O Father Where Art Thou?
By Matt Wilkins
Ken
stared at the datapad lying next to him on the bed. The sheets made that
morning were now kicked to the back of the bed, his pillow lay crammed in
between the wall and the head frame.
“To whom it may
concern….”
He’d
read it a hundred times and was still having trouble understanding what it
meant. It can’t be him… it’s can’t! Running his hands up his face and
into his tussled brown hair, Ken glanced down at the datapad once more.
“…. as the pursuit
led planet side the suspect in question….”
“Suspect
in question”.
That
was Kadann, Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side. Only months ago Ken had
barely escaped from them with the help of his friends and Jedi Knight Luke
Skywalker. They defeated the Supreme Prophet himself by leaving him trapped in
the underground city of the Jedi. A place Ken had called home his entire life.
With
only three droids and pet mooka named Zeeba he was raised in isolation from the
rest of the galaxy, never knowing of a galactic war between the Rebels and the
Empire or that the Empire ever existed for that matter. The droid that was
assigned to him as a caretaker, DJ -88 had never thought to inform him of such
things. To Ken, the old Republic still ruled the galaxy and all was at peace.
According to DeeJay no conflict of significant note had taken place in the last
twenty years.
To
label that as an understatement would be foolish. Ken awoke from his studious
enchantment of history to discover the galaxy was far from perfect. But he
didn’t blamefor caretaker droid for providing a false sense of security his
whole life. DJ-88 was programmed to make sure no harm came to the young Jedi
Prince’s head. It was a part of his programming and something impossible for
the droid to disregard.
The
white droid with ruby red eyes was seen as a father figure in Ken’s eyes.
DeeJay’s elongated chin was made to even resemble a beard, so he would appear
older to him.
HC-100
was another droid Ken had grown up with. Built by DJ-88 for the sole reason of
making sure his homework was completed. Randomly through out Ken’s day, the
silver plated droid with sharp blue photoreceptors marched into his room,
demanding to see his homework. His voice box was designed to sound like a drill
sergeant Finished or not Ken learned over the years there was no fooling the
overbearing essence of H-Cee.
The third droid who Ken counted as a friend
was a small droid named Microchip. Understanding the need for a playmate, DJ-88
designed the golden droid for one function, to be his friend.
Chip, as Ken would grow to call him, became just that.
There were many times where he and Chip would go explore the vast underworld of
the Lost City. Some areas DeeJay strictly forbid him to go and H-Cee was very
astute in reminding Ken of where those areas were. If ever the young Jedi
Prince “accidently” wandered into them that was. But overall his experiences
with Chip had been wonderful. Ken still considered the small droid to be his
best friend even today.
Though
he adored all three droids hadn’t been enough for him. Ken still wanted more
than the surroundings he’d grown up in…and boy did he get it.
“…
once grounded the Alliance forces surrounded the ship and forced a surrender…”
The
past few months had flown by. He was soon taken on a huge adventure that would
lead him from one side of the galaxy to the next. In that time the Lost City of
the Jedi, had finally been discovered by the outside world. His new friends Han
and Leia had decided to elope, but the Empire interfered with those plans.
Eventually it all ended with the demise of the Central Committee of the Grand
Moffs and the Prophets of the Dark Side… or at least he’d thought.
“…
while in custody the suspect consumed a highly toxic poison which killed
instantly. Alliance medics were unable to resuscitate.”
Kadann
found a way to escape his underground prison and was able to escape off the
planet, only to be hunted down by rebel forces. Rather than being taken captive
Kadann decided to take his own life by way of a poison capsule, leaving the
rebels without a chance to extract valuable secrets about the Empire.
“…
data scan indicated that the suspect in question was a fraud of who he was
assumed to be…”
And now came the real twist, Kadann… was not
a Supreme
Prophet of the Dark Side, he wasn’t even the
real Kadann to begin with. He was an imposter. According to the report, this
“unidentified male” had assumed the role of the Dark Prophet for some time. The
real Kadann was still at large, hidden deep within the galaxy.
“All this time, a
fake, and not a single one of us knew it!”
Shaking
his head in remorse, Ken could only stare down at the datapad in disbelief.
This whole time, he and his friends thought they were up against the Supreme
Prophet himself, but he’d been nothing but a hoax.
Whoever this Kadann was over the past few
months, he had been good. Good enough to fool the Emprie, good enough to fool
the Rebel Alliance and good enough to fool his father.
His father.
“After
the apprehension and suicide, Alliance troops searched the suspect’s ship for
signs of any hostages.”
His father was Triclops, son of the Emperor.
Though all that was highly classified by the Rebel Alliance and would likely
never be revealed to the public, Ken knew the whole story.
Stang, he was part of
it.
Growing
up he often wondered who his father was and why he had been left under the care
of DJ-88. He believed at one time that he was the son Jedi Master Obi-Wan
Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars and legend to the galaxy. To be the son of
Obi-Wan Kenobi would be a dream come true for young Ken.... but it was not so.
Only
after Luke and his friends arrived did Ken soon discover the truth. His father
was none other than the son of the Emperor himself. Making him the grandson of
Emperor Palpatine.
Not exactly the
lineage, he was hoping to uphold.
What
made matters worse is he hadn’t been told this until after his father
disappeared into the galaxy. For the short time they were together his father
had known who Ken was, but decided not to reveal it to him. Later the truth
would be revealed in a letter by his father, who Ken never saw again.
It
was an emotional moment for Ken after reading the letter his father left.
Knowing why his father decided to keep the secret to himself for so long made
sense. With all that had transpired over the past few months there never seemed
to be a quiet moment for him to reveal it to Ken. Even after the whole ordeal
with the Dark Prophets was done, his father knew the genealogy they shared must
remain a secret.
The
Emperor had made many enemies throughout the galaxy and all of them would take
a hyperspace jump at the opportunity to kill off any offspring Palpatine had.
Though
it wouldn’t do them much good, the Emperor cared nothing for his bastard son,
leaving him to rot in an Imperial lab that closely monitored his father’s dark
visions which were harvested into building weapons of destruction for the
Empire.
After
his father’s disappearance, Luke speculated that the Emperor may have wanted an
apprentice of his own to take Darth Vader’s place, but after discovering Ken’s
mothers’ alien genetics, his xenophobia set in, leaving Triclops to suffer in a
lab the rest of his life.
“the body discovered
in the cargo hold was identified to be…”
Ken’s
father, branded by the Emperor an outcast, forced to live in isolation and who
was responsible for an uncountable number of horrific inventions solely for the
Empire’s use. It was too much for his father to take. Ashamed of what the
Empire made him do Triclops fled from a galaxy of which he had caused so much
pain.
Reading the letter Ken knew his father would be looking
of ways to make amends for his wrong doings. He was to become a changed man, a
man that Ken would be proud to call his father. But instead…that man had died.
Died at the hands of a fraud and a fake,
Kadann, who was responsible for his father’s enslavement in the first place. It
didn’t make sense to Ken. He couldn’t believe it. But there it was, right in
front of him on the datapad starring back at his face.
The
false Kadann escaped in a ship with the help of his father. His father!
That was the part Ken struggled with the most. How could he have done
such a thing?! Why would a man that so badly wanted to change his life be
quickly cowed under the enslavement of evil again?
If
anything it would have made sense for Triclops to have killed the false prophet
then and there. If not for enslaving him for so many years than at least he
could have done it for all the atrocities Kadann had committed against the
galaxy. Why not shoot him, or torture him for all the pain Kadann caused his
father over the years. Anything but let him escape?!
Most
likely Luke thought it may have been a ploy by his father to see what secrets
Kadann may have led to. Both of them knew that to be a stretch. Even Ken, with
all his high hopes of seeing his father welcomed into the Rebellion with open
arms, knew what a slave’s mentality consisted of.
In
his studies with DeeJay he learned that when a life-long slave was ever granted
freedom, most times they would fall back into the servitude of another’s will.
It was hard to break the habit of being a slave. So few slaves
ever knew what it meant to be free. Even the most mistreated slave could grow
to miss their master. It was a sad reality Ken didn’t want to accept.
His
father was not strong enough to resist following Kadann. Even though this
Kadann was a fake, he still possessed much power from the Dark Side and wielded
it to perfection. Through whatever means the fake Prophet of the Dark Side
convinced Ken’s father to assist him off planet, only to betray and murder him
once they reached orbit. Thus ending the sad long legacy his father must now
carry to his grave.
The
Alliance soon learned of Kadann’s escaped and sent a squadron of fighters in
pursuit. They were successful in tracking him down but not able to get there in
time to save his father’s life.
Ken’s
anger started to build within him, he threw the data pad against the wall
hoping it would shatter into a million pieces. Instead the datapad merely
bounced off the wall and onto the floor and to add insult to injury it even
landed face up.
All
the questions Ken had about who his mother was and what his father was like
would never be answered. The dream of getting to know his Triclops was
shattered now all thanks to Kadann.
Ken
glared down at the datapad, he was just thirteen and already the galaxy was
starting to feel cold around him. Dressed in a simple tan garment the Rebels
supplied him with, Ken let the tears well up once again in his eyes. The galaxy
just wasn’t fair.
Grief for the loss of his father and hate over what the
Empire turned him into was almost too much for him to take right now. His
father was the son of the Emperor. He should have been one of the most powerful
men in the universe. But in the end he was nothing but a pawn to a phony
prophet.
DeeJay
told him he was a Jedi Prince, but the title of “Dark Prince” seemed to fit him
better. Being the grandson of the most hated man in history was something Ken
was not proud of in the least.
With
all his visions and all his power, how could his father end up becoming nothing
but a puppet to a charlatan? His father should be with him as Ken was
approaching his teenage years. Who would he have to look up to in life? DeeJay?
H-Cee? Chip?
Though
the droids were very dear to him, but he did not see himself going to them for
questions all his life. Ken knew even his best friend Chip wasn’t programmed on
how to deal with grief so what would be the point in asking him?!
A
feint knock sounded at the door. Ignoring it Ken continued to gaze at the
datapad on the floor. His brown hair hung over his eyes making him appear
younger than he was. He swept a hand over his face to brush it back and made no
move to open the door. He didn’t want to talk to anybody right now.
He
couldn’t think, he couldn’t move. He could do nothing but sit and watch his
whole life fall apart around him.
The knocking continued, this
time it was louder and accompanied by a voice. “Ken, it’s Luke. May I come in?”
Ken
never left his gaze from the floor. He didn’t want to get up, didn’t want to
move, didn’t want to do anything but stare. Outside his room Luke continued to
speak.
“Ken,
I know what you must be going through. I felt the same when my father died. I’d
really like to talk if I can.” , another knock, then silence. Luke was waiting
for a response.
How
could he respond? Ken wouldn’t know what to say or for that matter where to
start? For the past hour and a half he did not know what to say, much less
think. It all happened so suddenly. Only moments ago he was outside playing
with Chip and Zeebo, his pet mooka in his room when a Rebel Officer approached
him with the report.
Battling
Zorba the Hutt, the Prophets of the Dark Side and running into his father Triculous
had happened all at once. And now when life seemed to finally slow down, he
received news that his long lost father was dead.
Still sensing Luke’s presence outside the door Ken forced
himself out of bed and walked up to the front panel. Leaning his head against
the door he could “feel” Luke’s incredible Force sensitivity. He had never
experienced something like it until meeting his friend.
Knowing it was wrong to let
his good friend stand outside waiting for a reply, Ken went ahead and slapped
the automatic release to the door where Luke stood carefully waiting.
Decked
in an orange flight suit Luke looked as if he just returned from another battle
with the Empire and knowing the way the war was going, it probably was the
truth.
The
fight against the Empire didn’t slow down for his friends. Every moment it
seemed they were off saving the galaxy from the evil clutches of the Empire.
The war was far from over, Ken knew it and he also knew his friends couldn’t
always be around because of it. Each one of them played a very important part
in the survival of the Rebel Alliance, even as Ken his did too, though lately
it was reduced to catching up on his lessons from DeeJay.
Ken
could see the look of sympathy Luke was giving him. He knew Luke had lost many
friends in the war as well, one of them being his father, Darth Vader. Of all
the people in the galaxy who could rival his grandfather as the “most hated man
in the galaxy” Luke’s father would be it.
Before
Luke could speak to him Ken turned to his bunk and dropped back down into the
ruffled covers. Datapad still laying on the floor it took a minute for Luke to
form his words.
Being
a Jedi Knight had its advantages, but knowing the right thing to say and when
to say it was a whole other matter. He tried to persuade Leia to speak to Ken,
but his sister pointed out that he was much closer to the boy and any comfort
would sound better coming from someone who shared the same connection in the
Force.
Luke wasn’t so sure he’d know what to say.
Obi-Wan never taught him how to handle anything like this and even though Luke
himself went through this kind of sorrow before, it was a lot harder to explain
those feeling to others around him.
“Ken” Luke started slowly,
unsure of where to lead the conversation first “I know you heard the news and
are upset…”
“Upset?!”
Ken’s shot up from his hands “Upset doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel
Luke?!” he got to his feet and began pacing back and forth. Stopping at where
the datapad lay on floor, “I mean this…” Frustration covered his face as both
hands went on top of his head, he didn’t know what next to say
“This…AAAARRGGHH!!” Ken flopped back down on the bed, shaking his head and
trying to will tears back into his eyes.
Sensing
the obvious pain he was in, Luke placed a hand on Ken’s shoulder, “Ken, you
don’t want to do this to yourself. Trust me. I’ve been there.”
Ken
couldn’t argue with that. He knew Luke’s past was similar to his own. Alone on
a desolate planet, with few friends and dreams of adventure during his youth,
both shared the belief that their father was a great Jedi, only to discover he
had been an instrument of evil instead.
Luke’s
father apologized for his actions in the end, so had Triclops before his
disappearance. So more than anyone Luke should know what Ken was feeling, even
if Ken didn’t feel it himself.
“I just that…” his voice faltered as he tried to find the
right words “I don’t understand why my father let this happen? Why after all
those years of captivity did he return to being a slave to Kadann in the end?”
“It’s to understand, I’m
sure.” Luke conceded “But I’m sure it was for a good purpose.”
“What
purpose?!” screamed Ken “To help Kadann escape again so he can wreak havoc on
the galaxy? My father should have been stronger than that! He should have known
it was wrong, he should have..”
There
was a pause between the both of them. It wasn’t long before Luke broke the silence.
“Patience Ken, you must think. Anger is a path to the Dark Side, it clouds our
thinking and disrupts our thoughts.”
Ken knew Luke was right. He was always right. If Ken was
ever to become a Jedi Knight he would have to be better at controlling his
anger. “I’m sorry” He managed to say “You’re right. You’re right! I need to
concentrate.”
Ken
rubbed his temple with the tips of his fingers. “But it’s so hard Luke, it’s
hard to concentrate when it’s my own father we’re talking about”
“It
was hard for me as well once I knew the truth about my father” Luke recalled.
“I refused to believe him at first, but the more time I had to think, I
couldn’t deny the truth.”
Yearning for answers for himself Ken begged Luke to
continue “What did you do after that?”
“I meditated on it through the Force, came to
peace with who my father was and what needed to be done. I knew there was good
still in him. I just had to come up with a way for my father to see that as
well.”
“That’s
just it” Ken said “I thought there was good in my father too. But in the end he
became the same evil person as he always was!”
Luke didn’t hide the shock from his face when hearing
Ken’s response. “Ken, our actions don’t always imply what we’re thinking”
Luke
motioned if he could sit down next to Ken on the bed. After a faint nod from
the young Jedi Prince Luke brushed the far side of the bed and sat.
“My
father was one of the strongest Jedi’s ever. Yet even he fell under the control
of the Emperor. By doing that, he doomed the Jedi Order for years. In the end,
he knew he’d made the wrong choice and even though he could never undo the evil
things he’d done, he still was able to make matters right in the end.”
Luke
of course was referring to Darth Vader’s insurrection that led to the death of
his grandfather. Ken studied all about it with DeeJay over the past few weeks.
The countless battles and atrocities of what the Empire had inspired shocked
Ken to his core. How this had been going around him the whole time he was in
the Lost City made him realize how fortunate he was to have grown up in a world
without Imperial interference.
Luke
placed an arm on Ken’s shoulder. “Your father knew he’d done terrible things.
He knew he hurt many people and he did regret it. It was not his fault how it
all came to an end. You can’t blame him for that.”
Not wishing to leave it at that Luke went on “My father
waited to do the right thing the moment before he died. You’re father didn’t.
You should be proud.” Tears formed in Ken’s eyes, he didn’t bother to brush
them away this time, instead letting them fall down his cheeks. “The way your
father wanted you to remember him was the way you last saw him, a hero. What
his last intentions were in the end we’ll never know. But I’m sure it was for
the right purpose.”
Those
last words hit Ken hard. He wanted to believe what Luke said was true. Maybe
his father did have a plan. Kadann used his father because he was someone
Kadann thought he could control. But did he? Had his father already broken free
of the bonds that were placed upon him by the Empire? Perhaps his father was
playing along, waiting for the right moment to strike and when he did Kadann
somehow gained the upper hand.
For
so long he had yearned to be one day be reunited again with his father. To get
to know the man Triclops was and watch him grow into the man Ken always knew he
could be. To become Jedi together, father and son, side by side, protecting the
galaxy…. but that dream was gone. Now it was up to Ken
to
become a Jedi to seek out redemption for both his father and his grandfather.
To make amends to all who had been wronged by the Empire in the past.
Strength
came back into him. Drying his eyes he stood up to face Luke “Thank you, you’re
right. Anger does cloud my judgment. I’m wrong about my father. He was a hero
in the end and that’s all that should matter.”
Luke
smiled to himself, perhaps Leia was right, perhaps he too had a knack for
saying the right thing as well. “Yes he was. Now come outside, there’s someone
who wants to see you.”
Ken
followed Luke’s gaze down the hall and spotted a Chip waiting outside the door.
The little golden droid had two eyes that were the same circular size of his
voice box. They both glowed bright yellow when he spoke. He had two red fins on
each side of his round face and a larger fin on top of his golden dome. In his
hands he held Zeeba, Ken’s pet mooka.
Happy to see the both of them there Ken
rushed down the hallway as Zeeba leaped from Chips arms and into the his
masters.
Mookas
were small animals covered in fur with feathers around their necks with a tail
feather protruding down their end. With bird-like beaks, four clawed feet and
four ears on top of the head, they made for a rather unusual looking pet.
Mookas
were easily domesticated which was the initial reason DJ-88 discerned Zeebo was
the perfect pet for Ken to keep. Little training was needed for mookas and
beside the kshhhh’ sound they made when happy, Ken considered Zeeba the best
pet he could ever have.
Zeeba
continued licking Ken’s face as the young prince laughed. Something Ken hadn’t
been doing for a while now. “Ok, Ok! It’s good to see you too Zeeba.”
“Greetings Master Ken” Chip
squeaked. It is good to see you. I was worried you suffered a malfunction in
your room.”
Chip
was always kind to Ken. The only droid who didn’t repeat lessons or rules to
him as DeeJay or H-Cee did. This little droid was designed to be his best
friend and it did just that. They played, the talked, they dreamed and not once
did Chip argue with him when he complained about being alone.
Though
only a droid, Chip had a sincerity about him Ken always enjoyed and truly
believed Chip when he said he was worried for him. “I’m ok Chip, just had to
make some
Chip’s eyes glowed bright
yellow in recognition, “Ah, I see. Good for you Master Ken. Shall we go play
now?”
Embarrassed
the question had been asked in front of Luke, Ken blushed “Maybe later.”
Turning around, Ken was quick to change the subject, “So how did your mission
go?”
“It went well. Han
and I were able to…”
Before Luke could finish a voice called out
from behind “Master Luke! Master Luke!“ Shuffling down the hallway was the
golden protocol droid C-3PO moving as fast as his metallic legs could carry
him. To everyone, it was a familiar site to see Threepio in a hurry. “Thank the
stars! It is good to see you again sir!”
“Threepio”
Luke smiled as the droid rushed down the corridor to greet them. “It’s good to
see you as well. I was just explaining to Ken about our last mission at..”
Not
realizing Luke was in the middle of a sentence C-3PO continued “Master Luke, I
have great news! Remember the boy from Delantine that Artoo and I helped find
his father a few years back?”
If
C-3PO’s interruption had bothered Luke, he didn’t let it show. “Stuart Zissu?
Yes I remember. You and Atroo had quite an adventure helping him rescue his
father from the Empire.”
C-3PO shook his head franticly. “Dreadful
experience too sir, I can assure you of that. Needless to say I won’t be
entering an escape pod with a science droid anytime in the future!”
Luke laughed “I suspect
you won’t, Threepio.”
“Escape
pods? Science droids? Does anyone care to explain?” Ken was clueless about what
they were talking about. Whatever it was, it’d obviously happened before he’d
been found.
C-3PO’s photoceptors glowed bright yellow as
he noticed Ken for the first time “Quite an interesting story to tell Master
Ken. You see, it all started when Artoo and I…”
This time it was Luke’s turn
to interrupt “I’m sure he’d be interested in the story Threepio but now isn’t
the time.”
Threepio tilted his
head in disappointment, “Very well then.”
“Now explain to me why you
brought it up? Is he having trouble with the Empire again?”
15
C-3PO returned his attention to Luke. “Oh no sir! Nothing
of the sort. Why he merely wishes you to attend a celebration on Delatine.”
Now it was Luke’s turn to be
confused, “A celebration?! For what?”
“Precisely what I said
Master Luke, why just the other day I was telling the Captain Solo…”
“Threepio”
Luke loved the golden droid but knew of his tendency to rattle on at times. If
he didn’t make Threepio get to the point, the droid never would. “What is the
celebration about?”
Threepio
straightened up “He says, the Empire has suffered many crushing defeats at the
hands of the Alliance and it’s time they celebrated the past victories against
them. So he and his father are throwing a celebration on Delantine in your
honor and request for you to presence at it.”
Luke
smiled. It was exactly what Leia told him years ago after the first Death Star
was destroyed. “Whenever there is a cause to celebrate we must. Not
only to encourage the troops but to give hope to those around the galaxy and
make sure they know that freedom is one step closer.” Luke still remembered
dressing up in that ridiculous yellow flight jacket that Han insisted would
look great on him. “Trust me kid, when you accept an awards,
you do so in style.”
That
wasn’t the style Luke wanted. Being a simple farm boy on Tatooine didn’t
require a fancy suit or medals for having a successful crop that year either.
But during the ceremony he heard the crowd cheer and knew what Leia had meant.
Celebrations were exactly
what the Rebellion needed. From now to until the Empire was completely
eliminated. The last one he attended was on Dathomir, over six months ago and
the Rebel Alliance didn’t have time for many since.
To
put this in his honor though was another thing. There were plenty of
other heroes of the Rebellion who did much more than Luke had with the war. It
wasn’t fair being the one to be stuck with the all the good press, while others
stood in the shadows.
Beside
him he saw Ken’s eyes light up, “Delantine, I’ve studied that planet before.
They speak several different languages there, don’t they?”
“Sixteen
to be precise.” Considering himself an expect in the matter on translation
Threepio was more than happy to carry
16
the
rest of the conversation, “As you well know I am fluent in over six million
forms of communication.”
A
smirk formed at the edge of Ken’s face. “So you’ve told me before.”
Not
able to sense the sarcasm in Ken’s voice Threepio turned back to Luke, “What
should I inform them, Master Luke? Will you be attending the celebration or
not?”
Rubbing
his chin Luke looked over at Ken. The boy had just received news of his
fathers’ death and not yet over the shock. A trip like this might serve as a
welcomed distraction to him. “Tell Stuart and his father that I appreciate the
invitation and we’d be honored to attend.”
C-3PO
did a double take. “Excuse me sir, but does that mean I must accompany you as
well?” Judging from Threepio’s obvious panic it was clear to Ken the golden
droid had no wishes of returning back to the planet. “Maybe I should have
Threepio tell me that story after all” he thought to himself.
Luke
smiled. “No Threepio, you can stay here and keep an eye on Artoo.” Ken swore he
could see Threepio breathe a sigh of relief.
“Besides, I heard that Artoo didn’t get along to well
with Stuart’s science droid anyway.”
“Certainly not Master Luke. Why before it was
over I thought Artoo was going to taser the little science droid right then and
there! Had not I stepped in before…”
It didn’t take Jedi senses to see this was turning into
another ramble by the droid, “I get the point Threepio, tell them Ken and I
will be attending. That is, if you want he wants to come of course.” Luke
smiled back at Ken.
The
excitement on Ken’s face easily shown, “I’d liked that a lot, thanks.” Lately
Ken wasn’t allowed to go on any of Luke’s previous mission due the Dee-Jay’s
insistence on him picking back up his studies. “Oh no. Dee-Jay!”
“But
I can’t go.” Disappointment slumped Ken’s shoulders, “DeeJay and H-Cee have
been on me about catching up my studies. With all that’s went on lately I’m
falling behind.”
Luke
clasped his hands together. “Well then we’ll just have to bring them along too.
Chip, Zeeba, what do you say? Everyone’s welcome.”
To
Chip it didn’t matter either way, but judging from Ken’s desire to attend the
little droids mind was already made.
17
Putting
his arm around him as best friends would Chip pulled him in tight “Sounds fun
to me! When do we leave?”
Zeebo
flapped it’s tail feathers in excitement and let out a kshhhh. It’s
beak-like snout rubbed up next to Ken’s cheek. An indication that meant
wherever Ken was, the mooka would be as well.
Chip
released his arm from Ken. “We must get you ready and packed Master Ken. I
shall inform DJ-88 and HC-100 of our departure immediately.” With that the
little droid scurried down the hallway along with C-3PO who was spouting out
facts to Chip about what they should pack.
“Ken” Luke moved back in front of him. “You
don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Just say the word and I’ll inform
Threepio of your decision.”
Ken
was thankful to have a friend like Luke. “No, I want to go. Thanks for the
invite. It’ll be good to get out and see the galaxy, especially when the Empire
isn’t chasing us around in it.”
Luke
let out a laugh “If we’re lucky the only thing we’ll have to worry about is the
weather!” Laughing together they walked down the hallway to start preparations
for their journey.
__________
Due
to war Luke and Ken planned an early departure with no fanfare to where they were
going. Though Ken was a part of the Alliance for a few months now, he knew the
importance of keeping things confidential. The Empire may be losing the war,
but it was no reason to get careless. Both he and Luke were prime targets the
Empire would have great interest in getting their hands on.
After breaking the news to his droids, both
DJ-88 and HC-100 concluded it was a good idea as well. “An excellent chance to
improve your language skills.” DeeJay had told him.
“And the time spent
traveling can be spent catching up on your homework.” H-Cee added.
Not thrilled with the
prospect of returning to his studies Luke had made things better by agreeing to
begin his training as a Jedi while on Delantine.
18
“There’s still a lot I’m trying to figure out for myself”
Luke told him. “But what I do know I will teach you.” The offer was more than
enough for Ken.
Becoming
a Jedi was his life long dream. Serving the galaxy as a Jedi Knight was the
perfect way in righting the legacy life had dealt him. The last thing Ken
wanted was to be known as the Emperor’s grandson. Luke and Mon Mothma agreed to
keep his lineage a secret for now.
“Too
much bad blood for them to see the difference between you and your grandfather.” Mon
Mothma told him. “For Luke it’s different, he was a hero in the Republic’s
eyes before we ever knew of the connection between he and his father. You on
the offer hand are not quite as well known and I’m afraid someone might take
retribution out on you because of who you are. For your own sake, it’s better
we keep your past a secret for now.”
Ken
didn’t argue. The last thing he needed was both sides of the war looking to
kill him. All trace of Ken’s incidents, even that of the Lost City of the Jedi
were to be kept confidential for now.
Ken
looked at the star cruiser for their trip. An old beat up looking freighter
that barely looked like it could fly. Not the nicest spacecraft for sure, it
was small but would fit the size of their group.
Looking
across the hanger he saw Luke working underneath one of the s- foils of his
X-wing. “Problem?” Ken called out approaching the ship.
Luke wiped both hands on his flight jacket.
“Not really, just checking to make sure we’re good to fly.” He slammed the
compartment door down and locked it shut. “All done, you ready to go?”
Ken
was already packed by the night before. The trip was something he looked
forward to. “Sure am, do you think the people of Delantine are going to enjoy
seeing you fly in on your X-wing?”
Frowning, Luke didn’t bother
to hide his disapproval. It wasn’t his decision but Leia’s to bring his X-wing
along for the trip.
“What
a wonderful idea! That’s just the thing we need to be doing and encourage other
planets to join our cause. If things weren’t so busy here, I’d go with you. A
time for celebration, no matter how brief would be welcome about now.”
Luke
tugged his sister’s arm “Then come, the Alliance can go without you for a few
days.”
19
Leia slipped her arm out of Luke’s grip “I’m attending a
delegation tomorrow in the Mid-Rim. We’re meeting leaders there who are
considering joining the Alliance.” Leia reached out and squeezed his hand
“We’re finally doing it Luke, we’re finally replacing people’s fears with hope.
It won’t be long till peace will be a reality.”
Look didn’t need the Force to sense his
sister’s happiness. An end to the war was something he looked forward to as
well. “I know. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do before I go?”
“No”
she hesitated a moment, “Actually yes, I want you to show off your X-wing while
your there.”
“My X-wing?” Luke wasn’t sure where she was
going with this “You think the people of Delantine would rather see a vehicle
instead of the pilot?”
Leia
let out laugh. “No, but people do want to see your fighter.” She looked
at Luke who still was having trouble understanding, “That’s not just any X-wing
you have there, that’s the X-wing that blew up the original Death Star. And I
bet that’s something everybody would want to see.”
Luke
rubbed his chin mockingly “It has been feeling guilty ever since I got a
medal.” He shot a playful smile her way.
She
returned his joke with a punch to the arm. “You know what I mean. No matter
what you’ve done for the Rebellion these past few years you’ll always be known
for that.”
Luke rolled his eyes.
“Surely they’ll have forgotten all about it by now, right? What about Han and
Chewie? The two brave men who assisted in the destruction of the Death Star. Think
they’d want to come along?”
Leia mocked a look of
terror on her face, “And have Han turn the whole planet against us? I think
not! Besides,” she added “Who do you thinks taking me on my little trip?”
“Fine”
Luke backed away towards the door “But if you need me, let me know.”
“I will.” Leia replied. “And have fun, that’s
an order!”
Luke
brushed the side of his X-wing with care, “I’m not sure about it, but Leia has
a point, seeing this X-wing would inspire the citizens of Delantine I suppose.”
“I’m just sad you can’t ride with us.” Ken
nodded back towards the cruiser as DJ-88 and HC-100 approached the entry ramp.
“Riding alone with them means more homework and less time becoming a Jedi.”
20
“Ken, being a Jedi isn’t just about strength, it’s about
knowledge too.” Luke leaned against the ladder of cockpit, “Your studies are
just as important when it comes to being a Jedi.”
Knowing
better to argue with a Jedi Knight, Ken accepted his words, “If you say so.”
Looking over his shoulder he saw Chip waving at him from across the hanger,
“Guess I’ll see you when we hit Delantine then.”
“Count on it.” Luke fastened
the helmet strap under his chin. “See you there!”
Ken
took off toward the cruiser and closed the ramp behind him. DJ-88 was behind
the controls going through the pre-start launch sequence. “Please be seated
Master Ken. Our flight will begin shortly and afterwards you will join HC-100
in the back to start on your homework.”
“I can’t wait.” Ken
muttered under his breathe.
__________
It
was hardly an hour since their departure, yet to Ken it felt longer. After so
many adventures battling the Empire he forgot what true horror was… homework
with H-Cee.
“The
end of the Old Republic Era held many inconsistencies towards it’s downfall,
mainly due to the interference and false record keeping by Emperor Palpatine.
When concerning all accounts of the….” H-Cee’s voice continued to drone on
without any hint of stopping. Ken slowly felt his eyes wondering towards the
wall behind the droid, counting the number of panels against and the ceiling
wall.
Thoughts
of his father still engulfed his mind. Hearing the news of his father’s demise
had got him thinking. He tried to hide it from Luke but was sure the Jedi
Knight could sense the truth. After all, that’s what Jedi’s did right?
Ken
took to heart all Luke told him about his father. He hoped Luke was right.
Maybe his father did have a plan to defeat Kadann in the end. But the mystery
surrounding his father’s true purpose would never be answered. What was his
father’s train of thought? What did his father intend to do, if he intended to
do anything at all?
21
Ken remembered stories Luke told him of having been able
to see Obi-Wan as an apparition of the Force long after his death. Luke wasn’t
sure how it was done but promised to share all he knew about it with Ken during
their training.
The
future, now there was something he didn’t need to think more about. Ken’s dream
was always to see his father and learn the ways of the Force from him. Now Luke
was the only one left who could guide him down that path. Ken had to be Jedi.
He needed to be a Jedi, not only for his sake but for his fathers.
There
wasn’t a guarantee that his past would always be kept a secret. One day the
whole galaxy would find out who he was. But by then Ken hoped to be a hero of
the Rebellion, just like Luke.
To
do that he would have to study hard and dedicate his life to the Force. There
was no time for games anymore. Ken was growing up fast and needed to mature if
he was to have any chance of erasing his grandfathers past.
Looking
down Ken noticed Zeeba curled up in the chair next too him sleeping. “Aren’t
you the lucky one.” he thought as he watched the mooka’s body silently rise
and fall with every breath. On his other side sat Chip, upright and eyes
focused on H-Cee. Whether he was paying attention or shutting down for a
recharge Ken couldn’t tell. Either way, it seemed he was the only one having to
sit through the lecture.
“Master
Ken, are you paying attention?” H-Cee noticed the all-to-familiar stare Ken
gave when he was daydreaming. After thirteen years growing up around the boy,
H-Cee could never miss it.
“Of course!” Ken
straightened back up in his seat, “I have to use the fresher though. May I be
excused?”
The
silver plated droid analyzed Ken’s behavior. It’s blue photceptors seemed to be
starring holes into him. “Very well, you are excused.” Ken headed to the
fresher. “But when you return I want you to give a full recap of what we’ve
discussed so far!”
“Got it.” Hollered Ken as he made his way
past the door.
Ken
breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the fresher door, “Finally a break at
last!” Having to catch up on his homework was making his head ache.
To think DeeJay and H-Cee would drop his lessons now that he was part of the
Rebel Alliance didn’t seem possible.
22
Looking at himself in the mirror Ken noticed how much
he’d changed in the past year. Not so much in appearance but from inside. Life
wasn’t as care free as it used to be. The experiences of the past few weeks
transformed him from a boy to an adult. Ken never had a chance to look back
either. It happened so fast.
What
would his father say to him if he were still alive? Would he have expected Ken
to be a Jedi apprentice by now?
So
many questions Ken would never get the answers to. Turning the mist on, Ken wetted
his face and was once again and was ready to resume his studies. He knew he
would have to apologize to H-Cee for not paying attention. A Jedi does not
lie. Ken knew it was the right thing to do.
“That’s what my life is about now.” He thought to
himself “Doing the right thing.” As he exited the fresher an
alarm sounded from the cockpit. Ken rushed up to the co-pilots chair
next to DJ-88 where the droid’s white exterior failed to betray any emotion as
to what was occurring. “What’s wrong, DeeJay?”
His
long time mentor didn’t answer right away, punching buttons in rapid recession
across the controls in front of him. “We have received a distress call. I am
patching it through for Master Skywalker to hear it as well.”
There
was a slight pause and a bleep sounded across the intercom. “…request
assistance …in pursuit, but request back up…unidentified ship, do you copy?”
Luke’s
voice was the first to respond. “Unidentified vessel, this is Luke Skywalker of
the Rebel Alliance. Please state you concern, you are breaking up.”
By
this time HC-100, Chip and the newly awakened Zeebo had entered the cockpit.
Static blared through the intercom. “Sorry about that…interference is…middle of
an asteroid field… we… moment…” The message abruptly stopped leaving Ken
worried something had gone wrong.
“We’ve
got to do something Luke.” Ken called out through the open channel. “Sounds
like they’re trouble.!”
Luke
voice was calm in response to Ken’s panicked state. “Patience, Ken, remember to
think before giving in to fear. We don’t know if this is a trap or not. We need
to proceed with caution.”
“That would be highly advisable Master Ken,” DJ -88
continued tuning the intercom to block out the interference, “We must be
extremely careful with the Empire still lurking about.”
23
Embarrassed by his actions Ken felt his face geting warm,
“Right.” He closed his eyes to concentrate. His fear began to slip away and was
replaced with calm.
The
intercom crackled as they all heard the voice speak again, “Rebel Alliance
vessel, this is Lyn Kimly of the mining station Mim’s Charter. We’ve
been attacked by pirates and would be grateful for any assistance you
can offer. I’m opening up my transponder code for identification.”
Luke
checked the transponder code, it checked out. Sensing no immediate danger Luke
responded to the caller “Glad to help Charter. Tell us what your status
is?”
“Affirmative
Rebel vessel, we were able to fend off their attack and are now in pursuit. The
pirates fled into an asteroid field to hide and none of us want another
surprise visit from them again. Think you could help us track them down? Any
assistance would be rewarded.”
“Flying
in an asteroid field?!” DJ -88 lowered his head in disbelief, “You humans are
way too reckless. However that does explain the weak signal.” he stroked the
metal beard below his chin.
“That
won’t be necessary Lyn, the Alliance is willing to help anyone who needs it.
I’d be glad to assist but I’m only one fighter, our cruiser has no fire power
of its own and wouldn’t be much help.”
Ken
could believe what he was hearing. Why couldn’t he come along? He went through
more dangerous situations than this, surely a few pirates in an asteroid field
wouldn’t matter?
“Any
help would be griffin’ great!” Lyn replied. “We’re heading into the asteroid
field now, but I can wait up for you on the edge if you‘re not far behind.”
“Affirmative
Charter, on my way now.” Luke pulled his X-wing toward the direction of
the asteroid field.
Before
Ken could object, Luke’s voice came over the comm, “Ken, I know what you’re
about to say and no, you can’t come. I want you and the droids to go on to
Delantine. I’ll be right behind you.”
Ken worked hard to keep the
anger from his voice “But Luke, how am I supposed to become a Jedi if I can’t
learn how you handle situations like this?” He knew the argument was weak but
in his desperation to go he was willing to use any excuse. Adventure had
nothing to do with becoming a Jedi, Ken knew that, but he also didn’t like
being sidelined in this.
24
“Ken, it’s important you
head to Delantine. Stuart Zissu and his father are already waiting for us to
arrive and I don’t want them to worry if we’re late. These pirates shouldn’t be
a problem. I’ll be done in no time and join you on Delantine.”
Defeated, Ken sank
into his cockpit’s chair. “Ok.”
DJ -88 set course for their
jump to hyperspace. “Now I believe it’s time you continue your lessons Master
Ken.”
With a sigh Ken walked out from the cockpit
with H- Cee, Chip and Zeeba following behind. This was going to be a longer
trip than he’d thought.
__________
When
they finally arrived at Delantine Ken was exhausted. After H-Cee’s endless
quizzes about the history and culture of the planet Ken wasn’t even sure he
wanted to visit it now.
DJ-88 allowed Ken to sit in the cockpit to
see the planet from orbit before landing. As the ship exited hyperspace however
they were greeted by an unexpected surprise.
An
Imperial cruiser, Bayonet class as far as Ken could determine. With eight heavy
turbo lasers and six additional laser cannons, the light cruiser served as a popular
patrol craft for the Empire due to it’s capability in intercepting small
freighters like their own.
Judging from the outdated
design, Ken guessed the cruiser must have patrolled somewhere along the
Mid-Rim.
He
dropped his head against the controls, this seemed to be their luck recently.
Only months ago he was dealing with the Empire and now here he was at it again.
But it didn’t make any sense.
Why would the Empire care about such a remote planet as
Delantine. While studying the planet on his way over Ken read nothing of
importance to the planet. It had no significant resources that would prove
useful and as for a strategic point in a military strike against the Alliance
it was useless as well.
25
Is there some way they could have known about the
celebration? Ken doubted that as well. The Zissu’s message to them was heavily
encrypted according to Threepio. It would be impossible for the Empire to have
the updated codes so quickly and as for their trip Luke, Ken and Leia were the
only ones in the Rebel Alliance who knew about where they would be going. So
the possibility of there being a spy would be impossible as well.
DJ-88
was opening up a channel to warn Luke of their present danger, “Our comm system
has been jammed, initiating reverse thrusters now.” The ship shuddered but
maintained course towards the Imperial cruiser.
“I’m
guessing there’s a tractor beam involved here.” Ken said sarcastically to the
droid, who continued to work franticly at the controls.
“Affirmative”
DeeJay’s ruby eyes went dark red as he silently calculated their next step.
Turning to Ken the white droid removed his safety harness and got up. “Master
Ken, I suggest you stay behind HC- 100 and myself once we are boarded.” DJ-88
primary objective was to keep him from danger at all cost even if that meant
his own life, the long time caretaker had every intention of doing just that.
For as long as Ken could remember, everything the droid did was for his
protection.
“Maybe
it’s a random frigate, making it’s way through the Mid-Rim” Ken offered,
hopefully. “It could be a nothing but a search and sweep.” DeeJay’s servos
delivered a slow whine as he turned to Ken as if the boy was suffering a
malfunction. “Though it’s doubtful the Empire would be doing a lot of that
these days, what with the war going against them now.” Ken hated to admit it,
but he knew they were in big trouble right now.
A
transmission came from the cruiser immediately following Ken’s statement,
“Rebel Alliance vessel, you are to hold your position and prepare to be
boarded. Try anything and we’ll blast you out of orbit. Have all hands and
cargo on deck. No tricks.”
Ken
gulped “So much for that theory.” Zeebo growled as the Imperial cruiser
approached the ship. “I don’t like it either Zeebo, but there’s nothing we can
do. With our comm system jammed there’s no way to warn Luke that the Empire is
on Delantine. We’ve got to think of another way out.”
The
Imperial Cruiser came to halt as the droids and Ken listened carefully to the
docking sound that attached the two
26
Both
HC-100 and DJ-88 stood in front of Ken, keeping him behind them as the sound of
footsteps headed their way. Peaking around H-Cee’s silver plated body, Ken
watched as a sharp clicking sounded at the door.
Suddenly
the hatch was open and dozens of Stormtroopers poured into the room. They
surrounded the area with their weapons drawn. A closer look showed they weren’t
set to “stun” either. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Ken
said as his pet mooka curled around his leg.
At the front of the door entered an Imperial officer.
Dressed in what looked to be a newly pressed uniform the man was in his late
thirties, with short cropped hair and dark brown eyes. He looked like all the
other Imperials Ken had seen in his life, stiff upper body with a bitter look
on the face that made Ken wonder if anybody was happy in the Imperial Navy.
The
officer entered the room with two other Stormtroopers closely behind. “I am
Commander Thistleborn of the Delaney Pride and you are all under
arrest for crimes against the Empire.” He looked around the cabin as if
searching for someone who wasn’t there, “Where is Luke Skywalker?”
It
was all starting to make sense to Ken. This had been a trap all along and
Delantine was the bait. He doubted that the planet was responsible for the
betrayal, because of their struggle with the Empire in the past. But there was
no mistaking it, capturing Luke Skywalker was the main objective here.
“I
know that he’s here.” Thistleborn’s voice was colder now “If you do not tell me
where he is hiding I will execute you all, one by one.”
DJ-88
took a step forward “There is no one on this ship by that name. If this is your
reason for stopping our vessel then I suggest we be on our way and let you
continue you search for…” Before DJ-88 got the next word out Thistleborn pulled
his hold- out blaster from his side holster and shot the white droid point
blank in the chest.
With
the power setting at maximum, the blast nearly disintegrated the droid. All
that remained of DeeJay was his head, both legs, and an arm still attached to a
part of his body. Pieces of him were scattered all around the cabin either
burnt or still smoking. In the blink an eye DJ-88 vanished forever from Ken’s
life.
27
“NOOOOOO!!” Ken moved
towards the remains of his beloved mentor but the metal grip of H-Cee held him
back. “Let me go!” Ken screamed, struggling to get loose.
“Negative,
My programming does not allow you to come to harm.” The droid’s hold on the boy
stayed firm until Ken finally relented and stood still.
Commander
Thistleborn held the blaster by his side, a feint mist protruded from the
barrel. “Now, for the last time I ask you. where..is..Skywalker?” Firmly
gripping his blaster the Imperial Commander raised it at H-Cee.
With
his maker DJ-88 gone H-Cee knew he was now in command. “I’m apologize
Commander, but what my colleague told you is true, there is no one by that name
on this ship.”
Thistleborn held his aim at the white droid’s
head, Ken worried that H- Cee would be shot next, but instead he saw the
captain turn to his men. “Spread out and search the ship. I want every
millimeter of it inspected, now!”
Stormtroopers
fanned out in pairs to search the ship while a company of them stayed behind
and kept their blasters aimed at them. Zeebo raised his beak -like snout and
growled. “Easy boy” Ken picked the mooka up gently with his free arm. “We’ll
make it through this. I promise.”
Thistleborn
took a step closer to HC-100. “You’d better hope you’re right, droid.” He
lifted the blaster to H-Cee’s expressionless face. “Because if you are lying to
me, I’ll scrap you as well.” The sneer on the Commander’s face made his
intentions quite clear.
H-Cee
seemed unfazed by the blaster “It is against my programming to lie” he replied.
Ken of course knew it was a lie itself. HC-100’s top priority was the same as
the other droids “Protect the Jedi Prince at all cost.”
Ken
knew H-Cee would stop at nothing to preserve his life, which now made him feel
responsible for Dee-Jay’s death. Seeing the pieces of DJ- 88 scattered across
the ship made him sick to know Deejay had sacrificed his life over him.
He
wished the blaster was pointed at him instead. To Thistleborn, Ken must not
have been seen as a threat. Not once had the Commander looked or spoken to him.
He was nothing more than a child to the Imperial Officer who was more concerned
over the whereabouts of Luke than to who he was.
Within
minutes the Stormtroopers returned informing the captain that there was no one
else on the ship. The fury in
28
H-Cee didn’t hesitate to respond, “An
educational outing, the boy’s father instructed us to take his son to Delantine
to help improve his language skills.”
The story was partly true, Ken knew the textpads and
lecture diagrams in the back would easily support their story. The navcomputer
was even programmed by Rebel Intelligence to put in any cover story to serve as
an alibi as well. The question, was would it be enough to fool Commander
Thistleborn and his crew.
The
Imperial Commander looked down at Ken, trying to determine if the story was
true or not, “Is that so?” he paced across the room to where Ken’s textpads
lay, “We’ll see about that.” With a nod the trooper standing beside him exited
towards the cockpit. “If my men are able to validate your story you are free to
go. But if not…” the Commander didn’t have to finish his sentence to get the
point across.
While they waited for the Stormtrooper to
return Ken used the opportunity to gather information as to why the Imperials
were here. “Are we in any trouble sir?”
Clearly
amused by the question Commander Thistleborn walked over to him “Anyone who
visits a planet that openly objects to Imperial rule is in trouble, lad.”
Ken feigned ignorance, “We
were told Delantine was neutral in the war.”
“No
one is neutral in war times, boy.” The Commander looked at the Stromtrooper
sent to check their navcomputer. A quick nod from the trooper was all he
needed. “Just I as thought, Rebel scum.” he leveled the blaster at H-Cee and
fired.
Still
at maximum setting, the shot disintegrated H-Cee’s entire head, leaving a
smoking hole from the bottom of his neck. Ken watched in horror as the droid
dropped to his knees then tumbled to the deck.
Both
of his oldest friends gone within a few minutes, Ken couldn’t believe it.
Wanting to attack the Imperial Commander right there he knew would be useless.
With several armed Stormtroopers surrounding them, he wouldn’t even get close.
“Collect the remaining prisoners and put them
in the hold on Delantine. Skywalker shouldn’t be too far behind.” With that
Thistleborn holstered his weapon and made his way out the hatch.
29
He knew. Ken didn’t know how, but the Empire knew they
were coming. That could mean one of two things, there was an Imperial spy in
the Alliance or on Delantine, Ken guessed the latter.
Someone had tipped them off. The Imperials
had been waiting for them, for Skywalker. Ken needed to warn him
somehow, if Luke were captured things would get very bad for the Alliance.
But
this didn’t explain why the Empire sent only a single light cruiser to the
planet. Surely if they were planning on capturing a leader of the Rebel
Alliance, they would’ve brought a couple Star Destroyers with them. Something
here wasn’t right.
The
Stormtroopers slapped stun cuffs on him and placed a restraining bolt on Chip
as the exited them out the door. “What do we do with him?” one of the trooper’s
was holding Zeebo by the tail as the short mooka scratched and snarled at him
to let it go.
“Put
it in a cage for now.” The another replied. “Commander Thistleborn will tell us
what he wants to do with it later.” With that Ken and the others entered the
shuttle and headed down to the planet below.
__________
The
cell was dark, not much room to move around in either. Ken could almost touch
both sides of the wall at once. To his left was a cot two meters wide. It was
worn down with rips along the seams and stains all over the top. But that
wasn’t enough to keep Ken from flopping on to it once the cell door locked behind
him.
The
humidity in the cell made the clothes stick to his skin and already Ken could
tell this was not going to be a comfortable stay. Sweat appeared on his chest
and back and his brown hair was beginning to plaster to his head.
The
cell’s only source of light came when a guard made his rounds through the
corridors. The feint light appeared down the track in front of him, letting Ken
know the guard was on his way. A few seconds after the guard walked by the
lights would dim again, leaving Ken in utter darkness.
30
No meal had been given to him and he didn’t expect one
anytime soon. Imperial hospitality wasn’t exactly something the Empire could
brag about.
Lying
on the cot Ken ran through their previous encounter. “ If only I was
a Jedi, then we wouldn’t be in this situation.” The thought he knew,
was ridiculous. He doubted even Luke with all his Jedi training couldn’t have
fought off that many Stormtroopers at once. But Ken couldn’t help thinking if
he’d been stronger it would have made a difference.
He
was tired of being weak, tired of being helpless too. He did nothing to stop
the death of two good friends and now they were both gone. He worried about what
would happen to the rest of his friends. Chip and Zeebo were all he had left.
Once
they had landed on the planet Chip was carried away down a separate corridor.
The little droid looked woefully back to his master knowing he had failed him
but Ken knew there was nothing Chip could have done. By far he was the weakest
of the three droids and didn’t carry any weapons or defense mechanisms on him.
They were both in the hands of the Empire now and there was anything they could
do about it.
Zeebo was thrown into a cage once they’d
landed. Ken never saw what happened after that, he just hoped the mooka was ok.
“Some hero I am.” He thought, “Everyone’s in danger and the
great Jedi Prince could do nothing but sit and watch.”
The guard completed his
rounds through the cells and walked out the door, letting the place descend
back in to darkness.
“Hey, you there?”
Ken sat up upon hearing the
whisper in the dark, “Yes, Who are you?”
“Stuart Zissu” the voice
said, “And I’m guessing you must be Ken.”
Hearing his name took
him by surprise, “You know who I am?”
“I
know you were coming here with Luke Skywalker,” Ken heard a sigh “And I assume
the Empire’s plan worked. They captured you both didn’t they?”
“No, Luke separated from us
to help a mining settlement chase down pirates, he didn’t arrive with us.”
Ken
heard Stuart move to the front of the cell as new hope come into his voice “So
he’s still out there? The Empire doesn’t have him yet. There’s still a chance!”
31
“A chance for what? We’re both locked in a cell with no
way out. Luke will be here any moment and when he arrives they’ll be waiting.”
Ken’s frustration was beginning to show in his voice, “What chance do we have
of warning Luke that he’s walking into a trap?!”
Realizing his feelings were
getting the best of him again, Ken took a short breath. “Not the Jedi way.”
He reminded himself. Using the Force to remove the frustration Ken spoke again.
“I’m
sorry, I lost two of my droids when we arrived, they were both…. close
friends.”
“I
understand, I lost some close friends too. The Empire came to our planet a few
weeks ago. We tried to stop them but we didn’t have much of an army here to put
up a fight. Commander Thisltborn’s cruiser tore through our defenses. We were
helpless”
Ken started feeling sorry for the boy. “What
did they want?”
“My
father asked them the same question, they shot him.” Ken could hear Stuart’s
voice start to break, “They told me that if I didn’t do what they said, they
would execute everyone on our planet. I couldn’t let that happen!”
Just like the Empire, using “bully” tactics
to get their way. “You did what you had to do, I understand. I’d have done the
same thing.” Not sure of what else say, Ken kept quiet.
“They
made me send the request to Skywalker. Thistleborn knew about my connection to
C-3PO and R2-D2. He wanted to use that trust to his advantage.” As Stuart went
on, Ken felt a sickness growing in his stomach, “I thought about sending a
coded message but they had Stormtroopers there holding our people at blaster
point while I read off their script. There wasn’t anything I could do.”
Ken
knew the feeling, ”I lost my dad recently, the Empire killed.” The fact that he
was talking about this to a total stranger shocked Ken. He hardly knew the boy
and here he was sharing his personal life with him. Perhaps the news of
Stuart’s father had given him a sort of connection to the boy. “Stuart, who is
this Commander Thistleborn and why isn’t he here with a fleet of starships?”
The question was bothering him ever since their arrival.
“I’m not sure and they
didn’t say. My guess is it’s a rogue mission and Thistleborn doing this on his
own.”
Ken
scuffed his shoes across the cell floor “There has to be a motive for all of
this. Why would an Imperial Commander come here alone with such an important
mission as this?”
32
“Perhaps
he likes to work alone?” Suggested Stuart, “Revenge or selfish glory, that’s
how the Empire usually works.”
Ken knew that was
true. “Still, it a risky move.”
“That’s
because he thinks he’s some big hot shot. Before he threw me in here he claimed
his brother was an Imperial Grand Moff and I should start respecting him or
else. What a blow hard huh?”
A
horrible realization struck Ken. He knew that name. Grand Moff Thistleborn
served on the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, the same committee headed by
Trioculus, a three-eyed mutant warlord of the Empire who rose in opposition of
Ysanne Isard for ruler of the Empire.
He pretended to be the Emperor’s son and even
had the phony Dark Side prophet Kadann vouch for his heritage. An imposter
backing an imposter, that’s all it was.
Trioculus
tried convinced everyone he was the rightful heir to the throne. He even
retrieved the glove of Dark Vader to establish his legitimacy and had Kadann
fabricate a false prophecy that whoever wore the glove would be the rightful
ruler.
He was successful in fooling the Central
Committee of Grand Moffs but was eventually betrayed by Kadann when a replica
droid of Princess Leia shot him through the heart.
The
fate of each member on the committee differed but Ken was familiar with Grand
Moff Thistleborn’s. Before his demise Trioculus sentenced the Grand Moff to
three years of hard labor on the rock planet Bnach, for attempting to usurp
Trioculus’ power.
Maybe this was about revenge? Something the
Empire knew about well. But what Luke had to do with it all still didn’t make
sense.
Striking
back at the Alliance was on the minds of every Imperial warlord out there. If
the Empire was responsible for the Grand Moff Thistleborn’s fate then why not
go after the Empire instead?
Ken
shook off his concerns, he had bigger problems at the moment, like how to get
out of here and send a warning to Luke. Deciding not to share this information
about Commander Thistleborn’s father to Stuart yet, Ken looked around his cell.
The
Rebel Alliance knew where they were headed but it would be days before they
came looking for them. By that time Luke
33
Looking
around his cell for a way out, proved useless. He kicked at the panel to his
cell door but it didn’t budge. There were no windows and only one vent that was
half a meter in size, impossible for him to climb through.
Inside
the cell there was little or nothing for him to use. A hole lay in the far
corner that Ken feared was the fresher. His cot had no covers or pillow and the
mattress contained nothing but matted old fur. Not much use for an escape.
“Concentrate,” Luke
had told him in the past, “Feel the Force surround you, and bind you.” That’s
what he had to do now if he was ever able to figure a way out. “Stuart,
is there any way we can get out of here?”
“Are
you a Jedi?” “Not exactly.”
“Then
no, these cells were built with only one way out and that’s through the cell
door. My father built these with the help of his security team. I’m afraid they
thought of everything but the Force.”
Ken sat back down on the cot. It wasn’t that
he had never used the Force before. Once, when he was taken by Zorba the Hutt
and forced give up any secrets he possessed, Ken was able to perform a Jedi
mind trick on the guard and escape.
But
that only worked on the weak minded which Hutt guards usually tended to be. The
guards under Commander Thistleborn’s rule didn’t strike him as weak. Ken had
been through stickier situations than this since joining the Alliance however.
After leaving the Lost City of the Jedi, he was relentlessly pursued by
Trioculus and the Empire for secrets he possessed. In that time Ken was in and
out of so many traps it seemed evitable he’d escape this one as well.
Ken
clutched the crystal that hung around his neck on a silver chain. It had been
with him all his life, left by his mother Kenlinda. It was the one thing that
gave him strength when he was in danger.
Ken
missed his mother though he’d never met her. Stormtroopers killed her on Kessel
shortly after he was born and whoever it was that delivered him to the City of
the Jedi left the necklace for him to keep.
It
was how his father recognized him in the first place. Having one of his own
Triclops easily identified who Ken was. If only
34
his
father had told him then they at least could’ve been able to talk for a moment.
Ken couldn’t allow himself to think of that right now. He needed to come up
with a plan to get out of here.
Lights
in front of the cells began to glow, indicating the guard was coming back
through again. Ken heard the door at the far end of the corridor creak open and
foot steps, steadily approach his way.
While
on Dagobah, Luke and Chewbacca gave him lessons in self defense. Crouching into
a stance Ken raised both arms in front him, both hands open, and waited
patiently by the cell door.
The
guard was much taller than the other Stormtroopers Ken had seen. He wore a gray
officers’ uniform that looked like it was bursting at the scenes. On the side
of his shaved head was an Imperial tattoo that gave him an even more menacing
look.
Stopping
at Ken’s cell, he grunted, “What’s all this racket? Keep quiet or I’ll make you
quiet!” Cracking both knuckles prove the point he glanced into Stuart’s cell as
well. “I don’t want to hear a peep out of the two again, ya got that?!”
Looking
at each of the boys once more he turned around and went back out of the
hallway. The surface lamps slipped slowly back into darkness when finally the
door slammed shut and they were alone again.
Ken
held his breath as he listened to footsteps fade away. Whispering from his
cell, he continued his conversation with Stuart. “I’ve been in stickier
situations before, I’m sure I can a way out of this.”
He heard a chuckle come from
the cell beside him, “So have I, and dealing with the Empire is never something
I take lightly.”
“Me too.”
“After all I went through trying to get my
father back from them years ago. I can tell you they’re a serious bunch when it
comes to this.”
Ken’s ears perked up, “I
heard Threepio mention he and Artoo helped you with that. Must have one wild
adventure I suppose.”
“Remind me to tell
you about it sometime.”
“Will
do, but first we need a plan.” He placed both hands on the transparrsteel wall
and gave it a hard push, even with the Force Ken doubted he’d be able to break
through. So much for that idea.
35
Ken made sure to whisper so he wouldn’t alert
the guard, “We got a distress call from a mining colony that was having a
little trouble with space pirates.”
Ken ran his hands along side the walls of the cell,
desperately seeking a way out. “Lu… Master Skywalker,” he quickly corrected
himself. If he were to become Luke’s apprentice he’d have to start using Luke’s
proper title. “…went to assist them in hunting them down, he was to meet us
here once he was done.”
“Then we’ve got to warn him
before it’s too late.” He could hear the determination in the Stuart’s voice.
“We’ve
got to think of something before Master Skywalker gets here then. He shouldn’t
be too much longer helping those minors and when he’s done he’ll walk right into
that Imperial trap!”
Ken heard Stuart move to the
front of his cell. “Do you know how long we have before he gets here?”
Ken
shook hid head, “I don’t know. Could be hours, could be minutes. It’s
impossible to tell.” Giving up on finding a way out, he sat back down on his
cot. “I don’t suppose you know the codes to any of these cells do you?
“I did, but they changed them when they put
me in.” Stuart’s voice got quieter this time, “Don’t worry, I have a plan, just
sit tight.”
Ken wanted to ask what Stuart had in mind but knew the
risk of being heard was too great. Even at a whisper he wasn’t sure the guard
could still hear them or that there weren’t any listening devices planted in
their cells either. Ken decided to do what Stuart asked and wait patiently in
his cell, hoping his cell mate was right.
__________
Commander
Jord Thistleborn stood at the helm of his Bayonet Class cruiser, looking down
on the planet below. How he despised Rebel sympathizers. Trux Zissu, was only a
small feat to what he intended to do with the whole planet once he was done.
For years the Empire worked hard to instill discipline and order to miserable
dirt ball’s like this.
Delantine
and other planets like them were an insult to everything the Empire strived
for. It disgusted him. Years ago planets like this wouldn’t have thought twice
about bowing to his authority and now planet after planet was defecting to the Rebellion.
Like spoiled children running away from their parents the Commander was seeing
the universe slide into chaos.
He
stared out into the dark abyss of space, millions of stars were once his to
rule and now they was fighting for every square inch they could get. What had
the galaxy come to?
His
plan to kill the leader of the Rebellion wasn’t going as planned. Everything
seemed to be against him. With clenched fist behind his back he began to pace
across the deck. Hiding his frustration from his crew he casually moved across
the deck.
The
technician’s report on the Rebel’s ship log was taking too long. He needed to
know what had become of Skywalker and where he was. If the Rebel’s found out
about his trap he’d have to flee immediately to avoid capture. So much time had
been placed into setting his plan that the thought of having to start over made
him sick. He needed a way to “encourage” his men to work faster.
“Ensign,
raise the hanger bay. Tell them I expect a full report within the hour.”
Stressing the last word to get his point across the ensign went straight to the
comm to deliver the message.
All
his life Jord Thistleborn craved the respect of his peers. At the Imperial
Academy everyone knew who he was. News of him being the son of a Grand Moff
Thistleborn was well known by the other cadets. Though he constantly suffered
demerits his time there, he was not once kicked out and everyone knew why.
Being
the son of a Grand Moff went a long way in the Empire. He graduated second to
last in his class but was still assigned a ranking officer position aboard an
Imperial starship. After a few weeks, rumors of his father’s involvement for
his promotion were on the lips of every crewman there.
Hated by everyone, Jord made it clear the feeling was
mutual. So what if he didn’t do as well at the academy, graduating was a feat
itself. How you graduated shouldn’t matter, in Jord’s eyes he felt he
earned the promotion.
Through
manipulation, backstabbing and bribing he rose from one rank to the next. Sure,
his father’s influence was helpful in matters, but overall Jord felt each
promotion was greatly deserved. After all, if it wasn’t for his cunning
schemes, none of it would have happened.
After achieving the rank of Captain he was given command
of his own Star Destroyer. With an entire battalion at his command he was set
on impressing the Emperor with his prowess and intellect. But on his first
assignment things didn’t go well, nor the next one after it or the other three
that followed.
Jord
was insistent every failed mission had not been his fault. Blaming the crew to
even his ship he refused to admit he was the one at fault. After so many
failures though, not even the social status of his father could help him
anymore.
He
was demoted to the rank of commander and sent to the Outer Rim with an outdated
cruiser and a third-rate crew to command. If not for his father’s influence he
may not have been in the Imperial Navy at all. Still, it didn’t make his
reassignment any less hard than it already was.
Reluctantly,
he took command of the vessel and crew, patrolling the Outer Rim for the
remainder of his career. As the balance of power shifted to the Alliance, all
he could do was sit and watch his beloved Empire fall to pieces. Shunned by
many for being a fraud he never received orders to join the fray and through
years of infighting and back -stabbing, the Empire forgot about him and his
Outer Rim “duties”. He was considered a “useless resource” in the Imperial
Navy.
Constantly
he sent messages to his father requesting to re-join the war but his father
never responded. As a result he and his crew were made to suffer of boredom
along the Outer Rim Territories.
If
given the chance he knew he could turn the tide for the Empire. He was
confident he could stop the Rebellion once and for all but he never was given a
chance.
As
battles waged on the Empire’s iron grip on the galaxy was loosening. Each
request to join the fleet was greeted with the same response: “Stay at
current position and await orders.” Those orders never came and the Empire
continued to suffer one loss after the next.
In
what turned out to be the final contact with his father, Jord learned the
Central Committee of Grand Moffs proclaimed Triculus as the new leader of the
Empire. But dissention had already settled into the Imperial Navy as Ysanne
Isard built her campaign as rightful leader as well.
A
former Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard single-handedly split
the Empire in two. One half serving Trioculus while the other served her.
Thousands
flocked to Isard’s order believing her to be the one to restore glory back to
the Empire, but older officers as well as Grand Moffs alike were too
indoctrinated with the bias of women in the navy. His father along with other
Grand Moffs chose to back Trioculus instead.
Jord again sent a request to
join his father on Trioculus side but this time he was greeted with a different
message:
Grand
Moff Miles Thistleborn has been convicted of treason against the Empire. He is
sentenced to three years of hard labor on the planet Bnach by Emperor Triculus,
rightful ruler of the Empire. Long live the Emperor!
Jord
Thistleborn couldn’t believe what he was reading. His father spent several year
serving the Imperial Navy and had shown more loyalty than anyone else in the
Empire. To accuse the man of treason was outrageous. Bnach was a hot desolate
prison planet that housed an Imperial penal camp. Those sentenced to Bnach were
sent to work in the dangerous quarries there. No one was rumored to last more
than a year in the quarries. They had issued a death sentence to his father, it
was Jord’s final straw.
Ignoring
his orders Jord made his crew set course for Bnach to rescue his father from
the slave quarry. With only a light cruiser to aid him however, Jord arrived
too late. Within days of being sentenced to the planet his fathers’ heart gave
out, making Bnach the Grand Moff’s final resting place.
Furious
with Trioculus and the committee, Jord convinced his crew to mutiny from the
Navy and head for the throne room of the Empire’s “chosen one” to assassinate
him. While on route however, Trioculus was reported dead and all remaining
Imperial fleet were ordered to Ysanne Isard’s command.
Fortunately
his crew shared Jord’s view of serving a female commander and unanimously
decided to defect from the Empire altogether, going out on their own to stop
the Rebel Alliance instead. Over time Jord hoped more would rally to his cause
but none ever did.
39
Refusing
the fact he’d never be accepted as a leader he and his crew set out on a
mission to single handedly assassinate the leaders of the Rebellion.
Searching
through every resource he could find, Jord looked for a weak spot he could
exploit. After several failed attempts and dead ends he found the perfect place
to set a trap, Delantine.
In
older reports Jord learned of the Empire’s kidnapping of Trux Zissu, the
governer of the planet and how it went awry thanks to the interference of
Zissu’s son Stuart and three droids. More interesting was the fact that two of
the droids were owned by the Rebellions most respected hero, Luke Skywalker.
The
planet was a perfect; an isolated planet in space with little contact with the
rest of galaxy. A planet such as that would easily fall to the hands of a
single Imperial cruiser.
When
they arrived at Delantine the planets defenses just as Jord imagined and the
planet was taken in a matter of hours. When Trux refused to assist him, Jord
threatened the life of the governor’s son.
Beaten,
the governor relented to their demands and an invitation to their “celebration”
to Skywalker was sent out. The first part of his plan was in motion. Having no
further use for the governor Jord executed Trux and sent his son Stuart to the
holding cells for insurance in case anything should go wrong.
With
the Rebellion stretched thin and Delantine considered not a threat he knew the
Rebellion wouldn’t suspect a thing. Upon arrival Skywalker would be captured
and executed on a live holonet broadcast for everyone to see.
The
public execution of their leader would be a deep blow to the Rebels and spread
panic to sympathizers of their cause. Jord’s name would be infamous and Ysanne
Isard would have no choice but to turn all power over to him. He would rule the
Empire and all who opposed him in the past would pay dearly for ignoring him, he’d
make sure of that.
He
would lead the Empire from one victory to the next and annihilate the Rebel
threat once and for all. He would become rule as Emperor over the entire
galaxy.
Jord
closed his eyes, he wasn’t there yet. Not by a long shot. Skywalker hadn’t
shown up. Instead a boy and three droids, none of which belonged to Skywalker.
His elaborate trap caught nothing but a group of rebel sympathizers, hardly
what he’d hoped for.
40
What happened to Skywalker? In
the transmission they received from the Alliance, Skywalker had agreed to come.
The question now was where he went and why didn’t he arrive with his entourage.
It both infuriated and worried the Commander.
Had
Skywalker been able to sense a trap? Where his fabled Jedi senses so attuned
they could uncover deception light years away? With a shake of his head,
Commander Thistleborn rejected the idea. If that were true then why leave the
boy alone? As bait perhaps? No, the Rebels didn’t work that way, there must be
a better explanation. Perhaps something had happened that forced Skywalker to
leave. The thought made him sick.
All
this time spent looking planning and now it was falling to pieces. He wasn’t
sure how much longer his crew could suffer another setback like this. They’d
waited too long to come up empty handed. He had to figure out what happened to
Skywalker soon before his crew began to lose faith in him as well.
At
that moment the brown haired ensign approached him on the deck, “Sir, the
technician’s deciphered the Rebel ship’s log.”
“Excellent!”
he matched the ensign’s pace back towards the comm “Patch him through.”
The
technician wasted no time in his response, “Commander, we’ve analyzed the
ship’s data and were able to confirm the location of Luke Skywalker. It seems
he departed earlier from the group to help asteroid miners from space pirates.
Ship’s recording says he’ll report back here to the planet after assisting
them.”
I
smile crept into the corner of Jord’s face, “So this wasn’t a bust
after all, there was still a chance to kill Skywalker”
Marching
back to his position at the window Jord’s voice boomed with new found
confidence “Excellent work, I want all hands on alert for Skywalker’s return.”
Jord could almost feel the Rebel leader in his grasp. Skywalker was still out
there and even better his crew hadn’t been discovered, the trap would go on as
planned.
As the crew scurried around the deck, carrying out his
order Jord stood by the window ready for his prey to come to him. His plan would
work, he’d have Skywalker and when it did, he’d have the Empire as well.
41
__________
Ken sat in the dark silence of his cell.
Hours had passed since his last conversation with Stuart. The boy hinted of a
plan but was refusing to say more for fear of their cells being bugged.
Ken
decided the only thing he could do for now was sit patiently and meditate.
“If
I was a real Jedi we wouldn’t be in the situation” Here
he was; grandson of one of the most powerful Force users in history and
he couldn’t even lift a speck of dirt from the floor.
He
concentrated hard to get a message to Luke, notifying him of the Empire’s
presence. Sitting in the same position for over an hour now he was unsure if he
was projecting a warning or not. Luke spent a lot of times going over Jedi
meditation techniques with him, but Ken still wasn’t sure what he was trying would
work. In all those lessons of feeling the Force flow through and around him,
never was their a lecture on how to broadcast a message light years away using
a single thought. Sweat cascaded down his face and his clothes were getting
damp. Ken repeated the warning over and over but wasn’t able to feel a
connection.
Giving
up, Ken opened his eyes and kicked his foot across the floor in frustration.
This wasn’t working. He was wasting his time. The title of “Jedi Prince” was a
mockery to him.
DJ-88
knew all along who he was. He knew the potential that was in him, knew the type
of power Ken possessed and he kept it from him. “It’s his fault! The blasted
droid should have been teaching about the Force from the very
beginning!”
The more he thought about it the more it made
him angry. All those endless hours of lectures and being hounded by H-Cee for
homework could have been spent teaching developing his Force abilities. “Stang!
I could be just as powerful as Luke by now if Deejay wouldn’t have wasted
time!”
Guilt
swept over him, how could he think such selfish things? Deejay cared the world
for him and all Ken could do now was blame Dee-Jay for his own shortcomings?!
It was foolish to think the droid could have taught him the ways of the Force.
42
Ken
closed his eyes again. Anger was of the Dark Side. It possessed his father and
owned his grandfather. Ken wasn’t about to let it get to him as well. He made a
mental note not to let this happen so easily again.
Thinking about Dee-jay and H-Cee brought
tears to his eyes. He watched them be destroyed protecting him, it wasn’t
right. His oldest friends; gone in a matter of seconds. The thought of it made
him feel awful.
The panel lights surrounding his cell began to glow
again. Ken jumped back to his feet and went to the front of his cell. Stuart’s
cell lights were on too, but the hallways were still dark.
“Why
illuminate our cells and not the corridor?” Ken wondered, but
then he noticed a droid entering through the front hallway door.
It
had an egg shaped head with the majority of which was a view screen mounted on
its’ cylinder body. Four retractable wheels carried the silver plated droid
down the corridor. On the droids’ screen flashed images of what looked like
mathematical equations and diagrams, flashing too quick for Ken to decipher.
Was it some sort of torture droid the Imperial Commander was sending in to
interrogate them?
Before
Ken could speak to Stuart he heard the young prince call out to the droid.
“For-bee, it’s about time you showed up!” Stuart jumped from his mat to face
the droid as it came to a halt in front of his cell. “Is it all clear?”
“Affirmative”
came the droids’ deadpan response. “All listening devices have been rendered
inoperative. In addition I have posted a lookout at the door ahead to assist in
our escape.”
Judging
from its’ vocalizer Ken could tell the droid was programmed with a female
gender. He watched as its’ view screen turned to inspect them within the cells.
“My
adventure thus far has been eventful, in fact the scientific possibilities made
available to me in the past hour have made for an exciting lesson. By using
the…” before the droid could finish her sentence Stuart broke in “Save the
lessons for another time For- bee, we have to get out of here first. Warning
Mr. Skywalker of the Empire’s presence here on Delantine is of the utmost
importance. I’ll need to ask you turn off your scientific learning program for
now.”
43
The droid’s view screen blinked twice. “Affirmative,
“scientific instructor” setting has been shut down. Shall I precede with the
escape process, sire?”
“Yes and don’t forget our
guest over there as well.” Pointing to Ken, Stuart smiled. “Meet my escape
plan, 4B-X.”
The
droid wheeled up to the control panel next to its’ master’s cell and entered
the code for the door then proceeded over to Ken. “Hello 4B-X, I got to admit
this is a hell of a first impression you’re giving.” 4B-X didn’t bother with a
reply entering his code in as well and backing away from the sliding cell door.
Briskly
walking over to Ken, Stuart held out and shook his hand. “Now that we’re done
with all the greetings, what do you say we get to the comm station and send out
that warning?” 4B-X lead the way out of the holding cells.
Ken followed them out,
“Smart droid you have there, how’d he manage to escape being captured?”
Stuart
smiled, “For-bee is very resourceful. She’s saved my life a dozen times by
using scientific methods my father programmed into her when I was a kid.
There’s no telling how she escaped capture but I’m sure she’d be glad to give
you a full hour lecture on it when you have the time.
Ken returned the smile. “So
you knew she was out there the whole time and would help us escape?”
“Not
exactly, but I know 4B-X and the one thing more important than instructing me
in science is watching out for my own protection. I knew she’d eventually come
up with a way to get us out.” Stuart looked back to the droid racing ahead of
them “She can find a way out of everything. When I was with Threepio and Artoo
she saved us a number of times. People underestimate her for being nothing but
an instructor droid but she’s so much more than that!” The pride in Stuart’s
voice was easy to detect. Ken held the same pride for his droids as well.
The
similarities between the two of them just continued to grow. Ken could see now
why Luke wanted him to come. In a lot of ways, Stuart was just like himself. “Even
more now that he lost his father too.”
The
boys raced out of the holding cells and around the corner, following the silver
droid, “I think Threepio and Artoo would have gotten along with her better if
it hadn’t have been for that last idea Forbee came up with.” Stuart continued,
“Threepio would not stop commenting on how it was “against his programming” it
was to be put into such a position and
44
“I
keep hearing about this “adventure” but never seem get the whole story.” Ken
chuckled. “You know, you’re going to have to tell me exactly what happened
because this story gets more intriguing every time I hear about it!”
Stuart snorted a
laugh “Once we’re out of this mess, you got it!”
They
approached the door outside of the prison, Ken wasn’t about to ask 4B-X for an
explanation as to how she’d gotten them out. Fearing it would result in one of
those scientific lectures Stuart had warned him about. But the Jedi Prince did
have a question he had to ask “For-bee, who did you get to stand watch
outside?” 4B-X entered another code to open the door in front of them and Ken
got his answer.
“Master Ken, it’s
good to see you unharmed!”
“Chip?!” Ken could hardly cover his shock. He
reached out for the droid and pulled him into a hug without even thinking who
he was with. Seeing the familiar face of his old friend was the most satisfying
thing Ken could think of. “You’re ok!”
Realizing
his whereabouts Ken embarrassingly shied away from the droid “This is Chip, he
was on board with me when..” his voiced trailed off. He wasn’t ready to talk
about what had happened on the ship yet.
Thankfully, Stuart caught on to his
hesitation and extended a hand to Chip “Thanks for the help, good to meet you
Chip, I’m Stuart Zisssu. Now we have to hurry and get that message to
Skywalker. I can’t imagine him staying much longer with those miners. We need
to reach him before it’s too late.”
Ken nodded “Agreed, but
what about the guards?”
Forbee
wheeled herself around “All guards on the prison level have been incapacitated.
No one will notice your disappearance or sound an alarm.”
Ken
scratched his head “That’s nice to know but what about other guards along the
way? Thistleborn’s bound to have more of them around here you know.”
“Not
the way we’re going.” Stuart turned to his droid “For-bee, pull up a map of the
area and scan for Imperials. Afterwards I want you to find the fastest route to
the comm station undetected.”
For-bee’s
view screen blinked once as the information scrolled down her screen.
“Affirmative, locating best route now.” Her
45
screen continued to flicker showing diagrams of the
palace determining which route to take. After a few clicks, her blinking screen
showed the route to take. “Done”
“Isn’t
she amazing master?” Chip’s voice sounded like he was falling for the science
droid, if that was even possible. Ken dismissed the idea entirely from his
head.
“Ok For-bee, lead the way
and keep a look out for Imperials. We haven’t come this far to be caught now.”
“Affirmative.”
In a surprising burst of speed 4B-X took off ahead “Follow me.”
Ken
turned to Chip as they followed the droid down the corridor “Were you able to
locate Zeebo?” he worried for the safety of his pet mooka who was still in the
hands of the Imperials.
“No sir, not yet, would you like me to begin
a search now?
“No,
making it to the comm station comes first.” Ken hated to admit it, but warning
Luke came first. “I just hope we can all make it out of here alive.”
Chip continued to follow his
master down the hallway, “As you wish.”
4B-X
turned the next corner of the route when suddenly the droids’ screen flashed
red and she came to an abrupt halt. “Intruder located forty-five feet ahead,
re-routing now.” Wheeling back around Forbee flew past them only to come to
another stop.
Ken had a bad feeling about this.
“Forbee, what is it?” Stuart
was getting the same feeling as well.
“Imperial
detection ahead, no possible re-routes.” They were surrounded.
Before
Ken could think of their next move Stuart pointed overhead to the corner of the
building. “There’s a storage room ahead we can all hide in there, come on!”
They
followed him to the closet as Stuart frantically pushed in a sequence of
buttons. “Stang!” he muttered under his breathe “They’ve changed the codes for
everything around here, I can’t get in!”
Ken stepped in front of him “Let me try.”
Stuart opened his mouth but
decided not to argue and stepped aside.
46
Ken closed his eyes in concentration. Remembering Luke’s
lessons on feeling the Force he hoped it would be able to get the door
unlocked. With eyes shut Ken let all other sounds around him fade out.
Concentrating only on the lock he let the Force begin to flow through him.
For-bee’s voice was raised
in alarm “Warning: Intruder is twenty-five feet ahead and closing.”
Sweat
was forming on Stuart’s forehead as he anxiously looked down the corridor.
“Whatever it is you’re doing, you need to hurry!” But his warning went unnoticed
by Ken.
His
concentration building, Ken started pushing random buttons on the keypad. After
two tries he was able to open the door.
A gasp of surprise came from Stuart as they
crowded into the dark storage room. The foot steps outside almost immediately
were heard after they shut the door.
They
stood silently in the crammed space listening as the footsteps proceeded off
into the distance. “Risk of detection avoided. We can proceed en route.” 4B-X
re-opened the door and wheeled on towards the comm station.
Stuart
turned to Ken “That was amazing! I thought you said you weren’t a Jedi?”
“I’m
not. To be honest I wasn’t even sure I could do it. I just concentrated like
Master Skywalker taught me and the numbers came to me.” Ken’s honesty stunned
himself. Maybe Luke was right, patience was what was needed when it came to
understanding the Force.
“Well
count me in for a reference when you need it.” Stuart grinned. “Pretty soon the
Empire’s going to have two Jedi to deal with.”
The comment sent redness to
Ken’s cheeks, “Let work on getting out of this first.”
Stuart nodded “We’re almost
there, it shouldn’t be much longer.”
He
was right. After a few more turns and another detour to avoid detection they
made it to the comm station. Just as Ken suspected were Stormtroopers guarding
the door.
He
slid back behind the wall to avoid being seen. “Ok, now what? We don’t have any
weapons and the last time I checked, Stormtroopers like to shoot first and ask
questions later.”
47
Stuart pressed a finger against his mouth, a look of
determination shown on his face, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan for this too,
For-bee.” The droids’ view screen went to a mirrored image as she wheeled
around the corner and headed straight towards both troopers.
4B-
X wheeled down the hall as the first Stormtrooper held out his hand. “Halt” His
blaster was trained on the Forbee as she came to stop in front of them. “This
is a secured wing. No droids allowed. Turn around and go back the way you
came.”
There was a brief pause by 4B-X, Ken worried if the
little droid had shut down. But then Forbee came to life flashing pictures of
them both, projecting each picture on her view screen.
“Hey!”
one of the Stormtroopers moved to capture the droid but 4B-X moved out of the
way. Before the Stormtrooper could take another step, Forbee spun around and
took off in the opposite corridor. “Come back here!” both troopers followed in
pursuit after her.
Ken
looked at the spectacle amazed at what he’d seen. “Unebelievable, I thought
that only worked in the holovids?!”
“Guess
these Stormtroopers never had time to see them.” Stuart patted Ken’s shoulder
and got up. “Come on, let’s move.”
“Aren’t you worried they’ll catch up with
her?”
Stuart
stood up and walked out around the corner. “Nah, Forbee’s been in these
situations before. She knows these halls better than anyone. She’ll detain
those guards long enough for us to get a message out, follow me.”
He
raced down the corridor as Ken and Chip followed close behind. They arrived at
the control panel, this time Stuart stepped aside for Ken, “Time to work your
magic.”
Ken closed his eyes and began to concentrate
again, this time it took a little longer to see the numbers but eventually he
was able to get in. “Sorry, guess I still need more practice.”
Stuart
made his way into the comm station, “No complaints from me. You got us in and
that’s all I care about.”
Ken
looked back down the corridor for any sign of Forbee or the Stormtroopers. “I’m
surprised there were only two guards here. You’d think the Imperials would have
more posted here.”
Stuart
was already walking towards the nearest comm unit. “Not that surprising seeing
as how they came in on that light
48
cruiser.
I doubt the Commander has enough men to run his ship much less worry about what
goes on down here.”
Ken watched as Stuart’s hands move rapidly
over the controls. “Just give me a minute while I try to establish a frequency
that will go unnoticed by Thistleborn’s ship.”
Ken looked around the room; much of the
technology he found was way ahead of what was in the Lost City. Learning how
new systems worked was something he still struggled with.
“Shall I stand watch sir?” Chip realized his
uselessness in the situation as well.
He nodded at Chip, “Sure, let us know if
those Stormtroopers come back.” Chip walked out the front door and walked down
the corridor.
“I doubt they will.” Stuart called from
behind the comm unit. “For-bee will have those Stormtroopers running around for
hours. We’ll be long gone by then.”
“How’s it coming along?
Anything I can do?” Ken knew he’d be no help but still felt obligated to offer
anyway.
Stuart
gaze never left the comm unit “Not unless you can use those Jedi senses to help
me establish the right frequency.”
“I’m
not sure, but I can try.” Ken closed his eyes opening his mind back up to the
Force. This time, instead of seeing numbers he felt a growing sensation of
alarm come over him. The shock caused Ken to cry out, “They’re here!”
This
time Stuart did look up “What?! Are you sure?” looking at the door and then
back at Ken Stuart’s face went white. “Ken, are you sure?! How long do we have
before…” his sentence was cut off by the sound of a blaster fire outside the
door.
Stuart
jerked him behind the comm unit and started working furiously at the controls “Come
on… come on…” he muttered but it was too late. The door slid open showing
several armed Stormtroopers at the door. Behind them Ken saw the smoldering
remains at Chip on the floor.
“Noooo!” he shouted stepping out behind the
comm unit. But before he made it any further, they were surrounded by white
armored troops.
“Impossible.” Stuart hissed,
“The next guard change wasn’t for hours. How did they find us?”
Stormtroopers filled the
room, weapons pointed at the boys. “Face down, hands in front!” barked the lead
trooper.
49
Both boys raised their hands
and bowed down to the floor, Ken’s mind was reeling, another old friend gone.
In a single day he lost almost everyone he cared for.
The Stormtroopers lifted him up but Ken
couldn’t feel his legs underneath him. He was numb all over, they’d failed. No
one was coming to save them. They couldn’t get a signal off and now Luke would
be captured too.
Beside
him Stuart had the same look on his face. Stormtroopers motioned them to walk
outside the comm station. The trooper behind Ken yelled at him to get up. When
he didn’t respond to the command a hand grabbed his collar and pulled him up.
“Did
you hear me? I said march!” But Ken’s eyes looked backed at the ground. The
trooper raised his blaster. “We’ll do this the hard way then.” with that he
shot Ken point blank at stun. Ken felt a sharp pain pass through him then
nothing
__________
A white light pierced Ken’s vision. He tightened his eyes
but the brightness didn’t dissipate. Suddenly he heard a voice calling out to
him in the distance. “Get up….my son.”
“Father?” Fighting hard Ken
tried to open his eyes in the blinding light. “Father, where are you?”
“I’m
here, with you.” His father’s voice was calm “Where I’ve
always been.”
Ken
felt like a bantha was on top of him. He couldn’t stand, much less move toward
the direction of his father’s voice. “Father, you’ve got to help me, the
Empire..”
“The
Empire can not harm you my son, trust in the Force.” Ken
eyes started adjusting to the light. He could make out the silhouette of
someone standing before him. Desperately he
tried
to get to his feet but his body couldn’t move. “Father please…Help me!”
“Stay
strong my son, all will be well.” The voice was trailing off.
Panicking Ken struggled to get off the ground. “Father, NO!”
Sitting upright now, he was back in his cell.
It was still as cold and dark as he’d left it. Getting his bearings he stood up
and walked to the front.
“Ken, you awake?”
Rubbing
his forehead Ken felt an extreme headache coming on. “Yeah, How long have I
been out?” The spot where the Stormtrooper stunned him was still warm. At
normal range a stun blast like that was harmless but closer up it could do a
lot more damage. To Ken’s estimate this one was going to be hurting for a
while.
From
the darkness he heard Stuart again, “We weren’t able to get a message out and
I’m out of ideas.” The sadness in his voice was unmistakable, “They blasted
Forbee to pieces, even came in here to show me the remains while you were still
unconscious.”
Ken shut
his eyes remembering Chip before he blacked out. One more thing they had in
common. The sad similarities between them were beginning to build. He and Chip
shared the same bond as Stuart and 4B-X. Now they were both short a friend.
It
sounded like Stuart was also giving up. “I’m guessing they had an alarm we must
have tripped along the way.” He pounded his fist against the cell. “I should
have known they wouldn’t have made it so easy.”
“How long have I’ve been
out?” Ken repeated. Time in these dark cells could feel like an eternity.
“They dragged us back over
an hour ago. I was beginning to think you were dead.”
Ken’s headache
started coming on, “Part of me wishes I was.”
“My thought is they’re
waiting for you to wake up before they do anything. They’re probably even
listening to us now.” Not soon after Stuart finished, the security doors
opened.
Commander
Thistleborn led the way in with two Stormtroopers trailing behind. “Ah, my two
boys are finally awake I see.” Thistleborn made no attempt the hide the sarcasm
from his voice. The smirk on his face was enough for them to know they weren’t
going to like what he had to say next.
“I must say, it was a valiant effort trying to warn your
friend but I’m afraid you’ve failed.” His smile was starting to make Ken sick.
“And because of your little stunt I had no choice but to order the meltdown of
your droids.”
Both boys gasped in unison. A complete
meltdown meant no hope of repairing their droids. They were gone, forever. Only
an Imperial could be so callous.
The
Commander raised his hands to finish, it was obvious he was enjoying this,
“But, I don’t wish you to think of me as unkind so I’ve decided to prepare you
dinner.” He snapped his fingers as a guard entered the room carrying a covered
dish.
“Now
don’t be disappointed I’m sure they’ll be enough for both of you.” He motioned
for the guard to place the plate between their cells. “Even though you intended
to dismantle my plans, I want you to know there are no hard feelings here.” he
pulled a handkerchief from his tunic and bent over to grab the lid. “So as a
way to let bygones be bygones...”
Removing the lid he revealed a roasted meat
with vegetables around it. At first Ken was confused. Then in horror he noticed
the clawed feet, it was Zeebo.
“I’ve
never had stuffed mooka, but our chief tells me it’s quite delectable. Shall I
get you a plate or would you like to take turns?” His attention was now on Ken.
He knew seeing the mooka would hurt and Thistleborn wanted to relish every
moment of it.
Anger took hold of
Ken; he charged the cell door screaming
The
door almost seemed to give for a moment but held. The Imperial Commander
however, didn’t. With a short blast of the Force Ken sent Thistleborn and his
troopers reeling to the ground.
Bewildered by the sudden burst of power Ken stood
dumbstruck as the Commander got back up to his feet. He looked at Ken in
disbelief, “A Jedi…it makes sense now…. you must be his apprentice.” He turned
to the troopers who were adjusting their helmets back on, “This one is Force
sensitive, I want guards posted at the doors at all times, watch him closely.”
Stepping away from Ken’s cell Thistleborn’s eyes were still on him, “It seems
we have a little insurance, in case things go wrong.” He smiled and walked
away.
Neither
Ken nor Stuart said anything as the cells descended back into darkness.
__________
The
silence in his cell was deafening. All his childhood friends were gone and for
the first time he felt alone. Here he was, the “Jedi Prince” helpless to
prevent what was happening around him.
What
shamed him more was the anger he showed upon seeing Zeebo dead. What would Luke
have said? What would his father have said? He didn’t want to think
about it. He felt sick on the inside. For years his father struggled to
be free of the Dark Side and here he was headed straight to it.
He
heard the power of the Dark Side calling to him now, enticing him to give into
his rage. With the Dark Side as his ally he could rip through his cell easily.
He would be unstoppable and revenge would be…
No. He
couldn’t think like that. The thought of becoming his grandfather sent a
shiver through him. He heard his grandfather cackling inside his head. It was
Palpatine’s voice he heard, beckoning him to the Dark Side.
No.
It couldn’t be, his grandfather was long dead. Surely his power did not stretch
that far.
Ken turned his thoughts back to his father. Triclops
would never want his son to walk the same path as he had. Ken clenched his
fist, he would not let it happen. Slowly he began to feel the hate wash away
from his body.
“They is no emotion, there is only the
Force.” He repeated the Jedi mantra to himself feeling
calm spread over him. He had to be at peace with the Force to save from what
almost happened to him.
Hate
only clouds the mind and right now wasn’t the time for it. Luke would be
arriving into orbit any minute now and Thistleborn would be waiting. With Luke
captured the Imperials would have their hands on the Rebels’ throat.
“It’s not your fault you
know?” Stuart’s voice was heard across the cell. “It was my idea that started
this, It’s my fault.” His
53
voice
waivered, Ken knew how bad he felt. In truth it wasn’t Stuart’s fault. He
didn’t need to put it on his shoulders alone.
“It’s
no one’s fault. We did what we had to do and now all that’s left up to the
Force.” The words weren’t inspiring to Ken himself but he hoped saying them
would offer comfort to his friend. The possibilities of them making it out of
this were thin, but Ken knew if anyone could do it, it was Luke.
“I hope you’re right.” Stuart mumbled. Ken
hoped he was too.
_________
Commander
Thistleborn stood on deck of his Bayonet Class Light Cruiser gazing out among
the stars. Soon his quest to capture Skywalker would be complete and the Empire
would be his to command. He envisioned this day many times and already had a
speech written out for his triumphant return as well as name picked out for the
Super Star Destroyer he would command someday.
The claxon alarm went off,
Thistleborn straighten his posture in anticipation.
“Incoming craft coming in a
mark two seven.” The helmsmen didn’t need to tell him, he already saw the
X-wing come out of hyperspace.
The
thrill of the moment charged his entire body. “This is it men, stay alert. I
want all guns trained on that fighter. Lieutenant, open up a channel. ” His
lieutenant gave a curt nod to indicate it was done. “Now it’s time for us to
finally meet.” Thistleborn added under his breath.
The
was a pause from the fighter, it realized what was going on. Thistleborn waited
a few seconds to let the pilot’s terror creep in, “Attention Rebel craft, we
have our weapons locked on you and are prepared to fire. You will follow my
command or be blasted in debris. Do you understand?”
There
was silence at the other end of the comm. Thistleborns’ smirk rose into a
smile, “Poor Rebel scum, what must you be thinking now?”
Without waiting for a reply he continued, “You are
ordered to shut down your engines and prepare for tractor beam to the planet.
If you deviate in any way from your current course we will be forced to take
action.” He let the tension rise, “I look forward to meeting you… Skywalker.”
54
Signaling his lieutenant to switch of the comm,
Thistleborn turned back around to his crew, “Ready the tractor beam on have all
guns on standby, we’ve finally got him.” A cheer went up from the bridge.
Thistleborn’s lips were pursed in a firm smile, this would be a day long
remembered.
At that moment the claxon alarm went off again.
Thistleborn turned back around to his lieutenant. The older officer with
greying hair looked at his console as lights flashed across the board, “Um,
Commander…”
“What is it? Move aside!”
shoving the lieutenant out of the way Thistleborn glared at the monitor and
read the bad news himself.
The frightened lieutenant
found his voice, “More ships are entering orbit sir…Rebels ships!”
Hands
trembling, Thistleborn gripped the top on the console tightly and watched the
view screen as several Mon Calamari cruisers entered around them from
hyperspace. Floored with the impossibility of it, he turned to his lieutenant
“You told me they didn’t get a signal off!” he shoved the lieutenant to the ground.
Pedaling
backwards on his hands, the befuddled lieutenant didn’t know what to say “No
sir, they didn’t. We got to them before a transmission was sent. I don’t… I
don’t understand, sir.”
Before
the lieutenant finished his sentence, Thistleborn was on top of him with a hand
on his throat, “Then please explain to me how the Rebels knew we were here?”
reaching for the blaster in his side holster, Thistleborn drew out the weapon
and shot the lieutenant in the face.
The
officer’s face exploded, leaving nothing but a bloody cratered remaining.
Commander Thistleborn let the lieutenant’s body drop with to the floor with a
dull thud.
“Turn this ship around
planet side, the boy is the only card we have left.”
His
crew stared at him as if he were insane. Finally an ensign on the bridge spoke,
“Commander, we have to retreat, it’s our only chance…”
Lifting
his blast at the ensign Thistleborn fired, dropping the stocky man to the
ground, “Would anyone else care to question my order?” his hand trembled as he
pointed his blaster around the deck. Nervously, the crew went to work turning
the ship around.
Looking
around to make sure the crew wasn’t about to mutiny, he holstered his blaster
and stepped over the lieutenant’s lifeless body on the bridge. After coming
this close, failure was not an option. He’d see Skywalker dead, even if he had
to kill his entire crew to make it happen.
55
“Someone get these bodies off my bridge.” Walking past he
kicked the dead ensign on the floor. The officers scurried around the deck to
follow his order. Thistleborn could see he wouldn’t need to make any more
examples anytime soon. Good, he didn’t have time to waste with that.
The
comm unit behind him crackled to life, “This is Luke Skywalker of the Rebel
Alliance, you are ordered to shut down all weapons and prepare to be boarded… I
look forward to meeting you too Commander, Skywalker out.”
Thistleborn screamed and
blasted the comm unit into a mess of sputtering sparks and wire. The crew on
the bridge went silent again, “What are you all starring at?! Bring this vessel
to the ground!”
Wasting no time the bridge
followed out what they all knew would be their final orders in the Imperial
Navy.
___________
“Keeeen!!!”
With one quick movement Ken went from laying on the
ground asleep to fully awake, standing in his cell. Something or someone was
trying to warn him. Was it his father’s voice? Ken couldn’t be sure, but he
did… feel something wasn’t right.
A
loud clang sounded from down the hallway as light rushed into the room.
Travelling at a brisk pace Ken saw Commander Thistleborn seething in anger. Ken
had no idea what was going on and by the look on Stuart’s face neither did he.
“It seems I have to resort
to different methods now that your Rebel fleet has arrived.”
Both
boys faced each other in complete shock. The Rebel fleet was here? Ken didn’t
know how that could be. Stuart told him there was no warning sent. How did the
Rebels find out it was a trap?
Punching in the code, Thistleborn opened Stuart’s cell
and pointed his blaster at him, “Since I only have use for the Jedi brat, I
have no reason to keep you.” Pulling the trigger he shot him in the head.
56
Ken screamed. Beating on his
cell door he watched Stuart’s limp form crumpled to the floor. The Imperial
Commander turned to him. “You’re coming with me.” He leveled his blaster at
Ken’s and opened the cell.
Laughter
came from all sides around Ken. He could hear his grandfather calling out once
again, “Kill him. KILL HIM!” He shut his eyes to force the voice from
his head. He could feel the anger rising up within him.
Anger
for his friends lost, anger of what his father had become, anger of what he
could never be, it was too much for him bear. His fists began to crackle with
electricity his hate continued to build.
Oblivious to what was going
on Thistleborn motioned him to step out, “I said you’re coming with me. Move
it!”
The
Commander jumped back as Ken opened his eyes, revealing full black pupils.
Thistleborn tried to close Ken’s cell back but it was too late.
Ken
stretched out and opened his fist releasing Force lightening at him, sending
the Commander reeling back against the wall, slamming his head on the
unforgiving ferrocrete. The impact knocked the blaster out of his hand and sent
it tumbling to the floor. Ken stepped slowly out of his cell.
His
teeth were snarled in hate as he approached the Imperial Commander. Before him
stood who was man completely selfish, who used others for his own personal
gain. This man deserved neither pity nor forgiveness, he only deserved to die.
“Yes,”
his grandfather’s voice sounded pleased, “Strike him down with your
anger. It makes you powerful, gives you strength!” Ken made no effort
to shake the voice from his head. It was making sense to him now. Balling up
both hands, he towered over the dazed Commander.
“You
are stronger than anyone.” The voice continued, “ It is you who should
be the one to restore order to the galaxy!” The Empire would never
cease it was clear to Ken they needed a leader, someone who would put a stop tp
the war once and for all.
“And
why not me?” Surely the grandson of the Emperor would go uncontested in
Imperial ranks. With none to oppose him he could bring the corrupt Empire to
it’s knees, rebuilding it with a just and honest society…under his rule.
Behind
him Ken heard the voices of Rebel troops calling out for the surrender of
Imperial forces. It sounded like the battle was over.
“You’ve
lost, Commander.” Ken’s voice sounded hollow, “Your crew has been captured,
your troop destroyed. You’ve failed to stop the Rebel Alliance.”
57
He glared down at the Commander and saw him
now for the weakling he was. “Nothing but a worm, finish him.” Ken could
no longer tell if the voice inside his head was his grandfather’s or his own, “Finish
him and your power will be complete.”
Ken reached out his palms to
the Imperial officer, “And now Commander Thistleborn…you will die.”
“Ken!”
He
hesitated at the sound of his name. “Ken!”
Looking behind him down the
hallway he heard Luke calling out to him. “Ken, are you here?”
Unsure of how to respond Ken stood in utter silence,
listening as footsteps approached the door. “Ken!” Luke burst into the holding
cells and saw the Ken standing over Commander Thistleborn. “Are you alright?
Why didn’t you respond?” Luke ran up to him but stopped when he noticed the
look in Ken’s eyes.
“Don’t come any
closer Luke. He killed everyone.”
Sensing
something wrong Luke halted his advance, “What happened?” He looked across the
cell to see Stuart’s cold body lying on the floor. “Oh no” he knelt by the body
and examined the blaster wound on Stuart’s forehead. “Ken, I’m so sorry, I
should have gotten here in time.”
“It’s not your fault, it’s
his!” Ken pointed at the Commander beneath him, who seemed to be getting his
wits about him.
“It’s
because of him this happened. He planned to kill you and didn’t care who stood
in his way. He shot DeeJay and H- Cee and melted Chip to scrap!” His bottom lip
trembled as his hate refused to go away, “He even had Zeebo murdered. He’s a
monster!” he was screaming now, “He doesn’t deserve to live!”
Luke
reached out to Ken, “It’s not the way of the Jedi. Don’t give in to your hate,
let it go.”
Tears formed in his eyes,
“Face it Luke, this is who I am. It’s who my father was and his father before
him. It’s fate, I have no control over it.”
“That’s not true.” Luke
carefully made his way out of Stuart’s cell, “My father was evil and I didn’t
become like him.”
Rebel
troops entered the room only to be waved away by Luke. “Whoever your father
was, this isn’t what he wanted you to be. You don’t have to follow in their
footsteps. You can be different.”
58
“Like a Jedi?!” Ken snorted, “I can’t do anything with
the Force! I couldn’t use it to save my friends. I couldn’t use it to stop this
from happening.” He gestured around the holding cell, “I’m useless as a Jedi.
The only way I’ll ever be strong is if I access the Dark Side. Don’t you see
that?” He motioned to the burn marks on the wall, “I did this. It’s the Dark
Side that gives me power Luke, not the Light.”
“You’re
wrong.” Luke’s reply was calm, “You warned me about the Imperial threat on
Delantine. Without you I would’ve walked right into a trap.”
Ken looked back at the
Commander lying who cowered beneath him, “You… you heard me?”
“Yes,
you’re the reason we were able to capture the Imperials and free the planet.” Luke
made sure to give Ken space. “You don’t need the Dark Side to control Force,
you can do it already.”
Slowly Ken lowered his arms
and took a step away from Thistleborn, “I want to be a Jedi, Luke. I don’t want
to be… this.”
Luke took a step
towards him, “You won’t, I promise.”
Luke
moved in closer to Ken but suddenly both men sensed danger coming from the
Commander. Ken whirled around to see the Thistleborn level his blaster and fire
off two shots at him.
The
first blast Ken deflected with the Force, sending it back into the throat of
the Imperial Commander. Gagging in surprise, he clenched his neck as dark red
blood escaped through his fingers. Ken watched as he gargled a word too hard to
make out and then slump to the ground, dead.
Ken
faced Luke but then noticed a blaster wound on his chest. Stunned, he brought
his hand up to the spot and felt warm blood oozing out.
Not
knowing what else to do Ken looked at Luke to ask for help but instead his
knees buckled and he went tumbling to the ground. Before he fell Luke caught
him in his arms. “Ken!”
Ken
looked up at the ceiling, wondering why it was shifting aal of the sudden. The
world around him started to go dark as he heard Luke yelling for a medic.
Soon the noises
around him faded and everything went to black.
“Ken…”
The blinding light
was back, “Father?”
“Wake up, son.”
Squinting, Ken tried
to locate the sound of the voice, “Where are you?”
“I’m right here.”
“Wait!
Don’t go. I need to talk to you.” His eyes adjusted to the light the silhouette
he’d seen earlier was coming into focus, “There’s so many questions I have.”
“I’m
not going anywhere my son…we have all the time in the universe now.”
At that moment Ken
saw his father at last.
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