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51. DUNE SEA - AQUILAE Threepio,
hot and tired, struggles up over the ridge of a dune, only to find more
dunes, which seem to go on for endless miles.
He looks back in the direction
he came. THREEPIO You
little malfunctioning twerp. This is
all your fault. You tricked me into going
this way, but you'll do no better! He sits
in a huff of anger and frustration, knocking the sand from his joints. 52. DESERT MESA - AQUILAE Artwo
stumbles through a narrow canyon until he climbs over a small boulder and sees
before him a sight he first thinks is a mirage. Nestled in a rock formation
is a deserted landspeeder. Once the
little robot is convinced that he is
alone, he approaches the battered speeder and begins to analyze it. He climbs
into the pilot's seat, and attempts to start the unfamiliar transport. He hears
a sound, and stops for a moment. He
sees nothing, so he continues to fiddle
with the control panel until the speeder lurches forward with a start, banging
into a large rock. The stubby android
is shaken, but neither he, nor the
speeder, seems to be damaged. Shivers
run down Artwo's metal spine, and again he has an eerie feeling that he is
being watched. He slowly looks around,
and sees a large man, Captain Starkiller,
standing directly behind him. He is
startled, then terrified. STARKILLER Where is
your master? The
little robot clicks and rattles, but doesn't speak. STARKILLER
(Con't) Can't
you speak? How do you relate your
data? You're of Karollian manufacture...You
should be able to talk. Are you
damaged? Starkiller
pokes at the machine, but doesn't see any damage. Artwo eyes him suspiciously. The robot turns with a start and discovers
a young girl, Princess
Leia, has been standing next to him for some time. PRINCESS
(sarcastic) Well,
General, who's your friend? STARKILLER I don't
know. He doesn't seem to be able to
talk. Damaged, probably....Jettisoned
from a damaged ship... PRINCESS What do
you intend to do with it? STARKILLER We'll
take it with us. Could be a storehouse
of valuable information. Starkiller
guides the android into the small luggage area behind the front seat,
then hops into the driver's seat. PRINCESS I don't
want to ride with that hing. I order
you to destroy it immediately. STARKILLER Get
in! We've got to hurry if we're going
to get across the "dunehedge" by nightfall...You're
coming, one way or the other. Will you
join us peaceably? The
princess reluctantly gets into the speeder, and it starts with a jolt. 53. LANDSPEEDER - DESERT MESAS - AQUILAE The
speeder flies along, a foot or so above the landscape. PRINCESS You are
such a barbarian. I'll have my father
cut you into little pieces when we get
back...and I'll take pleasure in feeding you to the Gonthas....a little bit each
day. I may save your eyes though. I'll have them petrified and made into a
necklace. STARKILLER Your
sweetness is only surpassed by your beauty.
Just try to remember, I'm only
following orders. PRINCESS ... to
beat me and abuse me? STARKILLER I'm
afraid I've only learned one way to treat wild animals. Artwo
thrashes about, trying to relieve the pressure on his crumped legs. PRINCESS You stay
out of this. 54. DUNE SEA Threepio
struggles to the top of a large dune.
He is dirty and hot. His plight
seems hopeless. He searches the
horizon for any sign of life. A glint of
reflected light in the distance reveals an object speeding toward him. The chrome
android waves frantically, and yells at the approaching speeder. The sleek
landspeeder races past him about a hundred yards away. He runs after it,
screaming in desperation, until he stumbles and falls head over heels down an
enormous sand dune. Silently, the
speeder sweeps around in a circle and stops
behind the immobile robot. Starkiller
jumps out of the landspeeder and is
quickly followed by Artwo. PRINCESS We're in
a hurry, remember! If you're going to
stop for everyone unfortunate along
the way, we'll never get back. We're
lucky you got the speeder running as it
is. Artwo
waddles up to his fallen partner and starts pulling on his leg, then runs up
and starts pulling on his arm. ARTWO Function! Function!
It's me. Come on, function. STARKILLER Well, my
little friend, you've found your tongue. ARTWO We must
help him... We've been lost. STARKILLER Where
did you come from? The
little robot runs around his fallen partner giving him small electric charges
from his claw hand. Threepio shudders
from head to toe, then regains consciousness. THREEPIO What
happened? ARTWO You're
overheated. STARKILLER Where
did you come from? ARTWO We were
jettisoned from six twenty-nine, P.R. one. STARKILLER I'm
unfamiliar with that ship. What type
is it? THREEPIO It's a
class M station, not a conventional craft. Threepio
then stands and shakes the young Jedi's hand. THREEPIO
(Con't) I'm
Seethreepio, Human-Cyborg Relations.
Your kindness is greatly appreciated. Starkiller
and the two robots walk back to the speeder. 55. Both Artwo and Threepio are stuffed into
the tiny luggage compartment. It is
late in the day when the speeder rumbles to a stop in a small desert canyon
surrounded by steep cliffs and broken boulders. STARKILLER We'll
rest here. THREEPIO At
last. The transport is welcome but my
joints are frozen. Everyone
climbs out of the low-slung speeder.
Starkiller watches the two androids
as they stretch their mechanical limbs. ARTWO I've got
a bad case of dust contamination. I
can barely move. THREEPIO What a
foresaken place this is. We seem to be
made to suffer. It's our lot in
life. Sir, could you tell.... Threepio
turns and notices that Starkiller and the princess have disappeared. He looks
all around. THREEPIO Where
did they go? They've disappeared. ARTWO Maybe
they were attacked! I sense danger! 55. HIDDEN FORTRESS ENTRANCE - DESERT CANYON -
AQUILAE [scene number - sic] Captain
Starkiller and Princess Leia hurry through a maze of large boulders, until
they reach a sheer rock face.
Starkiller looks around to see if they were
followed. Suddenly, a large section of
the rock slides away, revealing a well-lit
corridor carved out of the rock. They
enter, and are greeted by two jubilant
guards. Starkiller gives them some
orders and points in the direction
of the speeder. The secret rock door
silently slides closed. 57. MAIN HALLWAY - UNDERGROUND FORTRESS -
AQUILAE Starkiller
and the princess are greeted by General Skywalker and Montross. They bow
before the princess. PRINCESS
(angrily pointing at Starkiller) General,
I want you to do something with this..this barbarian. Where's my father? GENERAL The king
is dead, Your Highness. All
anger suddenly drains from the princess.
She almost timidly asks the next question. PRINCESS My
mother?... and brothers? GENERAL She's
here. She's safe...so are your
brothers. They're in the main chamber. Leia,
now looking more like a frightened young girl than a vindictive princess,
runs down the hallway toward the main chamber. She vainly attempts to hold
back the tears. 58. DESERT CANYON - AQUILAE The two
puzzled androids sit on the landspeeder, pondering the disappearance of their
saviour. THREEPIO Do you
suppose we're in danger? ARTWO The
logic of this environment escapes me. As night
begins to fall, and the shadows begin to lengthen, the two robots begin to
get a little edgy. The sound of
approaching feet startles Artwo, and he ducks
behind his taller friend. Two guards
approach the robots. GUARD You will
remain calm, and you will remain here. THREEPIO Certainly. I'm Seethreepio, Human-Cyborg
Relations. Your kindness is gratefully
appreciated. Artwo
sits rather suspiciously behind his extroverted friend. 59. ROYAL CHAMBER - UNDERGROUND FORTRESS -
AQUILAE General
Skywalker bows low before Princess Leia.
She sits on a raised platform,
dressed in the royal robes of a planetary ruler. The queen sits off to one
side on a smaller platform. The
princess waits for a few moments before
she allows the general to rise. QUEEN The
senate has been corrupted. GENERAL They
cannot rule without your wish... QUEEN I rule
by marriage. With the king dead, I am
not strong enough to stop them...
Leia is now the true queen... She must be protected. The line must be preserved. I am placing the future of our people in
your hands. You must deliver
Leia and her brothers to the Ophuchi System.
They will be safe there. General,
you must understand, I had no alternative but to condone an end to the
hostilities. I deeply believe your
campaign could have been successful, but
there are things that... GENERAL I
understand, Your Highness... QUEEN The
chrome companies on Ophuchi have offered to supply you with the men and ships
necessary to return Leia to the throne. GENERAL Can the
chrome companies be trusted? QUEEN The
price for their cooperation is high.
It is waiting for you in Med Center blue. Guard it as you would the princess
herself. No-one must know of this mission. There are those among the trusted who would
wish us ill. Take only two of
your best officers with you, the most loyal.
May the force of others be with
you. LEIA Mother,
you must not stay. QUEEN I am too
old for such a journey. The Empire
already controls the spaceport cities. You have a long way to travel. It won't be easy. GENERAL We will
have to travel in disguise. I must
have full command. No-one can suspect
wealth or royal training. I fear the
new queen will not stand for this. LEIA
(angry) Do not
put words into my mouth. I will stand
for what is necessary. The
general simply smiles. 60. SUB-HALLWAY - UNDERGROUND FORTRESS -
AQUILAE The
general walks briskly through an isolated hallway, closely followed by Montross. GENERAL How is
Captain Whitsun's recovery? MONTROSS Very
good; he's up and around. GENERAL Fine! Have Whitsun and...ah, Starkiller report at
zero three hundred. I want two
converted transports: agricultural type,
two days' provisions, travel papers,
weapons. Contact Han Solo at the
Gordon spaceport...I'll talk to him...
with speed! Montross
turns and rushes down another hallway. 61. MEDICAL CENTER BLUE - UNDERGROUND FORTRESS
- AQUILAE The
general enters a stark white waiting area filled with scholarly looking gentlemen. An attendant greets General Skywalker and
takes him into a small observation
chamber overlooking a large operating theatre. An elderly doctor greets
him. DOCTOR Good to
see you, General. I'm afraid we're not
quite ready yet. Thank God you'll
be the one taking them, though. An
attendant brings in one of the scholars from the waiting area and places him on a
large operating table surrounded by strange looking equipment. An ominous
looking clamp is placed on the man's head. GENERAL How many
are going? DOCTOR Thirty-three
of the greatest scientific minds in our System...A high price for freedom. GENERAL Thirty-three
scientists! Transporting a group that
size, undetected... I don't... DOCTOR Don't
worry, General. All you'll be taking
are their minds. The
doctor moves over to a safe-like cabinet guarded by two attendants. The doctor
gingerly picks up a small clear vial filled with grey fluid. It has a label
which reads: Faubun, Astro-dynamics...In
the background the scholar on the
operating table is undergoing a form of mechanized brain surgery. GENERAL "Bloodory's
distillation?" DOCTOR Yes. It has been greatly perfected. The brain is condensed into five ounces of
fluid. Cloning cell samples are
included so that a structural duplicate of the
scientist can be reproduced. When the
duplicate child reaches the age of six, he
or she begins a series of injections of the brain fluid. By the age of ten
years, they have received all the knowledge and memory of an experienced
scientist: an old mind in a young
body. We have prepared a special
shock-belt to carry the vials. In the
background, the limp body of the scholar on the operating table is removed
and another scientist is escorted into the operating threatre. Dr. Bloodory,
a portly doctor in his forties, enters the room and shakes hands with the
general. DOCTOR General,
this is Doctor Bloodory. He'll be
making the trip with you. BLOODORY It's an
honor to meet you, General. I'm sure I
couldn't be in safer hands. GENERAL The
chrome companies are exacting a high prince indeed. Politics will be the ruin of
us all. BLOODORY Careful. If we could rid ourselves of the
politicians, generals would no longer
be necessary. DOCTOR We should
be ready by zero three hundred. The
doctors exit, leaving the general alone to watch the huge machine extract another
brain. 62. SPACEPORT - OBSERVATION DECK - AQUILAE Governor
Hoedaack, General Vader walk down a boarding ramp to an observation deck
overlooking the conquered city of Gordon.
They are followed by a number of aides
and officers from the Imperial fleet.
Below them air tanks and other military
equipment and supplies are being unloaded. VADER Not much
of a planet. HOEDAACK Darth, you've
done well. Do you think you will have
the Royal Family by nightfall? VADER An
advance expedition is already on its way to their underground hideaway. They
should reach it by nightfall... but only if this Count Sandage can be trusted. HOEDAACK A man
hungry for power can always be trusted... to betray those in power. I'm sure his
information is correct. 63. HIDDEN FORTRESS CANYON The huge
rock face of the canyon opens, and two shabby agricultural landspeeders
are pushed into the late afternoon sun.
Artwo and Threepio stand on the
far side of the canyon with their guards, watching in amazement. The general
and Captain Starkiller walk behind the men pushing the landspeeders. GENERAL We'll
take them with us. They know more
about that fortress than any ten men. They
will be very useful. STARKILLER Can they
be trusted? GENERAL Loyalty
can't be programmed. They can be
trusted never to harm a living creature,
and to always give accurate information...as they know it, to anyone who
asks. You just have to remember not to
tell them anything that you don't want to
fall into the wrong hands. The
general approaches the two robots.
Artwo shyly moves around his taller companion. GENERAL Greetings. I'm Luke:
Agricultural Engineering. We're
going to be travelling together. You're going with us to help set up a
hortastation on Banth. Threepio
shakes hands with the general. THREEPIO I'm
Seethreepio: Human Cyborg
relations. Your kindness is greatly appreciated. Threepio
and the general both look down at Artwo.
Threepio gives the smaller android
a little kick. ARTWO Artwo
Detwo: Fusion Repair. GENERAL
(to Starkiller) Load
them into one of the speeders. Captain
Whitsun, walking with a slight limp, emerges from the underground fortress
with the Royal Family. A small group
of guards and aides are lined up,
standing at attention. The two young
princes, Biggs and Windy, hug and kiss
their mother good-bye, then jump into the back of the larger four-man speeder. The princess bows before her mother, then
embraces her. Tears roll down her
cheeks. Her mother wipes them away. QUEEN You must
learn strength. The
princess turns and moves to the larger speeder where she is helped aboard by
Captain Starkiller. PRINCESS
(fuming) I don't
need your help, thank you. She
gives the general an angry look. GENERAL I'm
afraid he's necessary. A
commotion erupts at the mouth of the underground fortress. Count Sandage, several
senators and ten to twelve troopers rush into the canyon and block the speeders. SANDAGE Where
are you going? What is this? In one
quick movement the general moves between Sandage and the queen. Whitsun
and Starkiller assume defensive positions in front of the princess and her
brothers. QUEEN Leia and
the boys are being taken to safety. It
is my wish. SANDAGE The
Empire has assured their safety. They
must stay. QUEEN It is
not my wish.... SANDAGE General,
you've gone too far this time. (to the
troops) Arrest him. Five
troops start to move on the general, as Sandage draws his laserpistol. Before
anyone can complete his action, the general ignites his lasersword and cuts the
senator in two. He drops to the ground
in a heap, and the approaching
troops stop in their tracks. QUEEN Stop
this! The
general, Starkiller, and Whitsun replace their swords, and bow low to the queen. All of the troops, senators, and aides do
the same. The formalness of the
occasion is broken when the queen embraces the general. She then turns and
embraces each of the captains. They
are both flustered, and somewhat embarrassed. QUEEN May the
force of others be with you. The
general and his captains head for the speeders, while the queen and all the
others return to the underground fortress. 64. DESERT BLUFF - AQUILAE The two
speeders edge their way onto a bluff overlooking the hidden fortress canyon. They stop for one last reflective
moment. Forced to leave their closest
friends and relatives, the group is deeply moved. The two robots, for the most
part, are puzzled. Suddenly, there is
a huge atomic flash, followed by a
loud rumble, and the entire canyon collapses into a large crater. The group
quietly watches the dust settle. The
hidden fortress and all its inhabitants
have been destroyed. The general
watches the princess, who appears
to take it well. GENERAL It was
the only way we could be safe from treachery. 65. DUNE SEA - AQUILAE The two
sleek landspeeders glide effortlessly through the vast hills and valleys
of the dune sea. At the base of the
towering dune ridge, the four-man speeder
stops. The smaller speeder, with
Starkiller and the two robots, makes its way
to the top of the ridge. Captain
Starkiller stops the speeder just short of
the top of the ridge. He gets out and
continues the rest of the way on
foot. The young captain peeks over the
dune ridge into the canyon below. Muted
sounds and large dust clouds rise from the canyon floor. Starkiller immediately
ducks back behind the ridge with an amazed look on his face. He quickly
returns to the speeder, and picks up the intercom. STARKILLER Sir,
you'd better take a look at this. But
come easy. The
four-man speeder starts with a crack, and slowly moves up the side of the imposing
dune. It stops next to the smaller
speeder. The general and Whitsun get out
and make their way to the top of the ridge, where they join Starkiller. Far in the distance, crossing the endless
dune sea, is the Imperial
invasion army. It is immense. A convoy of giant tanks, troop carriers,
and supply ships stretch from horizon to horizon. Cavalry, mounted on giant
dune birds, ride the line from one end of the convoy to the other. Hundreds
of troops ride one-man jet-sticks in precision formation. Their lances
form a giant pin-cushion. It is an
awesome sight. GENERAL
SKYWALKER They're
heading toward the fortress. WHITSUN What
will they do when they find it destroyed? GENERAL They
won't stop looking for us...They're coming from the spaceport at Anchorhead,
which means they control everything between here and the spaceport at
Gordon. STARKILLER Can we
go around them? GENERAL No. We'll have to wait for them to pass. Starkiller, see if you can monitor any of
their communications on the com-link in the big speeder. Starkiller
returns to the speeder. He collapses
in the large speeder next to the
princess, and flips on the com-link radio, moving back and forth across the
dial. PRINCESS Must you
do that? Starkiller
smiles rather sarcastically. STARKILLER Orders...The
invasion force has cut us off. We'll
probably be here for some time. You ought to stretch a bit. PRINCESS Is that
a command, General? Maybe I feel like
watching after my brothers. Starkiller
looks back at the two sleeping boys. STARKILLER They're
not going anywhere. They're asleep. PRINCESS I want
to stay with them. STARKILLER What's
the matter? You afraid I might eat
them? 66. LIBRARY - PALACE OF LITE - AQUILAE The
king's old library has been converted into an office for General Vader. He is
sitting behind his desk as Prince Valorum, the black knight of Sith, enters
and salutes. The black knight is
dressed in the fascist black and chrome
uniform of the legendary Sith One Hundred.
The general returns his salute. VADER Welcome,
Prince Valorum. Your exploits are
legendary. I have long waited to meet a
Knight of the Sith. If there is any
way I can assist you, my entire command
is at your bidding. VALORUM I want a
tie-in to your computer network, a control center, and communication access. VADER Right
away! I'll also transfer all
information we have on the general.
His command
post was self-destroyed, but we believe he is still alive.... Do you really
believe he's a Jedi? VALORUM If he
was not a Jedi, I wouldn't be here. 67. WASTELAND - AQUILAE The
speeders make their way across the grey desert. It is dawn.
The twin suns
have yet to rise over the distant hills.
The speeders are coated with dust and
grime, indicating that they have travelled far. The two captains drive
through the night as everyone else sleeps.
Starkiller calls Whitsun on the
intercom. STARKILLER How are
your fuel packs? I'm reading minus
four. WHITSUN I'm too
low to transfer any. The
general, who appeared to be asleep, opens his eyes, and takes the microphone
from Whitsun. GENERAL There is
a fuel station fourteen degrees by two meters. The occupation force should
have control of it by now, so hide your weapons...but keep them within reach. 68. FUEL STATION - AQUILAE A series
of low concrete structures rise out of the desert. The speeders stop in front
of an old weather-beaten block house.
The rusted hulk of a landspeeder
lies half-buried to one side of the building.
Starkiller and Whitsun
jump out of the speeder and go into the block house. 69. INTERIOR - FUEL STATION - AQUILAE The two
young captains, dressed as farmers, enter the dingy little fuel station. It is quiet. A few power packs line the walls and a
dismantled speeder
rests in the repair bay. There is a
sharp dripping sound coming from the
speeder. It appears that no-one is
there. STARKILLER Greetings!
... Who's in charge here? They
look around the deserted station, but find no attendant. An eerie quiet pervades
the building. WHITSUN I don't
get it... STARKILLER You
don't have to. It's abandoned. Whitsun
opens a door leading to a storage area, and stops short. WHITSUN Not quite
abandoned... Starkiller
moves to the doorway and sees the attendant, his wife, and small daughter
hanging upside down, tortured to death.
Whitsun cuts them down. WHITSUN They
shouldn't have resisted. Starkiller
grabs two power packs from the shelf. STARKILLER Help me
with these power packs. We'd better
move out of here. Whitsun
covers the family with an old work tarp.
He bows to the dead, then reluctantly
grabs a couple of power packs and they start for the door. Whitsun
stops for a moment. WHITSUN Hear
that? Someone's here. (yelling)
We're friends. Show yourself. Silence. Whitsun shrugs his shoulders and they start
out the door, only to run
straight into a burly stormtrooper. STORMTROOPER Get out
of here! 70. FUEL STATION - AQUILAE Whitsun
and Starkiller are pulled out of the doorway and shoved into the center
of a group of fifteen or twenty Imperial stormtroopers who have surrounded
the two speeders. Several troops have
pulled General Skywalker out of the
speeder. He acts senile, like a man
twice his age. GENERAL
SKYWALKER I'm all
right. I can still move about by
myself. A rough
looking sergeant grabs Whitsun. SERGEANT What are
you doing here? WHITSUN We're
out of power, sir. SERGEANT Let me
see your travel passes! WHITSUN I have
it here, somewhere. We've been
relocated...to a Bantha hortastation, by
Imperial order... Whitsun
fumbles to retrieve something from his pocket, and eventually pulls out a
small, round disc. The sergeant puts
the disc in a small portable reader. Various computer readouts are displayed on
the monitor. Starkiller starts
to put a power pack into one of the speeders. SERGEANT What are
you doing there? All power has been
restricted. GENERAL
SKYWALKER We've
run out. We must have power, or be
forced to stay here....and become your
responsibilities. The
sergeant thinks about this for a moment, as the old, wise general watches him. Tension fills the air. Starkiller shuffles around to a position
where he can
reach his weapon. A trooper hands the
sergeant a message. SERGEANT
(to Whitsun) Take
only two of those power packs, and then move out quickly. The
sergeant hurries to a military craft, where he takes a call on an intercom. General Skywalker and his two young
captains load the remaining power
packs into the speeder, and roar away from the station. 71. WASTELAND - AQUILAE The
speeders race along through the rocky desert wasteland. The general speaks
into the intercom to Starkiller. GENERAL Keep a
close watch. If that sergeant runs an
analysis on those passes, we might be
seeing him again...We should be safely inside Gordon within the day. Everyone
is in good spirits. The princess and
her young brothers sing an Aquilaean
melody, which is transmitted to Starkiller in the smaller speeder. The general
takes little Windy, and lets him sit on his lap in the forward compartment
of the speeder. Artwo flexes
Threepio's arm back and forth, attempting
to discover the cause of a loud squeak. ARTWO Z-2
doesn't seem to help at all. THREEPIO It's all
this filth and dust. This environment
is murderous. Starkiller
notices a small speck on the horizon. STARKILLER
(into intercom) Object
approaching, bearing three point two. The
general looks through an electrotelescope mounted in the speeder. He spots a
distant row of troopers riding strange dune birds. GENERAL
(to Starkiller) It's a
patrol. It could mean trouble. We'd better split up. You stay on a direct
course. We'll meet you at the western
edge of ravine 23-64. Stay in contact. The
larger speeder makes a sharp left turn, speeding off across a deep ravine. Starkiller
can begin to distinguish the approaching troopers. STARKILLER It looks
like there's ten of them. They're
heading right for me.... Wait a second. They've disappeared! I've lost them. GENERAL Continue
on. 73. WASTELAND LAKEBED - AQUILAE Whitsun
deftly maneuvers the bulky speeder through a narrow, boulder strewn ravine. They eventually come out on a dry lake bed,
where they stop. Standing
not more than a hundred feet away, apparantly waiting for the speeder,
are five Imperial troops on their dune birds. GENERAL We've
found them, five of them, anyway...Watch yourself. The
troops slowly ride their huge birds over to the speeder, and dismount. The
officer in charge is a vicious looking warrior, with a large scar across his
face. OFFICER Let me
see your passes. Whitsun
hands him the small pass disc, and he places it in his reader. He studies
the computer readout for a few moments, and then returns the disc to Whitsun. OFFICER Have you
seen any other transports in this area? GENERAL
SKYWALKER We saw
two heading south. Goin' toward Ansel,
look like to me. OFFICER All
right. Be on your way. The
officer mounts his dune bird, and the patrol moves away. Whitsun winks at the
princess, and smiles at the general, as the speeder starts off across the dry
lake. The general fiddles with the
intercom. GENERAL S-2, are
you clear? STARKILLER I have
five troopers approaching. Any
problems on your end? GENERAL We came
through all right. You shouldn't have
any trouble, but stay alert. STARKILLER Best
wishes....Here they come. Everyone
rides along in silence, a little worried about Starkiller, especially the
princess. PRINCESS ..Do you
think he'll be all right? GENERAL He can
take care of himself. Biggs is
looking out the back window of the speeder. BIGGS Hey
look! They're coming back. Everyone
looks to see the patrol quickly gaining on them. GENERAL Stop! They're faster. Get your weapon. The
speeder screeches to a halt in a cloud of dust. The general and his captain
jump from the transport with laserpistols drawn. The patrol bears down on
them, swords drawn, at full charge.
Both the general and Whitsun fire. Two of the troopers and their Dune birds
explode in a cloud of smoke. The
remaining three troopers are upon the duo in a matter of seconds. The general
ignites his lasersword and cuts down two of the troops as they pass. The last
turns his bird around before reaching the speeder, and hightails it back
toward the ravine. The general jumps
onto one of the riderless dune birds
and takes off in pursuit. Whitsun
checks the dead troopers. 73. WASTELAND RAVINE - AQUILAE The
general rides at breakneck speed after the fleeing trooper. His lasersword
is raised high over his head, ready to deal a death blow. The lumbering
birds race through the winding ravine. 74. WASTELAND RAVINE - AQUILAE The
intercom warning buzzer begins to scream.
Whitsun rushes for it, but the princess
gets there first. PRINCESS Are you
all right? STARKILLER Two
riders heading your way. I got three,
but two got away. Watch yourselves! 75. WASTELAND RAVINE - AQUILAE |