevitable destruction. But then, without warning, the attack stopped.

Biggs looked back in surprise and caught a brief glimpse of the expanding fireball that had been an enemy starfighter just seconds ago. Then another X-wing swooped up beside him. "Thanks, Wedge," sighed Biggs.

"No problem. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

Before Biggs could respond, Red Leader's voice crackled over the com. "The first transport is launching from the planet. I want Blue Squadron to escort them. Everyone else, keep on those Bombers."

Biggs watched as four X-wings broke off from the dogfight. A full squadron of TIE Fighters quickly streaked away in pursuit. Then he turned his attention back to his objective. "All right, Wedge. Let's go get 'em." Biggs Darklighter pushed his throttle to full, and the X-wing beside him quickly did the same.

 

Leia watched as the Guardsman flew through the air towards Anakin. She reached out with the Force, felt calm come over her. The two Jedi still stood with their lightsabers attached to their belts. The Guardsman reached Anakin, his foot extended towards the Jedi's chest. Without warning, moving with a quickness that startled even Leia, Anakin dropped down into a crouch, pulling his lightsaber and igniting it, ducking the Guardsman, who landed and spun around. Anakin leaped forward, into the fray of Crimson Guardsmen. The Guardsman swung his staff at Leia. She backflipped, and pulled her own lightsaber. Leia delivered a swift kick to the Guardsman's upper torso, and followed by hitting him with the barrel of her saber. As he fell forward, stunned, Leia flipped her lightsaber around, and held it against the man's head, and ignited it. The Guardsman, his head almost completely obliterated, dropped to the ground, and Leia turned to join her father.

Anakin moved quickly through the remaining Guardsmen. They were highly skilled, but they were no match for a Jedi Master. As they swung their staffs, Anakin would easily parry, slicing their staffs in half. 5 lay on the ground, dead or dying, even before Leia had finished the first.

As the sixth was slain by Anakin, two broke away, moving back to the doorway from which they emerged. After them, Leia! Anakin told her, without breaking stride.

She ran past her father, who was attempting to finish off the last 3. One broke away, and swung his staff at Leia, which she easily blocked. As he turned back to Anakin, he was sliced in half with a blow from the Jedi Master's lightsaber.

Leia reached out with the Force, knocking one of the Guardsmen down, and she increased her speed to reach the last one.
As she did, the stormtroopers on each side of the corridor raised their weapons, and prepared to fire.

Leia leaped into the air, and put her lightsaber through the back of the final Guardsman, just as he was about to enter the doorway. The stormtroopers began to fire.

Leia began to focus on blocking the laserblasts, which didn't cause her as much trouble as she had anticipated. While, blocking, she suddenly forced the glowing blade behind her, driving it through the Guardsman whom she had knocked to the ground, and had begun to sneak up on her.

She began to walk backwards, and she bumped into Anakin, who had been doing the same.

Father... she began.

Yes, they're all dead. Continue to block the blasterfire, and move towards the door the Guardsmen came from.

Yes, father.

They moved towards the door, and stepped through. Anakin sealed the door, and closed down his lightsaber. Leia did the same.

"What now. Aren't we trapped?" Leia wanted to know.

Anakin laid his lightsaber on the ground, and turned to his daughter. "Yes, we are. This is where we shall surrender."

[This message has been edited by tabhwd (edited 11-17-1999).]

 

Leia took a step back, stunned by her father's words.

"But..." she started, but Anakin raised his hand to her.

"It is the only way we will reach Palpatine and your brother. They know we're here. They knew we were coming. They will take us before him. And, no, before you ask, we were not betrayed. However Palpatine knew that we would attempt this, so his men were ready for us. The only reason I allowed the battle to take place just now was so that you could get a feel for it."

"I see. I will admit, I did not enjoy the fighting, Father."

"That is good. By that statement, you have proven that you are truly Jedi matieral. I could feel your initial disgust when you slayed those men. It was necessary, however. There was no way to stop them otherwise, the Crimson Guard never give up, so killing them is often the only option."

Leia pondered this for a moment, and said, "Yes, father. I understand. But, to the matter at hand, is surrendering the only way?"

Anakin turned to the doorway, and answered her. "Unfortunately, yes. I was hoping to sneak our way to the Emperor's stronghold, but as soon as we passed this doorway, and could not feel any sort of prescence whatsoever, I knew that we were being expected."

"Why could we sense nothing?" Leia had been curious about this.

"Palpatine has trained his guardsmen in the ways of the force. They are certainly not Jedi, nor are they Sith, but they are force sensitive, and they have enough ability to mask themselves. It is an ability that I have learned, and Master Yoda knows it as well. One day, you will learn it."

The stormtroopers had by now gotten up enough nerve to began blasting through the door. Leia smiled nervously at her father, and set her lightsaber on the ground beside his. They stepped back away from the doorway, so as to not be injured in the blast.

The blast came, and the door shattered. The two Jedi shielded their eyes, and as the smoke cleared, raised their hands and placed them behind their heads, and stormtroopers began to fill the room.

With many blasters trained on them, ready for anything, Anakin spoke forcefully to the leader. "You will take us to the Emperor now."

The leader ordered them to their feet, and instructed his men to lead them to the shuttle bay. He then picked up the two lightsabers, and followed them out.

 

i've been wanting to say how great your story is! can't wait for the next post.

Jaina Solo

 

Wedge's first shot impacted against the Bomber's hull; the second knocked the enemy craft cleanly into two pieces. Its cockpit went one way, its bomb compartment the other, and the Rebel pilot quickly shifted his targeting brackets over to the next TIE. But before he could fire, a barrage of crimson lasers from Biggs' X-wing destroyed the Bomber in a brilliant explosion. "Good shooting, Biggs."

"Thanks. Not bad yourself."

"There are still a lot more of them, though," Wedge reminded his friend.

"No need to tell me that." The two X-wings accelerated toward the next group of Bombers. They were rapidly approaching the planet now, and with it the base and its precious shield generators.

Wedge glanced down at his sensors. "Looks like--"

"The second transport's launching," interrupted Red Leader. "Try to keep the fighters off it, but our primary objective is still protecting the shield generators. If the shield goes down, the transports on the ground will be sitting ducks."

"Copy, Red Leader." Wedge brought up his targeting brackets and aimed at the nearest Bomber. It was almost in firing range when a pair of TIE Fighters swooped in toward him. They opened up with their lasers, and green bursts of energy shot past Wedge's X-wing on all sides. Apparently these Imperials weren't very good, however, as none of the shots actually hit his fighter. Wedge and Biggs made short work of the two TIEs, but the attack had bought still more time for the many remaining Bombers. Too many, thought Wedge. He pushed his throttle to full, then checked his sensors again. Sixteen of the twenty-four Bombers still remained, along with thirty-seven of the seventy-two Fighters. The Rebels had not suffered quite as much percentage-wise, but they were down to only eleven X-wings and nine Y-wings. And then the numbers for the Imperials made a sudden jump.

"The third Star Destroyer is launching fighters!" exclaimed Gold Leader over the com.

"I see it," replied Red Leader. "Gold Squadron, I want . . . never mind. We've got our hands full as it is," he admitted.

At that moment, Wedge's brackets went green. He managed to shoot down one Bomber, but the other three in the group scattered, and then a red light appeared warning him of more attackers. "There are four Fighters coming in from behind!" announced a worried Biggs.

"All right, Biggs." Wedge quickly ran through his options in his mind. "Let's run Alpha Strike."

"Copy," replied Biggs, a bit shakily. They had practiced the maneuver in sims, but never tried it in combat before.

Wedge cut his throttle back. The rapidly approaching TIEs were now closing at an even faster rate, and soon they opened fire. Wedge put all power to his rear shields and went into wild evasive maneuvers. A few shots hit him, but his shields held up. C'mon, go for it, he thought tensely. Ahead of him, Biggs began to turn. One of the TIEs shot past Wedge and opened up on his wingman, but the Corellian quickly picked it off. Then he slowed even more, bringing the other three TIEs right onto his tail. They had some skill, though, and they managed not to overfly him. Instead, they pounded his X-wing mercilessly with lasers. His shields began to drop rapidly. Then his fighter was rocked hard by another impact, and an alarm announced the shields' failure.

Wedge brought his throttle up a bit and pulled his control stick back hard. His X-wing rose rapidly as more laserfire shot past, barely missing. The TIEs moved to follow him, and he quickly reversed the maneuver into a dive. Then a barrage of red lasers suddenly shot past his craft. Biggs had turned 180 degrees, and was now flying straight in at his pursuers. Two TIEs were caught completely off-guard and exploded almost instantly. The third dove away, but with a careful maneuver Wedge brought it into his sights. It evaded his fire for a few seconds. Then another shot from Biggs took it out.

Wedge sighed in relief. "Nice work, Biggs."

"You too," replied the other Rebel. His X-wing turned back around and joined Wedge's, and they co

 

One of the Emperor's aides walked cautiously into the Throne room, and approached his Master.

Palpatine had his back to the aide, and, without turning around spoke, "What is it?"

The aide cleared his throat, and said, "Two intruders have been captured on the nearest moon, my lord. They are being brought to you. One of them is the rebel Princess Leia, and the other..."

The Emperor began to turn his chair around, and then raised his hand and cut the man off. "Yes, yes. I know who they are."

"Yes, my lord. What is your command?"

"Have young Skywalker come to me immediately. And then, when the prisoners have arrived, put them in the holding area. I will deal with them when I am ready. Now, leave me."

The aide bowed quickly, and with another statement of obedience, he left the chamber, once again, glad to escape with his life.

The Emperor began to turn his Throne back around, and gazed out at the stars.
All is going as I have foreseen. Soon...the Skywalker family will bow before me... or die.

[This message has been edited by tabhwd (edited 11-19-1999).]

 

<If anyone read tabhwd's post this afternoon, they should look at it again. A slight change has been made that affects the story. Just want to avoid any possible confusion this could cause later on.>

"The shields are gone." Wedge Antilles grimaced at Red Leader's words, but his next announcement was even worse. "And the first Star Destroyer's just come within firing range of the base."

Wedge turned his X-wing away from the TIE he had been pursuing. The Rebel base came back into his field of vision, and he caught a glimpse of debris landing after the shield generator's explosion. Five transports remained on the base's landing field, and they were now completely unprotected. Wedge watched as TIEs began strafing runs on the Rebel ships, but the damage they did was insignificant compared to what came next. Brilliant green turbolasers rained down from the sky like the wrath of some ancient god, tearing huge chunks out of the duracrete field and pounding the helpless transports that sat there. One of the ships slowly began to lift off the ground, but it was obliterated after rising less than one hundred meters into the air. The other three didn't even make it that far. Each one exploded in short order, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, the barrage stopped.

"Well, boys, we did the best we could," said Red Leader over the com. Wedge could make out a hint of bitterness in the veteran pilot's voice. "Now let's protect those transports."

Wedge turned his X-wing away from the sight of the massacre and vectored toward outer space. Only six more X-wings and four Y-wings went with him.

* * *

The golden protocol droid See-Threepio stood on the bridge of one of the Rebel transports, listening to the depressing conversation. "The first three transports to launch have all had their engines disabled by enemy fighters," reported a bridge officer. "Our shields have been damaged, but are still holding up."

"This has been a perfectly dreadful day," commented Threepio to no one in particular. "I wonder where Artoo is? He was always the brave one."

Suddenly, an alarm wailed throughout the transport. "We've got a Star Destroyer coming in point-six, and it's gaining!"

As Threepio heard this, he could think of only one thing to say. "We're doomed."

* * *

Wedge pressed down on his firing trigger, and the TIE in front of him exploded. But even as he did so, two more of the fighters came into his field of vision. "There's too many of them!" exclaimed one of his squadron-mates, echoing Wedge's sentiments perfectly.

As the young Rebel aimed at another TIE, the familiar voice of Red Leader sounded over his com. "Each of the remaining transports is being chased by one Star Destroyer. The third Destroyer has taken up an orbit around the planet. If we can protect the transports until they pass the edge of Ton-Mummd's gravity well, they can escape." The squadron leader then paused, as if deep in thought. Those transports are taking damage quickly, mused Wedge. I don't know if we'll be able to help at all. "Concentrate all fire on the closest Star Destroyer," continued Red Leader, apparently having come to a decision. "It's our best chance at getting anyone out alive."

Wedge picked off another TIE as he accelerated toward his target. Nearby he saw a Y-wing explode, but he knew that he couldn't worry about it now. Soon the enemy capital ship came into range. Wedge quickly obtained a targeting lock and unloaded all of his remaining torpedoes toward it. The sky in front of him filled with blue streaks as the other Rebels all did the same. Soon explosions appeared across the Destroyer's hull, but it continued inexorably toward its target. Green turbolasers battered the transport's shields, and Wedge's sensors showed that they were rapidly failing. He brought up his lasers, and as soon as he came into energy range he began to fire.

"The other transport's dead," reported another pilot, no surprise whatsoever in his voice. Wedge quickly identified him as Gold Leader. "I'm . . . wait--Aaahh!!"

Gold L

 

There was a cantina called the Smuggler's Rest on every planet in the Empire, it seemed, and they were all largely interchangeable: dimly lit, vermin infested holes in the wall that served second rate liquor to customers who didn't want to be seen. The Rest on Nar Shaddaa was no exception, Lando reflected as he sipped a decidedly inferior Norvanian grog. Every time he thought he saw someone he recognized, they slipped out of sight before he could approach them. Finally, he'd given up trying to pursue his old contacts and taken a table at the edge of the cantina. He sat there for what seemed like hours, drinking the bitter liquid that passed for grog. He could feel the eyes of the smugglers upon him, appraising him.

Just when Lando was about to give up and go to another cantina, one with more hospitable customers and better drinks, he heard a familiar voice behind him "Well, well, well. Look who's back. What's the matter, Calrissian, your luck finally run out?" Lando turned around with a wide smile for the striking woman. "Ana Blue!" he said with an enthusiasm he didn't have to feign, then slightly less enthusiastically, he greeted her partner, a large, ill-tempered Wookiee. "And Wynni. Looks like my luck is still holding. I've got two lovely ladies for company." He stood and took Ana's hand. She shook loose before Lando could raise it to his lips.

"Reign it in, Calrissian," Ana said, taking the chair next to him. Wynni growled her agreement. Ana regarded him coolly. "Your luck can't be too good if you're here. Weren't you the one running a respectable business?" The way she said the word "respectable" made it into an insult. Lando ignored her gibe. "Cloud City, a tibanna gas mining operation. You should come visit some time. An angel like you would be right at home among the clouds." Wynni leaned forward, snarling in Lando's face, then growled a pointed question at him.

"No, I didn't come all this way just to hit on Ana. Although, I must say, it's a definite fringe benefit for this trip." Lando winked at her, and Wynni snarled again, louder this time. He put his hands up. "All right, all right, Wynni. I came here to find out about an old friend of ours."

Ana raised one elegantly arched brow. "And who might that be?"

"Han," Lando said. Before he could finish explaining, Ana started laughing. "You are out of it, aren't you, Mr. Respectable? Nar Shaddaa's the last place in the Empire you'll find Han Solo. Jabba's put a bounty on him so big, he'd have to be stupider than a brain-dead Gamorrean to even consider setting foot in Hutt space."

"I know that," Lando said with exaggerated patience. "But there must be someone here who knows what he's been doing lately."

"What's it worth to you?" she asked, smiling at Lando for the first time.

"I'm hurt, Ana," Lando said. "You'd charge an old friend for...." Wynni barked a sarcastic comment. "Hey that's not true, remember all the time we spent together in the Smugglers' Run" Those were the days, right?"

"No, she's right," Ana said. "You've been gone too long, Calrissian. You're not one of us. And business is business. So, how much have you got?"

Lando sighed. He hadn't exactly expected a warm welcome; those who left the Smuggler's Moon were regarding with deep suspicion. But somehow, he'd thought things would be different for him. He pushed a stack of credit chips across the table to Ana. She counted them and her eyebrows shot up. "You must really be desperate to find Han," she said. She slid the credits into her belt pouch and looked up at Lando with an odd smile. "Actually, I'm surprised you hadn't heard. I thought you respectable types stuck together." Her smile broadened at the blank expression on Lando's face. "That's right; Han's gone legit, too. He's working out of Alderaan now, flying a sweet little freighter called the Aldera's Pride."

Lando leaned towards Ana, gripping the table. "Then you saw him? You know this for a fact? Was there anyone else with him?"

Ana backed away. "I didn't, no, but Mazzic saw