EXT. GEONOSIS – DESERT – DAWN
The Condawni have spent all night marching across the flat desert hardpan, tugged ever onward by the speeder bikes they have been chained to. Now the pitch darkness of night has receded, replaced with the empty gray of dawn.
Bored after a night of shepherding the prisoners, one of the bikers decides to have a little fun with his chain gang. Feeding power to his engines, he picks up speed, forcing the Condawni chained behind him to pick up their pace. Grinning, he goes faster, forcing the prisoners to run. As soon as he starts speeding up to the point where the prisoners trip and fall, dragging them across the rough terrain, T’har orders him to cut it out. The biker stops, knowing the dismal fate in store for him should he fail to obey the Bith’s command.
EXT. RAIDER CAMP – MORNING
As the sun finally appears over the horizon, casting its cold light upon the colder desert, the Raider party and their Condawni captives finally arrive at the Raider camp. Situated within a formation of hoodoos, hundreds of ramshackle tents have been erected around a derelict sandcrawler – a large metal behemoth of a vehicle which looks like it’s been well on its way to becoming a part of the natural landscape for some time now.
Parking, the Raiders unhook their prisoners from their bikes and begin guiding them through the camp to the sandcrawler. As the Condawni pass by the numerous tents, they spy the hundreds of Raiders looking upon them, eyes gleaming with ravenous hunger from within their flinty sockets.
INT. SANDCRAWLER/PRISON AREA – MORNING
Taken aboard the sandcrawler, as many of the Condawni prisoners as possible are stuffed inside a compartment which has since been converted into a makeshift prison. The compartment is dark, all its surfaces covered in thick layers of greasy or sticky grime. The air is stale and fetid, thick with the miasma produced by the creatures who lived, urinated, defecated, died, and decayed here before them. Though fairly large, the compartment only provides standing room for all these many captives.
Overwhelmed, Mitra begins bawling. Forcing his way through the others, Darth finds her. Pulling her close to him, he picks her up and begins rocking her in his arms, singing to her gently, praying he’ll be able to comfort her while knowing he won’t.
INT. SANDCRAWLER/CONTROL ROOM – MORNING
With T’har pulling his chain, Chlorian is led up into what was the control room of the sandcrawler. There, seated in an uprooted seat, a small harem of not-so-lovely ladies gathered around him, waits ELIK SHIIID, leader of the Raiders. A dusky Zabrak male, he is healthy and well-fed – at least in comparison to the Condawni and many of the other Raiders.
ELIK SHIIID: Welcome, friend.
Chlorian looks about the control room. Most of the consoles and stations have been dismantled, panels resting against the walls or upon the floor, numerous tools and parts strewn about the floor. Towards the front of the room, a crude barbeque has been erected. Behind it, an equally crude but very effective rack for restraining humanoid captives.
ELIK SHIIID: And you’re …? (beat) Wait. No need to tell me. You’re Chlorian Vader, Governor of Condawn.
CHLORIAN: I’m not anything.
ELIK SHIIID: Have to admit, I didn’t think you’d’ve survived this far. I figured you’d’ve gone mad trapped up in that fortress of yours, killed yourselves or ate yourselves up long before now. Yet you actually managed to get out the city and survive in this icebox wilderness. Most of the local game was depleted when the first of us fled Condawn months ago, but you managed to find enough to eat to keep going. You’ve impressed me, Governor – you truly have. (grins) I knew I made the right choice voting for you.
CHLORIAN: You have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don’t know you from Adam.
ELIK SHIIID: Elik Shiiid. You wouldn’t know the name; I wasn’t anybody in my old life.
CHLORIAN: You’ve come up in the world?
ELIK SHIIID: I’d say the world’s come down to me! (laughs)
CHLORIAN: (gestures to their surroundings) What is this this … construct?
ELIK SHIIID: Sandcrawler. I’d venture she’s been here since the old Republic first made bids for the planet – a real relic. We stumbled upon her a month away from Condawn. (beat) In fairly decent shape, considering her age. She’s made a good fortress. (points to the dismantled equipment) I hoped to get her up and running so we could leave this benighted pit and find more food, but look what I have to work with here. (points out the dirty viewport) I’ve found maybe a dozen half-decent mechanics in the lot of them. Even they can’t tell the difference between an arc welder and autowrench most the time. (beat) Governor, I want information. What’s gone on in the world since we left?
CHLORIAN: Geonosis is dying.
ELIK SHIIID: (sighs) I already knew that. (scratches his bald head) Strap him to the rack, Alaad.
T’har drags Chlorian over to the rack. Removing the chain collar from the Human’s throat, the Bith forces him into the rack and fastens the metal straps around his wrists, torso, and ankles.
ELIK SHIIID: It’s not good you should perish with the offal, Gov. Vader. You’ll stay here with me and die in the presence of equals.
EXT. SPACE – CORUSCANT
Leaving Coruscant, a TIE shuttle rendezvous with Troia’s Steed, a large Action VI bulk freighter situated in orbit above the planet.
INT. TROIA’S STEED/CARGO BAY
Aboard the freighter, Tarkin, Kenobi (now shorn and shaven) and the Berals access one of the transport’s many cargo bays. Walking along a catwalk, they stop to look down over the railing. Immense in size, the entire bay is completely empty. With the overhead lights off, the only illumination provided if from the railing lights, creating the unsettling illusion they’re looking down into a bottomless pit.
LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Not long ago this cargo bay was filled with Spaarti cylinders, each carrying a clone in utero. The crew was making a covert run out of the Prackla Sector, destination unknown; we caught them five parsecs from the Von-Alai system.
SEV BERAL: A prodigious craft. Wouldn’t a courier be more in fitting with our needs?
LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Indeed – were this your typical bulk freighter. (beat) It’s a stealth ship, outfitted with its own cloaking device.
OBI-WAN: How did you ever manage to capture a stealth ship?
LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Cloaking devices require considerable amounts of energy to remain in operation; that’s why they’re unheard of on smaller ships; only capital ships or bulk freighters such as this have the space necessary to house the large reactors needed to generate the requisite amounts of power. (beat) One need only corral a stealth ship, draw it into a corner from which it cannot escape, and before long its reservoirs will drain dry.
SEV BERAL: How long can this ship maintain its cloak?
LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Sixty-four minutes exactly.
INT. TROIA’S STEED/BRIDGE
The lieutenant commander and four Jedi enter the bridge. There, already going about their business, is a bridge crew of Lethan Twi’lek females, sandy-haired Human males, and olive-green Neimoidians.
LT. CMDR. TARKIN: Imperial High Command deemed it more propitious to use reconditioned clones than Imperial personnel for this mission. (beat) The most willful man can cave under torture; the mindless automaton never will.
Taking the command chair, Tarkin orders the Twi’lek navigator to set course out of the system.
EXT. SPACE
The Slipstream drops out of hyperspace. They have arrived in a solar system consisting of a single red giant with a pair of gas giants.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT
Consulting his charts, Anakin charts a course which will take the ship diagonally across the system, past the two gas giants and out to this system’s Kuiper Belt. Coordinates laid in, Dahlia sets the ship on autopilot.
DAHLIA: Five hours to the next hyperroute ….
ANAKIN: Mmm-hmm.
DAHLIA: Five tedious hours ….
Giving Anakin a sly smile, the Pantoran rests a hand on his leg.
ANAKIN: (perturbed) Dahlia ….
DAHLIA: (strokes his leg) I don’t know what you know about Pantorans, but long hours spent confined in enclosed spaces tend to make us … anxious.
ANAKIN: (puts his hand on hers) Dahlia, I’m sorry. (beat) I’m spoken for.
DAHLIA: (smile fades) Oh ….
ANAKIN: It’s my fault. I should have told you.
DAHLIA: Don’t sweat it. (beat) Want to watch Juo Deltar Faces Gamblor the Terrible on the holovid?
EXT. SPACE – ASTEROID
As the Slipstream passes by the first gas giant, the ship moves within range of its only moon, a large potato-shaped asteroid quarter the size of a terrestrial planet. Unfortunately for Anakin and Dahlia, the asteroid isn’t only an asteroid; it’s the home base for a group of pirates.
As the Slipstream moves past the asteroid, a squadron of mixed starfighters emerges from hidden ports and moves in in attack formation for the CR60 Corvette.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT
The first plasma bursts impact upon the ship’s hull as Anakin and Dahlia are leaving the cockpit. The cockpit rattling, Dahlia leaps back to the controls and quickly throws up the Slipstream’s shields. Another salvo of plasmafire impacts upon the ship, but the shields protect it from damage this time around.
A pair of starfighters pass over the viewport.
DAHLIA: Pirates.
ANAKIN: You recognize their markings?
DAHLIA: Does it matter?
ANAKIN: No.
Disengaging the autopilot, Dahlia takes back control of her ship and attempts evasive maneuvers.
EXT. SPACE
Try as she might, Dahlia cannot shake the pirate fighters.
DAHLIA: (grimaces) Stang! Can’t shake them!
ANAKIN: How are you at the guns?
DAHLIA: Pretty damned good.
ANAKIN: Excellent. You take them and I’ll take the helm.
DAHLIA: (chuckles humourlessly) No one pilots the Slipstream but me.
ANAKIN: It’s a wonder you’ve lived this long.
Taking Dahlia by the scruff of her jumpsuit, the former Jedi hefts her up out of the chair.
DAHLIA: Hey!
ANAKIN: Listen. I’m a damned good shot myself, but I’m an even better pilot. You want to raise our chances for survival? Do as I say!
Anakin pushes Dahlia away from the pilot’s chair. Righting herself, she stands there a moment, glowering at him.
DAHLIA: Goddamn, you make me hot.
Those her final words on the matter, Dahlia veritably sprints out of the cockpit, leaving Anakin to take the helm.
EXT. SPACE
The pirates continue pummeling the Slipstream. The Corvette’s shields hold, but they’re beginning to weaken in various spots.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL
Slipping inside the gun well, Dahlia situates herself in her seat and activates the turbolaser batteries. As the targeting computer comes online, she begins drawing a bead on their attackers.
EXT. SPACE
With the Slipstream twisting and turning about to avoid the pirates’ plasmafire, the pirates keeping to them tight like ticks, Dahlia gets a lock on one of the starfighters and pulls the trigger; blue laser beams strike home with devastating force, obliterating the fighter with a flash of vaporized metal, fuel, and oxygen.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL
DAHLIA: Yes!
EXT. SPACE – RINGED GAS GIANT
The Slipstream’s course has finally taken it within range of the system’s second gas giant: a large cerulean sphere with a thick series of rings encircling it.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT
Having picked up a radio headset, Anakin slips it down over his ears and opens the comm to Dahlia.
ANAKIN: Dahlia?
INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL
Dahlia is fighting to lock on a fighter when Anakin’s tinny voice pipes in through her headset. After finally drawing a bead on the enemy craft and blowing it out of the heavens, she scrambles to pick the headset up and slip in on.
DAHLIA: Akira, what’s up?
INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT
ANAKIN: We’re within range of the second gas giant. It has a system of rings. I’m going to take us through ‘em. With any luck, we’ll shake these pirates and continue on our merry way.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/UPPER GUN WELL
DAHLIA: (shocked) Did some of those blasts seep through the shields and into your brain?! We can’t possibly make it!
INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT
ANAKIN: Don’t worry. I have a good feeling about this.
Focusing all his attention now on the improbably difficult task ahead, Anakin steers the Slipstream head-on for the gas giant’s rings.
EXT. SPACE – RING SYSTEM
Entering the ring system, the Slipstream is immediately surrounded by rocky and icy debris – some pieces small as grains of sand, others as large as boulders. The spaces between the largest pieces are tight and ever-shifting, but Anakin manages to maneuver the ship through them. The pirates, on the other hand, aren’t so lucky. Though their starfighters are far smaller and maneuverable than the Corvette, their pilots’ skill isn’t equivalent to Anakin’s; most of them are dashed to pieces against the large debris. Deciding that the debris will finish the Slipstream off before they can reach it – and them in due process – the surviving pirates decide to abandon the chase and turn back.
As the remaining pirate fighters head back the way they came, the Slipstream emerges out the other side of the debris field.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/COCKPIT
ANAKIN: (grins) All too easy.
Dahlia enters the cockpit and strides up to Anakin. As he turns around to greet her, she slaps him hard against the face.
DAHLIA: (enraged) Don’t you ever endanger me or my ship like that again!
She then grabs him by the front of his shirt and pulls him to her, kissing him fiercely on the mouth.
DAHLIA: (sighs) We both needed that.
Coming down off their mutual adrenaline high, the two partners decide to relax. Letting Dahlia return to the pilot’s chair, Anakin almost leisurely sets about correcting the ship’s course.
ANAKIN: There, back on course.
A light begins flashing on Dahlia’s console.
ANAKIN: What’s that?
DAHLIA: It looks like your hotshot piloting cost us some damage, flyboy. The hyperdrive’s offline.
ANAKIN: (frowns) Is it bad?
DAHLIA: If it is, it’ll take us a whole lot longer than five hours to leave this system. (stands up) C’mon.
Rising from his seat, Anakin follows Dahlia out of the cockpit.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/MAIN AIRLOCK
Entering the airlock, Dahlia directs Anakin over to a series of lockers. Opening one, she reveals a spacesuit stored within. Opening another, she reveals a second, identical suit.
DAHLIA: Slip it on.
ANAKIN: We have to go outside?
DAHLIA: (unstraps the hydrospanner on her leg) Yeah, we do. CR60 hyperdrives can only be accessed from outside the ship. (beat) Well? What are you waiting for?
ANAKIN: (swallows audibly) I’ve never been very comfortable in a zero-g vacuum.
DAHLIA: (takes out her own suit) Well, you’ll just have to man up and grow a pair.
As Dahlia begins suiting up, Anakin decides to follow her advice; manning up, growing a pair, he takes out his own spacesuit and begins slipping into it.
Once Dahlia has finished suiting up, she picks up her hydrospanner and stashes it in her locker. Securing the latch on the locker, she points to a toolbox hanging on the bulkhead.
DAHLIA: Don’t forget the toolbox.
Anakin retrieves it.
DAHLIA: Check it. I may have left some of the tools out somewhere.
ANAKIN: (checks inside) No, everything’s here.
DAHLIA: Good. Check me.
Turning around, Dahlia lets Anakin look her over to make sure her spacesuit’s fastened tight and nothing’s out of order. Giving her the okay sign, he turns around to let her do the same. With Anakin checking out, Dahlia depressurizes the airlock and opens the hatch, affording them both a direct, firsthand view of the star-spangled eternal night of outer space.
EXT. SPACE – SLIPSTREAM
Situated over the Slipstream’s engines, the magnetic soles of their spacesuits keeping them from floating free, the man and woman are busy repairing the damage done to the hyperdrive’s connections.
DAHLIA: Hydrospanner.
Taking the hydrospanner from the toolbox, Anakin hands it to her. Taking it, she begins loosening something.
ANAKIN: Why do you always wear it?
DAHLIA: Excuse me?
ANAKIN: That hydrospanner, the one you wear on your thigh. Why do you always carry it around on you?
DAHLIA: Would you believe a girl just likes to be prepared for any eventuality?
ANAKIN: If that’s the answer ….
DAHLIA: Well, it isn’t. (beat) Truth be told, the thing’s broken, busted, hasn’t worked in years. Even if I found myself in sudden need of it, the most use I’d get out of it is as a paperweight.
ANAKIN: Is it some good luck charm, then?
DAHLIA: You’re not far off. (beat) It’s the last gift I received from my father before he died. (beat) The central heater had been in need of replacing for months, but of course you can’t remove a defunct central heater without a hydrospanner. We were between hydrospanners at the time. I kept nagging Dad, “Pick up a hydrospanner. We need a hydrospanner. You want the old heater out? The new heater in? Buy a hydrospanner.” Of course he listened. Took him two weeks before he finally listened, but he went out and bought that hydrospanner. (glum) Two weeks after that, a faulty seal on a plasma torch went and he went with it.
ANAKIN: I’m sorry.
DAHLIA: Sorry for what? It wasn’t your fault. (sniffles)
ANAKIN: You loved him very much.
DAHLIA: And he loved me very much – probably too much. (laughs) How’s your pop?
ANAKIN: I wouldn’t know. I never met my biological father.
DAHLIA: What do you know of him? Anything?
ANAKIN: Mom never talked about him, never wanted to talk about him. (beat) I know two things about him: His name was Kane.
DAHLIA: What’s the second thing?
Anakin hesitates.
ANAKIN: He was Force-sensitive. I only found that out as I left home to begin my Jedi training.
Dahlia stands still and silent, eyes intent upon him.
ANAKIN: (shrugs) You were right. You were right about me.
DAHLIA: The repairs are almost complete. Help me finish up, okay?
ANAKIN: Okay.
They resume their work.
INT. SLIPSTREAM/MAIN AIRLOCK
Returning inside, Anakin and Dahlia slip out of their spacesuits and return them to their lockers. Standing there, they face one another, eye-to-eye.
ANAKIN: My name – my real name – is Anakin. Anakin Skywalker.
DAHLIA: Welcome aboard the Slipstream, Anakin.
Those tense words spoken, the two come together. Taking Dahlia’s blue face in his hands, Anakin brings her lips to his. Opening her mouth, Dahlia lets his tongue slip inside, allowing it to swim and dance with hers. Their attraction – fueled by the perils faced together, equally as strong as anything between Anakin and Nashira if not stronger – can no longer be denied.
Driving Anakin against the bulkhead, Dahlia pulls the front of his shirt open. She then unzips the front of her jumpsuit, revealing that she’s wearing nothing beneath it. Easing her out of the sleeves of her jumpsuit, Anakin exposes the thick network of ugly scars which run along the sides of her torso.
ANAKIN: (shocked) Dahlia! Those scars --!
DAHLIA: Shut up and kark me.
Dahlia opens his fly and Anakin forgets all about the scars.