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Starkiller's Fan Fic. Story — Page 2
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QuoteI mis-typed. That should be '21'.
Originally posted by: Warbler
Starkiller great story so far, why does it skip from chapter 20 to 31?
QuoteI hadn't given that any though. I thought there were parts of it that weren't that good, where the main character seemed too 'god-like'.
]Originally posted by: sean wookie
are you posting this on fanfiction.net
Taking down a Krayt Dragon alone. Going one-on-one with Bail Organa and other heads of state. Attacking an ISD. That 'splattered grey matter' comment.
(Its better than it was. When I first wrote it, I instead of the 'plausible denial' bit about the satellite screwup, I actually had a part where the main character briefed the world on what was going on, with the help of the US Secretary of State. I thought parts of it were clunky and sometimes contradictory, so I removed it.)
Anyways, I'm happy that you guys like it. Perhaps I could post it at fanfiction.net, once I've gotten more of it completed.
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Besides, a fanboy's fantasy doesn't have to be realistic.
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Chapter 22: My Final Work For the Earth
I returned home. A stop on the Star Destroyer revealed that it was almost fully repaired, and Earth technicians were quickly picking up the knowledge they needed to use it. I landed on Earth the same way I landed before, and was greeted by practically the same crowd.
No reports were necessary from me this time. I was growing obsolete.
I decided to make a final suggestion to the President and then I would pack up my belongings and explore some more.
“Mr. President, “ I began, “I no longer feel I am needed on Earth. The current situation with the Empire has been averted and I think its time I went elsewhere. From the scientific standpoint, we have years of research to catch up on. From the military view, we have a warship capable of defending the planet and a military that knows how to use it. The public, well, to minimize the impact of what has happened, it’s best that they learn slowly.”
I continued, “I would like to make a recommendation to you and the rest of the world leaders. I think it would be helpful to Earth to create a trading station on the far side of the Moon. Have a place where terrans and aliens can trade and interact. It will allow those people that visit to adjust to the large galaxy they’ve become a part of, and it will strengthen ties between us and other cultures out there.”
I then returned home and began to pack. I planned on returning again, so it wasn’t a matter of stripping down my house for a move. I had to pack plenty of clothes. Not knowing where I might go, I’d need to be ready for any weather conditions. I grabbed a few books for long hyperspace trips. From my experience on the Motivator, I knew that ships power was DC-based, like the blaster power packs. It was not a difficult task to have B0B rig an appropriate AC outlet for a couple pieces of electronics, like a laptop. In preparation, I downloaded as many Star Wars references as I could find off the Internet, in the event that I needed information I did not have.
I was ready to return to space. I wasn’t worried about leaving my home for a long time, I asked the neighbors to keep an eye on things, and the government was happy to take care of any bills I might get, even though I had shut down as much of the house as I could, it wasn’t 100%. They said it was a minor thing to worry about compared to the benefits I had provided them with.
With that I was set, and I left.
Chapter 23: What did my future hold?
It was at this point, I did not know what I would do. I considered the possibilities of joining up with the Alliance right away. With the wealth of information I had at my fingertips, I could have used the money I had and made it grow through gambling. I could play tourist and visit the many places I had read about, like Ithor, Corellia, Yavin, the Kessel Run black holes. I started to research the Internet files I had downloaded. What would really be interesting is if I could actually see and be a part of one of the stories I’d heard about.
That is when I figured out what I could do.
In the book Tales of the Bounty Hunters, part of Boba Fett’s story was his first encounter with Han Solo. Han was forced into some kind of life-or-death combat against 3 men each twice his size. Fett attested that Han had won the match, despite all the odds being against him.
This was a chance for me to do several things. It gave me the chance to see another world. It gave me a chance to see Han Solo in person. Last, it gave me a chance to gamble on a fight I already knew the outcome of. The only thing in my way was the fact that I didn’t know when it happened. It could have happened already, or it could be happening too far in the future for it to be something I could do now.
I began to sift though the information on my laptop. Eventually, I found the information I was looking for. It happened on the planet Jubilar about 12 years before A New Hope, when Han was 17 years old. No, that wouldn’t work. Based on what I had been told be Captain Briera that would have taken place about 10 years ago. No, I needed to find something that “happened” 2 years before A New Hope.
I continued to search for some event.
There, that was it. It was perfect, even better than before.
Han was due to visit Bespin, run across the Cloud City Sabacc tournament, play into the finals, where he defeats Lando Calrissian and win the Millennium Falcon. This was luck. To watch as this soon-to-be most famous smuggler gets united with the ship that helped make him famous, it was perfect.
And if I was lucky, I could gamble on the outcome.
With B0B’s help, I plotted a course to Bespin. It was a long trip, but it gave me time to reflect on all that had happened since that fateful day when I spotted that fuzzy Star Destroyer on the news.
When I arrived at Bespin, I found myself having the same trouble as Han had in Empire Strikes Back.
“No, this is my first trip to Bespin, I do not have any permits. I can buy one if necessary, but I do not have one now.” I said. I could see why Han sounded so frustrated. These Cloud Car Pilots, or whatever they were called, were relentless.
“Do not deviate from your current heading. Once we have confirmed your ships registry you will be allowed to land, at which time you may choose to pay a landing fee or purchase a permit.”
At this point, all I could do was wait. It took several minutes, but I could only assume that my information checked out.
“You are authorized to land at platform 463. Follow us.”
I thanked them and was finally able to continue into the city. It was a spectacular view.
Upon landing, I was met by an official of the city.
“Greetings, welcome to Bespin’s Cloud City. How long had you planned on staying?”
”I wasn’t sure.” I told him. “I heard about a Sabacc tournament that is going to be played here, but I could not find out when it will be taking place. I wanted to stay through to the end of the tournament. Mind you, I’m not here to play. Just as a spectator.”
“Well,” He began, “the tournament is just over 2 standard weeks away, and will last for another week. At 200 credits per day for use of the landing pad, that comes to 3000 credits. A landing permit will cost you 5000 credits, but it gives you free access to the cities landing pads and a discount on any ship-related work you may require upon your visits. This would include restocking fuel, tibanna gas, repairs, and modifications. The permit will require renewing within 1 standard year.”
He continued. “Also, unless you wish to stay in your ship, there is a 100 credit per night charge at one of our mid-range hotels. This includes a choice breakfast menu every morning, and a one time 50 credits-worth of chips for use in any of our casinos. That would be another 1500 credits.”
I thought for a moment. Money was not an issue. I still had over 40,000 of the 50,000 I had gotten from the Emperor, plus the 5 Krayt Dragon Pearls. The real issue was if I wanted the permit or not. I may have money, but I wasn’t going to be stupid about using it.
“I will take the permit. I’ll need to get additional funds from my ship, however. If I require any of the ship-related work you mentioned, who do I speak with?”
He seemed happy. “Excellent. You can speak with me. You see, each pad is assigned someone to coordinates the activities going on at it. I work on this pad. Anything you require, you can speak with me about.”
“Fine, fine. I’m sure there are some items that my ship should have looked at.” I replied.
With that, I returned to Gaea to get the money I would require, plus some extra. On my way out, I gave B0B a heads up on what would be happening, and I asked if
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I then paid the pad attendant and continued into Cloud City.
It was quite a place.
The pad attendant was able to give me a brief tour of the city. Showing me where the hotels and casinos were, as well as the location designated for the tournament. At one of the hotels, I signed in for a room. I then went to inspect the casinos, but I decided not play. I wanted to save the money I had for the tournament.
Chapter 24: What to Do Until the Tournament
With that I returned to Gaea. B0B had come up with a list of repairs, replacements and modifications that should be considered. As a result of my combat at Earth with the ISD, my hull had some battle scars. Not real damage, mind you, just patches of black where the heat of weapons blasts had singed things a little. B0B also made the astute deduction that, since we are at Cloud City, it would increase the performance of our weapons if we purged our system of our current tibanna gas supply and replaced it with the Cloud City gas. He then listed a number of parts that showed some wear that might be worth looking at. At the bottom of his list, he had listed a number of modifications that would enhance the performance of the ship. He gave me 2 copies of the list. One in English, since I was slow to adapt to reading Aurebesh, and one in Aurebesh for the repair team.
I looked over the list as I walked out of the ship. I was more than willing to admit to myself that I had no idea what the vast majority of this equipment did. I hoped I wouldn’t get taken. I found the pad attendant and showed him the list. He put in a call for a repair team.
In a couple hours, a repair team arrived. During my wait, I made sure to secure anything that might be worth stealing (weapons, laptop, Dragon Pearls), and I had B0B walk me through the list of repairs again, so I could see what needed work and understand why it may be necessary to fix. He also gave me a general idea of what the modifications would allow the ship to do. I wanted to walk the repair team through the list myself, rather than look stupid as my droid did the talking.
An hour later or so, I had finished showing the 4-man repair team around. It appeared that my fears about being taken were unjustified. As I went through the list, different members of the repair team stated that this part or that part was not worth replacing at that time. I disregarded the hull. I decided that, instead, I would see if there were any kind of ship cleaning and painting services on Cloud City. Rather than clean it and leave the hull its off-white color, I wanted to give it a black hull, which would let it blend with space.
Then, I got to the modifications section of the list. When I started talking about modifications, the team became anxious and edgy, as if they didn’t want to hear about it. When I finished, one of them pulled me aside and said, “This is your first visit to Cloud City, isn’t it. You see, we are not supposed to make the kinds of changed you’re asking about. I can, however, give you the pad number of a non-Cloud City repair shop that may be able to help you. But it will cost you.”
“How much?” I asked.
“1000 credits.” He replied.
I was able to talk him down to 850 credits. I got the number, and then told B0B so he could store it in his memory.
By this time, each member of the repair team was busy. Two were already busy working on the ship. Another was contacting a superior about having parts sent down. While they worked, I went back to the pad attendant and asked him about the ship cleaning/painting services and to confirm the pad number I had been given by the repair team member. It was, indeed, an independent repair shop. I decided I would stop by there once the other repairs were complete.
All the work together cost me about 5000 credits, before the discount I had from the landing permit, and was finished by the next morning. The only reason it took that long was there was some trouble getting a couple of the parts. I left B0B to oversee the repairs and I left to go to my hotel room and get some sleep. In the morning, I returned to the ship, checked with B0B to make sure everything went smoothly, checked my stuff and paid for the repair. I then spoke with the pad attendant again, to let him know I was going to the ship cleaning shop, and that I would return soon.
As I flew around the city, I couldn’t sense any change in the ship’s performance. B0B could. He said that before the repair, his gyros could sense a slight wobble as the ship accelerated. I took his word for it, and continued.
I eventually found the cleaners. It cost only a handful of credits to get the ship cleaned, inside and out. It looked really good.
I headed off to the paint shop. Upon arriving, I was told that I was expected. The pad attendant had called ahead. I told them I wanted a clean black finish that would blend in better with space. I was then told it would take at least a day to re-clean (to make sure the paint held), paint and dry. It would cost about 200 credits.
After I made sure the ship was safe, B0B and I left. I planned on finding the repair shop I had been told about from the inside. I could then speak with the owner and get an idea of whether they could do what I wanted and how much it would cost.
It took about an hour to find the shop. We were greeted by the stereotypic repair shop worker, wearing overalls and covered in grease. I wasn’t sure, but I think his name patch said “Ray”. I introduced myself, gave the guy the name of the repair team member that had told me about the place, and told him about my ship. I then had B0B to give him specifics about the parts on the ship.
“What exactly did you want done?” I was asked.
“Well, generally speaking, I would like the ship’s systems improved where possible.” I began. “Shield efficiency or strength raised, hyperspace and sublight speed increase, weapons enhanced for greater range, more power or both. If possible, I would also be interested in any kind of anti-scanning equipment, anything that could hide the ship completely. At the least, a pirated IFF transponder to make it appear on sensors to be another ship, preferably one that I could switch on and off, so I could be scanned normally. Any chance I could get a very rough estimate on the cost based on what I’ve told you?”
He replied, “Without seeing what we have in stock and what you have on your ship, I can’t even offer an estimate.”
I then asked, “Well, if you make the assumption that you have the parts you need, could you then give me an estimate? At the least, could you estimate the IFF transponder? That is my number one priority at this time.”
”Fake transponders are not terribly reliable. Real transponders are hard to come by, since they need to be taken from a ship. Those facts will make it the most expensive item on your list. However, we may have one around somewhere.”
“Fine.” I said. “My ship is currently getting a new paintjob. I was told it might take at least a day. Will you be able to start work on the ship tomorrow sometime?”
”That shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t know how long the work will take though.” He replied.
With that, B0B and I left. We headed back to the ship painters, to check on the progress. Cleaning was done and the painting had started. If I had to guess, I’d say they were about 1/3 of the way done with the first coat of paint.
We started exploring the city. It was a lot like visiting a big city like New York on Earth. In some areas, there were small shops, specializing in handmade or niche good. Other places, usually closer to the hotels and casinos, we found much larger stores. Restaurants were numerous, both large and small.
Now, I've got about 8 days to fill between where I've stopped and before the tournament starts. I'm k
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Here's some more:
We started exploring the city. It was a lot like visiting a big city like New York on Earth. In some areas, there were small shops, specializing in handmade or niche good. Other places, usually closer to the hotels and casinos, we found much larger stores. Restaurants were numerous, both large and small. I decided to stop at one to get some dinner.
With dinner finished, I found my way to my hotel room. My first night there I had not taken a great deal of time to inspect the room. I was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. The furniture was plush, the view was breathtaking and I found there was an information terminal, which I could use to view practically any information in the Cloud City databanks on. Casino jackpots, entrants to the sabaac contest, a list shops and stores, there were even a couple hotels that gave out the names of the people staying at them.
“This information could be useful.” I thought to myself.
References I had brought with me indicated that also attending this sabaac tournament were several members of independent rebellions against the Empire. Using the tournament as an excuse to congregate, they were called by Bria Tharen. Her hope was to unite the groups to fight more effectively against the Empire. I was very much tempted to attempt to join their little get together. I was something I was going to need to think about.
It was getting late, at least by Earth time it was. My biologic clock was still set to home. I decided I was done for the day, and I bedded down for the night.
Chapter 25: A Chance Encounter
When I awoke the next “morning,” it as already bright outside my window. “It could take a while for this adjustment.” I thought to myself.
Not knowing what time it was, I quickly called down to the hotel desk to enquire about breakfast. Luckily, due to differing habits amongst the different races, I learned that they served breakfast all day. I ordered, ate and was soon on my way back to the detail shop to see how my ship was coming along. She was about 75% finished, and going to take another couple hours.
Since I now knew how much time I had on my hands, I walked to my landing pad in the hopes that the pad coordinator could help me with my next little project.
“Greetings. How has your stay with us been so far?” he asked me when I arrived with B0B.
“Excellent. I’m new around these parts and was somewhat worried when I realized I had no idea what the local food would be like, but everything has turned out very well. I was hoping you might be able to help me with something though. As I was exploring this beautiful city, I remembered that someone I know was going to be here for this tournament. I have no idea where she might be, or even if she has arrived yet. Would you be able to help me find her?” I asked.
As he stood there thinking, I thought that perhaps this wasn’t the kind of information he’d be able to give me. After all, I have no proof that I know this person.
“I can try running a name through the registered names at the hotels, but if she used a false name or is not registered, you will be out of luck. What was the name?”
”Winter. If it makes any difference, she’s from Alderaan.”
He walked to a console and began working. After a couple minutes, he returned.
“I did find a Winter listed as having checked in at one of the more luxurious hotels in the city. That was the best I could do. For any additional information, you will have to try at the hotel.”
I thanked him for the help, and then checked my watch. When it came down to seconds, minutes, hours, and days, time on Earth and the rest of the Galaxy was the same. I had another hour or so before I could pick up my ship.
I asked for directions to the hotel, and headed on my way. Upon arriving, my information was confirmed. I was then told that I could not be given any additional information. The hotel respected the privacy of its residents, and the only way I would get help, was from Winter herself. That put a crimp in my plans. I decided against leaving her a message. She didn’t know me, and I had no way of knowing if Bail had spoken to anyone on Alderaan about the Earth situation.
At this point, I had enough time to walk to the detail shop and wait about 5 minutes for my ship to be finished. Upon arriving, I found that the ship had been finished up early, and it was ready for me to take away. I inspected the work, paid for a job well done and flew the ship off to the repair shop. “Ray” was there, remembered me and was looking over the ship almost before I could land.
“So, what’s been done to her, and what changes do you want made?” he asked.
“Only a couple things were modified previously.” I replied. “A few months ago I had some work done on the shields and drives, plus I had a rapid-fire blaster installed in the underbelly. Based on my droid’s past calculations, we figure I’m doing about 1.75 with the current hyperdrive configuration and about 70mglt at sublight. I really don’t know where the shields stand. The ship is fairly new and I haven’t had her him much combat.”
I paused for a moment to catch my breath and let him absorb what I’d said.
“As far as what changes I’d like, first and foremost is something as far as a stealth system. I’d prefer something that hides the ship entirely, but if the best I can do is use a secondary IFF transponder that would allow me to impersonate another ship, that will be sufficient. Also, if I can increase the hyperdrive rating to 1 or less, and get the sublight to about 80-85, that would be great. With regards to defenses, increasing shield strength would be good. The laser cannons are fine as far as range and power, but I had an idea that would improve them, hopefully without a great deal of effort.”
It was at this time I noticed a couple customers had entered the shop. I recognized them immediately and could have passed out right then and there. If I had thought meeting Bail Organa was cool, then watching as Han Solo himself and Chewbacca entered the room meant I had no understanding of the real meaning of the word cool.
“Aye, what’s that?” Han said.
He must have overheard me talking about the laser cannons.
“Well, it’s a trick I’ve heard about. You add a splitter to the end of the laser cannon. When the bolt gets processed, the splitter converts it into 2 weaker bolts. When these 2 bolts strike their targets shields simultaneously, the shields are, in reality, getting hit twice, it increases the chances of shield failure and can inflict more damage to a ship. I’ve never actually seen it used, so I’m not 100% sure if it works.”
What I couldn’t say was that this ‘trick’, as I called it, I learned from a book with details about the Millennium Falcon. I was telling Han Solo about something that would inevitably show up on one of his own ships.
“That’s not bad, kid. Not bad at all. Chewie, keep that in mind when we get our next ship.” He replied.
Han then went on about his business, whatever that happened to be.
“Anyways,” I said to the mechanic, “how much of that work can be done and how much is just my dreaming?”
Ray thought for a moment. “Well, the splitter’s shouldn’t be any trouble at all. Increasing your sublight speed could just a matter of forcing your system closer to its tolerable limits. I doubt that the hyperdrive can be pushed that much with the parts I have in stock. I could probably get you to 1.25, possibly a little better. Increasing shield strength would just require adding additional power cabling between your power reactor and the shield system, to get more juice flowing into the system. Your shield generators should be able to handle the extra power. That leaves us with the stealth system you’re asking for. I’m afraid I do not have the supplies right now to help you with that.”
No
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BTW: I have more. I'll back up a tiny bit so I give you a full chapter.
Chapter 26: Establishing Contact
I decided it was time that I attempted to contact Winter again. I returned, this time, to my own hotel room. If I couldn’t find anything through the hotel desk, perhaps a more direct approach would work. Using the terminal in my room, I was able to communicate with other hotels and other rooms. I connected to the Winter’s hotel, asked the front desk to be connected with her room, and bingo, I was set.
“Hello.” I heard on the opposite end of the line. No picture for some reason.
“Hello. Am I speaking with Winter, connected to the Organa family of Alderaan?”
“Yes. Who is this?” I was asked.
“A friend of Viceroy Bail Organa. I met him several months ago and he was kind enough to help my planet and me with some trouble we had. There are some things I wish to discuss with you in person, if you are not to busy.”
She replied quickly. “I recall him mentioning helping someone, but he never said who, and anyone could have learned about it. How am I to know that you are who you claim to be?”
”If you wish to confirm my identity, I’ll give you my name, and you can contact Alderaan. If Bail does not recognize the name, remind him about Luke Skywalker. It’s a name from a little story I told him, from my world. I will be here in my hotel room for the next couple hours, which should hopefully be enough time for you to contact them and get back to me.”
With that, I gave her my name, and severed the connection. The next couple hours would be long.
It was about an hour and a half later when my terminal started to glow. It said ‘Incoming Connection’. I allowed the connection. This time I got a visual.
“Hello. This is Winter,” said the striking face on the screen. She did look a lot like Leia.
“Hello. I trust you were able to confirm my identity?”
“Yes I was. The Viceroy seemed most pleased to hear about you. He hopes all is well on your planet.”
“Good. I hope all is well there, too. I’ve not spent a lot of time there recently. I was very interested in exploring the galaxy. Now, as I was saying in our earlier conversation, there is something I wish to discuss with you. Because of the topic matter I wish to discuss, it would probably be best if we met in person, rather than speak over the Cloud City communication system.”
She thought for a moment. “I sense that meeting in a casino or restaurant would be too insecure as well. Have you got a ship here on Cloud City, or did you arrive on a transport? I came via an Alderaanian ship, but I would be unable to get access to it.”
”I came on board my own ship. Given the circumstances, it would probably be the best spot for us to talk. My ship is currently in a repair shop getting some special modifications. I do not know how soon they will be completed, but I can check on it. Here’s what I’ll do. When the ship is finished, I’ll contact your room from the terminal at my landing pad. We can talk there.”
“That would be fine. I’ll see you then.”
“Good-bye.”
Excellent. It would appear I was slowly and surely working my way into that meeting.
I had one errand to run before I went to the repair shop to hopefully pick up my ship. As it stood, I was planning on betting a large sum of money on Han Solo to win that tournament. However, I had no idea how large that large sum would be. I had 5 dragon pearls, but no idea of their value. The first thing I did was to see if I could determine their value through the Cloud City computer system, but I was unable to find anything.
My next stop was to check in one of the casinos. It was a short walk to find one. I quickly found the front desk.
“Excuse me, I require some assistance with something.” I said to the human behind the desk.
“Of course. How may I help you?” he replied.
“I have a number of Krayt Dragon Pearls, and I was wondering what the most current value was per pearl.” I said.
“Well,” he began to type on a keyboard I couldn’t see behind the desk. “It would appear that current values are as follows: blue pearls are worth roughly 125,000 credits each, green are 100,000, white are up at 150,000 and black, black are always worth a premium price, at 200,000 credits.”
I knew that they’d be valuable, but I had no idea the value would be that high.
“Fine. I wasn’t planning on selling them today, do values tend to change very much?”
He responded, “Not a great deal. Values may change by as much as a few thousand, but the prices I told you are about normal.”
“Excellent. Thank you very much. Since I’m thinking about it, could I get the odds on 2 of the players to the sabacc tournament? I’m looking for a Lando Calrissian and a Han Solo.”
”Let’s see. Calrissian is a highly ranked player, with odds of 7-to-1 that he wins and 5-to-2 that he finishes in second place. That other name, Solo, hmmm, oh, here it is. He’s a late entrant, almost didn’t make the cut-off. My, he’s not ranked very high at all. He’s got 75-to-1 odds of winning, and 70-to-1 that he finishes second.”
”I’ve never been 100% sure on odds and such. That means that for every 1 credit I bet on Solo to win, I’d make 75 if he does, right?” I asked.
”Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank you for your help. You’ve been most informative.” I said as I started to walk away.
I had all the information I would need. If my bills at the repair shop were as low as Han had helped me get, I wouldn’t need to use the pearls for betting. I also didn’t want to wager too much on Han and Lando, and skew the odds. I would probably put about 10,000 on Solo to win, and 5,000 on Lando to take second.
Now it was time to head to the shop and pick up my ship.
I had left B0B at the hotel room while I went to the casino, just in case Winter called back. I returned to get him and we left together for the shop. Upon our arrival, Ray met us.
“Welcome back. I just finished up with your ship a few minutes ago. We were able to get everything set for you. She’ll hit 1.15 in hyperspace and 87mglt at sublight based on our calculations. Shields were increased by about 35% and those splitters are all set in place.”
”Great.” I replied. “Now, how much do I owe you for all this?”
”Let’s see, the splitters were about 250 credits each for 1000 credits. Power cables ran about 400. 4000 credit should cover everything.”
This was great. I paid him; giving him a little extra because I’m a nice guy, entered the ship, did a quick look over and sat down in the cockpit. The weapons, laptop and pearls were still secure. B0B reported no anomalous readings from any of the ships systems.
Power up was fine and we took off. I turned on the shields quickly to see that yes, shield power was about 35% better than before. In a few moments I was landing on platform 463. I disembarked and found my way to the nearest computer terminal.
“Hello, Winter? The ship is all set. Meet me at landing pad 463.”
It took about 20 minutes, but she found her way to the pad. We walked back to the ship and went inside. We sat down on the acceleration couch in the cargo hold.
“I wanted to tell you that I know why you’re here on Bespin, to attend a special meeting.”
I wanted to be as direct and to the point about this, as I could.
“How do you know about this meeting? I was told that only the people attending knew about it.”
This was going to be tough. Winter’s memory meant that if I told her how I knew, there was no way she was forgetting about it. I knew that the Empire would never capture her, but could I trust her to also not say anything to the Alliance? Part of why I told Bail was that I knew he’d be gone in a few years.
“I really wish I could tell you why, I re
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Also, Fanfiction.net does let you upload stories chapter by chapter.
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fanfiction.net does chapters?
What was I...
Oh, I remember, theforce.net does fan fictions, and they require a piece be finished.
On another note, I'm going to let you guys help me with something.
In the story, the main character (I/You) is taking on his first mission for the Rebellion. He's smuggling weapons from Corellia to the Free Alignment of the Virgillian Civil War, then smuggling Free Alignment troops onto a planet held by their enemies, the Aristocracy. I want to write in a firefight, but I cannot decide if it should be:
- a ground gunfight at the Corellia docking facility when I picking up the weapons
- a space battle when I attempt to drop off the troops on the Aristocracy planet
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Dividing up the action can create tension, but you'd have to make a second protagonist for that.
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ex. The attack at Corellia was the result of a leak in the rebel ranks. The Empire knows about the shipment, and when they fail to stop its liftoff, they are forced to use other means to prevent it.
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Maybe you could do both in first person, but change the tenses between charactrers. It's more confusing for you, maybe, but it would distinguish them if you make a new protagonist.
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The attacks would be taking place hours, maybe even days apart.
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I was talking about if they were simultaneous, like the battle of Endor on the moon and at the Death Star.
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The tournament was over and my time at Cloud City was complete. A couple of the rebel leaders had sent messages to my room, expressing an interest in whatever services or goods I could provide to them. They supplied me with communication channels and some other ways of contacting them, as well as other members of their movements.
I decided that the best thing to do would be to try getting a job from the Alderaanians. I knew them and they knew me, so I could get a job that best fit me. I had one small task to take care of before I did so though.
The coordinates I had given Han were for the Sol system…Earth. I wanted to be sure that their defenses were aware that he might be stopping by.
I made the jump back to Earth. I noticed the changes to the hyperdrive, since the trip took a couple hours shorter than my trip 3 weeks ago. Once I was in-system, I started scanning, and quickly found the Earth ISD, sitting about halfway between the Earth/Mars orbit. I quickly established communications with the ship, using a very low frequency, since a signal in the low AM band could be read by Earth, but Imperial technology didn’t even bother with it anymore.
“Gaea to mother. Gaea to mother. Come in mother Earth.” I said into the open channel. I then repeated the message. It was too quiet, and I quickly got nervous. I checked my scanners again. The ISD was intact. There weren’t any new scratches on her, so there hadn’t been a battle, and the current battle scars were a clear indication. I had made some of them.
“Gaea, this is Earth Defensive Ship Freedom. We are receiving you. Welcome home. Ship’s officers have been apprised of your arrival and someone will be waiting to greet you when you dock on board.” The silence was broken and I felt a lot better.
I was soon landing on the main deck of the ISD. As I began lowering the ramp, I could see that it was General Johnson that was waiting for me on deck. Walking down the ramp, I quickly saluted to him and he returned the salute.
“Welcome home. Come, we must talk. So much has happened since you left.” He said.
I was surprised. How much could happen in 15 days?? Then I realized that if a single alien delegate arrived in system, it could be considered exciting. I had been flying around now for close to 4 galactic months, 9 Earth months.
I was escorted from the hangar to the captain’s quarters. As we walked through the ship, what I saw was almost incredible. All the uniforms were the same, but there had to be at least 20-30 different flags on the shoulders of them. There were 20-30 countries contributing military personnel to the effort. It felt really good to know that the peace had held, even if it had only been a month. It was still a step in the right direction.
When we arrived, I found there was a meal waiting for us. We sat and began to eat.
“You have no idea how long it’s been since I had a meal I felt safe biting into. Never knowing if a food was going to be too spicy, too salty, too anything. I’d be lying if I told you I finished every meal I bought. I did learn one very interesting fact, though. Its something I heard once on a sci-fi TV show called Babylon 5. Every race does seem to have its own version of Swedish meatballs. I must have ordered them half a dozen times while I was gone, and all from different restaurants.” I began.
General Johnson just looked at me with a look of bizarre interest on his face.
“So, “ I continued, “what’s been going on here? You said a lot had happened.”
“Yes I did. We’ve had visitors from a number of different planets. Some of them were human, others were not. Let me see.” He produced a small notepad from his shirt pocket. “Alderaan, Sullust, Duro, Chandrila, Yag’Dhul, Bimm. All of them came to see what we had in trade. It’s a good thing that those Rebellion members brought us a couple protocol droids before they left. The language barrier would have been impossible to tackle.”
“And what of Earth? Is the existence of this ship and the rest of the galaxy still hidden from the general populace? I imagine the truth has to come out eventually. People with their small telescopes are going to find this ship.” I asked.
The general had an answer the surprised me somewhat.
“Well, it’s been more than 60 years, and they still don’t know the whole truth about Roswell. This whole thing has been sewn up much better than that was.”
That floored me. I could have asked him what he could tell me, but I decided against getting that discussion started.
We continued to talk for a couple hours. I told him about the tournament, how the timeline seems to be keeping together, made sure to remember about Han. He gave me more details about the work on Earth. The energy weapon technology I had brought from Tatooine had been duplicated, but would be slow to see use. Scientists had already “discovered” the technology needed for advanced fusion power generation. It would be another 6 months of “testing”, and then 6 months of “construction” before the first power generator would be put on the power grid.
The next day, after dinner and a good nights sleep, I made my way to the Freedom’s holonet transceiver and contacted Alderaan. I was greeted by Bail.
Bail started the conversation. “Hello. What can I do for my friend from Earth?”
”Well, actually I was so happy when I got the chance to meet Winter and her friends on Cloud City, and I wanted to see what I could do to help you, if you know what I mean.”
It appeared as though it took him only a split second to understand.
“Ah, I see. Winter’s little trade conference. Well, if your planet would like to open trade with Alderaan, it would be best to setup such an arrangement in person rather than over the holonet. A certain personal touch is best when doing such things.”
He wanted to get off the holonet and remove the possibility of the conversation being tapped into.
“Alright, that sounds fine. I can be there shortly if you have the time for me. By the way, I wanted to thank you for the holonet transceiver. Its come in very handy and I’m sure it will continue to do so for a long time into the future. Good-bye.”
“I should have a clear schedule when you arrive. Good-bye.”
I shut down the transceiver. After letting General Johnson know what was happening, I made a quick trip around the ship to get some things I thought I may need, then I returned to my ship and left. I headed straight for Alderaan. I was ready for an official Rebellion assignment.
As we flew, I wondered what kind of mission it could be. I began to hope for smuggling, escort or maybe an attack mission. I wanted something that could be exciting.
It wasn’t long before I arrived on Alderaan, and my reception was not unlike the first I’d received when I first visited the planet.
“Greetings Bail. It is always a pleasure to visit beautiful Alderaan. And I always get a fine reception when I arrive.”
Bail seemed to chuckle under his breath. Just as before, I was invited to join the Viceroy for some refreshments and I had the chance to share with Bail my experiences on Bespin.
“I heard almost immediately after the meeting about what you did. It was foolish and could have gotten you shot, but it sounded like you were going to end up with trouble anyways. Leaders in the rebellion don’t rise to become leaders, nor do they stay leaders very long if they trust any average person that says they want to join.”
“I understand that completely. I was taking a risk no matter what by attending, what was a little more risk if it meant they would begin to trust me. With that in mind, I was hoping I might be able to perform some work that might help further that trust. Are there any rebellion missions I may be able to either do or participate in?”
Bail began to think. After a few moments,
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Bail had a couple details to straighten out with the Corellians, but once that was taken care of, all the data I needed concerning my mission was uploaded to the computer of the Gaea.
I was quickly given clearance and took off. This was going to be my first trip to Corellia, home world of some of the best pilots in the galaxy. It wasn’t long before I was in hyperspace, on my way.
I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at Corellia, or later in the Virgillia system. I decided it was best if I got myself ready for anything.
My trip around the Freedom’s was helpful. In the ship’s armory, I grabbed some stormtrooper armor and a lightweight armor chest plate that looked like it was from snowtrooper armor. I didn’t think I could use the full suit, but I’d have to see what all fit underneath normal clothes. In the engineering area, I found and picked up a multi-pocket vest and some tools. I also was able to find myself a can of black spray-paint. Why someone had spray-paint on the Freedom was beyond me, but I needed it, so I took it.
I slowly began to put on all the equipment I felt I wanted with me. At first, I thought the stormtrooper armor would be the most difficult item to deal with. I initially thought the black body glove and white armor pieces were combined, so it would be an all-or-nothing situation. Then I found that the armor pieces actually just snap to the glove and to each other.
With this in mind, I started to work. The first thing I tried was to use the full suit, minus the helmet, underneath my clothes. This proved far to cumbersome and bulky. After much experimentation, I found that keeping the leg armor and arm armor then removing the hands and feet of the armor would work the best. I also found I needed to cut off a sniper position armor piece from the left knee area of the armor, since it prevented me from sitting. The snowtrooper chest plate, which wasn’t quite as bulky, fit nicely under any shirt I had with me.
After getting the armor in place, I put on the stormtrooper belt, adding to it the holster for my Flash 4 blaster. Next came the engineering vest. I began to fill the pockets with other items I had around the ship: flashlight, utility knife, comlink, extra battery packs, tibanna gas containers, couple clips of Earth ammunition. Last thing I had to do was put on the under-arm-style holster for my Baretta. I didn’t expect I’d need it for this mission, but I wanted to make sure I could be comfortable with everything on.
Once I was satisfied, I took all the equipment off, grabbed the spray-can and proceeded to give the armor a layer of black. Clean white was going to be very easy to see and I didn’t want to alarm anyone with my appearance.
I was going to cut it close. By the time I had waited for the paint to dry, and then decided what I was going to carry when I arrived at Corellia, I had about 10 minutes left until I arrived. I had to dress quickly, and I was strapping on my gun belt at my seat on the cockpit when the Corellian traffic controllers contacted me.
I heard over my communications systems. “This is the Corellia Air Traffic Control System. We have you on our scanners. Our system shows you are the Alderaan Pride, an YT-2400 freighter, due to pick up parts and technical equipment from docking area 436. Is this information correct?”
I responded, “Yes it is. Am I cleared for landing?” I had been registered under a false ship name to reduce the chance of Imperial tracking.
”Affirmative. All is clear for your arrival. Welcome to Corellia.”
I was pleased. It was a far better welcoming than I got on Cloud City.
The trip down was uneventful. There was less traffic than I would have imagined. I suppose that with as long as the Corellians had been flying, they must know how to control traffic to keep it clear.
There were no bumps in the landing. I was really proud of how good I had gotten at flying.
I lowered the ramp and left the ship. A number of people were waiting in the docking area for me to land. I recognized a couple of them from the meeting at Bespin. The one who looked to be in charge was the same one that had stood up for me after I had pulled out the lightsaber. I walked over to him.
“I wanted to thank you for giving me a chance to help.” I said.
He looked at me for a second, then recognized me and replied, “Well, not just anyone would have the guts to pull out a weapon the way you did. Welcome to Corellia. I trust you were completely briefed on this job?”
”Yes I was.” I answered. “I’ve got cargo that I’m carrying from here to Virgillia 7, then a quick transport job from there to Virgillia Prime. Mind if I ask what exactly the cargo is?”
He slowly walked me towards my ship, as if to steer our conversation away from a known listening device.
“These Corellian ports are not terribly secure.” He said as we walked. “The big boxes carry a total of 200 Blastech DL-17 blasters. The smaller boxes contain roughly 3 power packs and 2 tibanna gas refills for each weapon. The Virgillian Aristocracy has…”
I interrupted, knowing the story of the system. “Almost complete control over all ships and blaster technology in the system. By supplying the Free Alignment with weapons, the Rebellion is trying to even out the odds. I studied up on the Virgillian Civil War before I left Alderaan. Bail Organa has been extremely helpful in my getting better acquainted with things off my own home world.”
I watched as, over the next 30 minutes, six large boxes and twelve smaller boxes went up the ramp into my ship. The seventh box was being secured inside when I thought I heard some load noises outside the docking area. It started with some shouting, but that is certainly not where it ended. I jumped and drew as a blaster shot rang out. Assuming the worst, I decided to find a more defensive position than the wide open. I found that my own landing gear would work just fine. Everyone except the two guys loading the weapons seemed to be reacting the same way too.
It was only moments before we came under attack. A squad of 8 stormtroopers came in with guns blazing. The first went down easily as everyone seemed to shoot him at the same time. The rest of the troopers got in and were able to get themselves fairly well protected behind some empty cargo boxes that must have been left there by someone else.
“This was going to end up a stalemate.” I thought to myself. I stopped firing and looked around to see if there was any way to end the fight in our favor. Nothing was coming to mind, beyond simply moving somewhere that might give me a better shot. Then I had it. My YT-2400 had a top hatch similar to the one on the Falcon. If I could get on top of the ship, it would give me a better view, not to mention the advantageous high ground.
Getting to the ramp would prove difficult. I was protected by my ship’s landing gear, but only to a point. I slowly backed away, towards the ramp. When I found myself getting hit in the back by it, I looked for an opening, and then quickly ran around and inside. I have no idea how many times, if any, I may have been shot at, but now I was safe inside. Rather than use the Flash 4 I had at my side, I grabbed the E-11 Blaster Rifle and its glasses-based camera system. I wanted something that would be more accurate. Once I got the first shot off, I was going to be a target.
I soon found that the crates of weapons were being stacked in front of the hatch elevator. I had to weave my way through some and climb over others until I finally made it in. I activated the elevator, then opened 2 hatches and climbed out. I crawled on my hands and knees for a while, not wanting to lose the element of surprise. When I got closer to the edge of the ship, I got down on my belly and crawled the rest of the way.
I had the vantage p
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With the shipment of weapons intact, I lifted off and headed for orbit. I plotted a course towards the middle of empty space, just in case someone on Corellia was going to try to track me based on my hyperspace vector. After about a half hour, I dropped out of hyperspace and jumped right back in, this time towards Virgillia 7.
The trip gave me a chance to continue evaluating the armor I had cobbled together. During the attack, I was able to get a feel for it. Where it felt all right, and where it needed to feel better. I found a couple spots where I needed to remove small pieces of armor to increase my mobility.
I had no idea what I should expect when I arrived, so I decided I better arm myself to the teeth. After putting on all the armor, I grabbed the vest and side holster again. I then improvised a makeshift shoulder strap for the E-11 blaster.
I still had more than an hour in hyperspace and I wanted to get a quick nap, but I was just too edgy about the mission for it. What if Virgillia 7 had too many Imperials around it when I arrived? What if the Virgillians I meet are really on the side of the Aristocracy? What if, what if, what if? A million things could still go wrong. I spent the rest of the trip trying to put the negative thoughts out of my head so that if something did go wrong, I could at least keep relatively calm about it.
When I dropped out of hyperspace, I did a quick check of the sensors. There didn’t appear to be anything waiting for us. I paused there in space for a few minutes, continuing to pour over the sensor data. Still nothing.
Somewhat reassured, I continued on with the mission. I began to circle Virgillia 7, keeping my eyes on the scanners, hoping not to learn that an Imperial Star Destroyer had been hiding on the opposite side of the planet. I slowly descended through the atmosphere, having little difficulty finding the landing coordinates I had been given on Alderaan.
It was dark on this particular part of the planet. The land was grassy, with very few structures, comparable to the United States Midwest. I suppose this could be the breadbasket area of the planet. Upon landing, I grabbed a military-styled, angle-head flashlight, sticking it in one of the pockets of the vest. I took the E-11 blaster off my shoulder, and prepared for a fight. I walked towards the ramp of the ship and lowered the ramp. I could hear voices as the opening grew. They didn’t have the modified tambour of a stormtrooper, so if these were enemies, they were local, or just not dressed like stormtroopers.
I slowly walked down the ramp. I could see there were a number of human/humanoids waiting for me. As I continued I could see that most of them had weapons drawn. If these were not the people I was there to see, I was dead, even if they were all blind. The thought of a fish and a barrel crossed my mind.
I decided it was best if I lowered my own weapon. Then I said in a fairly loud voice, “I come with gifts for the Virgillian Free Alignment.” These guys better understand basic.
Some of the Virgillians lowered their weapons, but only so they could come forward and disarm me. I couldn’t blame them for not trusting me. I was then marched off away from my ship. We walked for 10 minutes, give or take, to a small house with 2 guards on either side of the door. I was taken inside, where I was met by a man, sitting at a small table, eating.
“Sit. My men say you have something for the Virgillian Free Alignment. What exactly would you happen to have?”
I looked around the home. The Free Alignment’s opposition was an aristocracy class. No aristocrat would live like this.
“200 Blastech DH-17 blasters, plus battery packs and Tibanna Gas refills for each one, to help in your efforts against the Virgillian Aristocracy. They are a gift from the rebellion against the Empire.” I answered. “I also have ordered to transport a number of Free Alignment members to Virgillia Prime.”
The man thought for a second, then started to chuckle.
“You are a bold man. I saw the look on your face as you were brought in. You did not know what to expect, yet you still told the truth of your mission. I am in charge of Virgillia 7’s resistance cells and your shipment was expected. Within the next hour, we shall unload the weapons and load our men on board your ship. You should leave immediately after, so that you can make it to the Virgillia Prime landing coordinates while it is still dark.”
I was released quickly, with my weapons returned to me shortly thereafter.
And that's what I have up to now.