THE FORCE WITHIN
© September 2017 Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission
CHAPTER 18 - "CHANGING DIRECTIONS"
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This entry is Rated: EVERYONE
Back with Luke, his brain was quite fried from the earlier activities.
And he was still pretty bushed in recovering from earlier oxygen overdose in the hospital. in a way he was aware that Rebecca was making seductive moves on him in bed, but he was too tired to fight her on it.
. . .
Back on Hoth, Princess Leia picked up the communicator and sent a direct line to Han Solo.
"Han ! Are you there ? We need you."
She was answered only by static.
"Han ?"
More static.
She watched the meter of the magnetic field. Tapping a few buttons she saw the field was intensifying ! It was growing an inch every hour. By tomorrow its size would be ... !
"D****T ! HAN ! Answer the line !" she fairly yelled in the communicator.
Fortunately he answered. "Hey hey hey. Not so loud, princess. I hear you just fine. Think you cleaned out my ears, actually. Where's the fire ?"
Leia breathed a sigh of relief. "Han. Vader poisoned the atmosphere of the moon we were on. We're now situated on Hoth, but only barely."
She looked back to the meter of wavy red lines on the planet's surface. "An empire scout tie-fighter investigated earlier and fortunately did not see us, and left. But we have a new threat. Some strange magnetic force many miles from here is growing in size. We - don't know what it is."
Han chuckled a little. "Sorry about Yavin. But you're a big girl. Go investigate those signals yourself."
Leia's voice took a cross tone. "Don't you think we'd do that if we could ? No, we need you."
"What for ?"
"Taun-Tauns. It's the only way to check and be sure it's not a threat to us."
Han paused for a second. "Okay, I see. Yeah, riding those beasts, there's a trick to it. You don't have any snow-rovers built yet, that will still take several days to make those if you've just now made planetfall. Okay. Right after I pay off Jabba, I'll come back to help you."
Leia shook her head emphatically, "No, NOW Han. It must be now. Later ... may be too late !"
Han didn't argue. He knew how serious the situation was and how even more serious it could become in the future if these magnetic fields turned out to be from Empire droids. For while rebels could indeed up and pack their stuff in a hurry. Once having made planetfall, they needed a week or more of preparation to have everything ready to vacate again.
Should the Empire be aware of the rebels on that new planet, Hoth. They would be done for. There was no way they could leave on the reserve energy and ships they had now.
Han knew this. "Alright, I'm coming in. I'll radio Jabba. Tell him I'll be a bit delayed. Out."
Leia bit her lip. "Take care of yourself, you old smuggler."
The camera cuts to Han's beautiful Millennium Falcon cutting across the stars and finally zooms in to show he is at the cockpit.
Han is not young. He never really was when he started this trade of transporting illegal goods, but now so more than ever did he look tired and haggard, and this definitely did not help what should've been a fairly youthful appearance for someone his age.
"Chewie !" he yelled.
The "walking carpet" as Leia called him, or Chewbacca, his name, was Han Solo's best friend. Coming from the planet of Kashyyyk, he towered over most humans and had the strength of ten besides, and that was him normally.
In a rage, Chewie could kick and punch with the strength of 15 strong men. He was not to be trifled with - ever.
Chewie entered the cockpit with Han to see what was up.
Han jambed a thumb behind him. "We gotta go back. Leia relocated the colony and needs someone to investigate a disturbing magnetic force on Hoth, where they are now. The situation is deemed critical."
Chewie barked out two deep and guttural notes.
Han nodded, "Yeah. I hadn't forgotten. I'm calling Jabba now."
A loud voice suddenly spoke in a completely foreign language. It was stilted with harsh and raspy syllables. It was clearly asking a question, how to direct the call Han was making.
Clearly Han did not know the language, but he knew how to get through nonetheless. He hit a few buttons.,A new, considerably more pleasant voice spoke, a recorded message. "You have reached the estate of Jabba The Hutt. May I ask who is calling, please ?"
"Han Solo."
There was quiet for a moment as Han adjusted the engines to do a complete 180 turnaround. There was just fuel enough to make it to Hoth.
Then Jabba's clear and deep voice spoke. "Han, I hope you are still on your way to see me today."
"I am, Jabba. I am, it's just that - "
Jabba interrupted him, "You have something else you need to do."
Han laughed, perhaps a little too loud, "Hah ! Yeah, that's it ! See you understand me perfectly. Great ! Now, I promise, once I'm finished with this, I'll - "
Jabba interrupted again, "You'll find something else to detain you."
Han laughed again trying to reel it in this time. "Heh - no no ! You know me ! I'll pay you. I have the money now. I just - "
Jabba had enough. "You'll pay me now - or you'll pay later ! You understand what I am telling you, Solo ?"
Han looked down at his feet, "Yeah. I get you, Jabba."
"Good." Jabba closed the connection suddenly, not even giving Han the courtesy of a goodbye. The brief silence was interrupted by Chewie's questioning tones.
"No. We're maintaining course to Hoth. That's more important right now."
. . .
Back with Vader. He stood up suddenly from the pyre to look out in the distance. Suddenly he pointed. "That way."
With Smite back at the helm of the landspeeder, they soon sped off down the dunes to where the vapor farmers had made their settlement. Few people did not know who Darth Vader was from watching their news so as soon as he was in sight, they immediately locked and bolted their doors hoping the dark lord of the Sith had no business with them.
Vader chuckled in the back of his mask. His master, Palpatine, once told him that flesh was stronger than steel. This was a perfect case of it. Fear by presence alone. A mighty power of the dark side of the force indeed.
Vader continued to point until they came across one domicile that had only a finger's width of smoke curling out from the top of it.
"There !" Vader said with some finality.
Smite drove up and then stopped.
Vader leapt from the vehicle to examine a smoldering pile that was clearly ignited earlier. In it were two skeletons, burned within the past week from what Vader could tell.
He put his gloved hand in and at once could recall the thoughts of the owners. For it was Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Luke's adoptive parents. Vader stiffened and gasped, unable to breathe for the moment as memories of his son, his own son, flooded through him.
Vader howled deep in the back of his mask to see Luke's parents murdered, and by his own Empire troops ! He didn't want this, and certainly not on the two that were raising his only son ! The wonderful offspring of his deceased wife, Padmé.
He staggered back and fell over in a daze.
Smite was out in an instant to help him up.
"Are you okay, Vader ?"
Vader nodded. "Strong - memories - are emanating from those bones."
"Someone you knew ?" Smite asked.
Vader shook his head. "No, not really. But those two - they - my son ! They were raising my son."
Smite looked at the bones for a second then directly behind him. "Where to now, lord Vader ?"
Vader was standing up straight again and dusted off a bit of his black tunic. "Back to Mos Eisley. Someone there must have indeed seen him. I sense we have little time before the trail goes cold - so we must hurry !"
(to be continued)
END OF CHAPTER 18
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