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157. STAFF OFFICE - IMPERIAL OUTPOST - YAVIN Starkiller and the general sit at a large table in the deserted
office of the Imperial
Chief of Staff. The room is in a state
of disarray; papers are scattered everywhere. Artwo stands on a chair, projecting an image of the "death star" fortress orbiting Aquilae,
on the table top. ARTWO ....And
are connected to the central system by a series of crossing networks similar to section TB4 or F687. The
projection switches to a close-up view of the transformer. The general studies it carefully, then leans back in his chair. Artwo turns off
the projector. GENERAL I'm not
going to stop you, but I think it's a reckless move. Even if you could get in, you'd never be able to get out... Just be patient. We now
have enough ships to attack in force. STARKILLER But no
pilots... Han and
Chewbacca enter the office. HAN Still no
contact with Owen Lars or the kids...I'm afraid something's happened. GENERAL Have
Chewbacca send two of his best warriors out there to get them. Han
relates this to Chewbacca. The general
turns back to Starkiller, who watches Chewbacca leave the room. STARKILLER
(mocking) They're
fierce warriors, but you'll never teach them to fly. The
general gives him a stern look. GENERAL They'll
fly, and Aquilae will be free. STARKILLER May the
force of others be with you. The
general embraces the young Jedi. GENERAL Bring
her back safely. 158. OUTPOST RUNWAY - STARSHIP - YAVIN Starkiller, dressed as an Imperial skyraider,
and Artwo climb aboard one of the giant four-man starships. A crowd of Wookees,
lead by Chewbacca, give a rousing cheer for the departing Jedi. Starkiller breaks
into a smile and waves to the joyous warriors.
The general watches the proceedings from a bunker turret. He is lost
in thought. 159. SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE Three
Imperial space transports dock inside the huge artificial moon. Two smaller
convoy starships circle the larger craft until the three ships are safely inside the vast fortress. 160. CONFERENCE ROOM - INTERIOR SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE General
Vader of the Imperial Space Fleet, hurries down a hallway, followed by a group of officers. They enter
the large conference room where Leia is held under heavy squad. She
appears well, but saddened. Vader
approaches her and bows before her. VADER I pray
you have been treated honorably? I am your servant, Darth Vader. It won't be long before we will be able to return you to your
people. (to an aide) Are the chambers
ready? AIDE They are
working on it, Sir. Leia
stares defiantly at him. She starts to
speak, but a powerful electric shock engulfs her body, and she whines in extreme pain. VADER Just
relax, and everything will be fine.
(to guards) Take her to section twenty-five. Leia is
forcibly taken from the room. VADER
(to officer) What
time do the doctors from Alderaan arrive? OFFICER Sixty-five
hours, Sir. VADER Put all
security stations on alert until they arrive. The
officer salutes smartly, and exits. 161. IMPERIAL OUTPOST - VINE JUNGLE - YAVIN A huge
air tank rumbles along the approach to the Imperial outpost. The pilot sits on the main hatch of the tank, talking to his crew, by
headphones. PILOT Any
contact yet?... It appears deserted...I don't like
it. The tank
enters the outpost perimeter and smoking rubble from the recent battle comes into view.
The pilot becomes alarmed. PILOT There
has been an attack! Reverse direction. The tank
comes to a grinding halt, but before it can start up again, it is surrounded by the Wookee army. From out of nowhere, a Wookee
is on the back of the air-tank and has the pilot in a powerful armlock. A Wookee chieftain rushes from a bunker, followed by an
excited, jabbering warrior. They reach the
captured air-tank just as the last crewman is hauled out, and little Biggs pokes his head out of the hatch. He is frightened. His younger brother, Windy, follows him out of the tank. Below them, the Wookees bully the captured crewmen. WINDY What
will they do to us? BIGGS I don't
know, but it don't look good. Threepio
pulls himself out of the air-tank, followed by Owen Lars and his wife. The Wookee chieftain climbs on board, and starts to jabber at
the group. The Wookee carries on for some time, gesturing wildly, and
continually pointing at the sky. The two
boys are too scared to say anything.
Finally, the Wookee kneels before
them. Threepio politely returns a
short bow. BIGGS I don't
get it. The Wookee rises and again gestures skyward, just then a
starship wildly buzzes the field, upsidedown. All the Wookees
run for cover. The chief Wookee points to the crafts, and jabbers incessantly. 162. INTERIOR - IMPERIAL STARSHIP - SKY OVER
YAVIN Chewbacca
sits at the controls of a four-man starship.
His face is a twisted combination of complete panic and an awesome religious
experience. The general,
sitting next to him, calmly switches a few buttons on the control panel, as Han watches from the seat directly behind the Wookee. GENERAL You'll
get the hang of it. Han also
gives the Wookee a few words of encouragement. GENERAL Now,
let's see if we can get into orbit...Push this, then ease her up. Chewbacca
follows the instructions, but pulls back on the lever too fast and the ships begins to vibrate and bounce violently. Chewbacca thinks it's funny, and begins to laugh hysterically. Han becomes nervous and quiet. GENERAL Not so
fast - Back off! Back off! Han
yells at the Wookee, who can't respond because he
is laughing so hard. The
general pulls back on the lever. Han
shakes his head, and gives the general a worried look. GENERAL Don't
worry. Ignorance is on their side. Han is
beginning to look a little sick. He
gets up and rushes to the back of the ship. 163. IMPERIAL SPACE FORTRESS - DOCKING AREA -
AQUILAE The
canopy on the starship pops open, and Artwo and the
young Jedi, disguised as a starraider, climb out onto the docking
platform. An officer and two groundcrew approach him and salute. Starkiller hands
him his papers. STARKILLER I'm here
to check the vent ports in the rim tracks. OFFICER Your
ship is from Yavin... We've lost all contact with them. What's going on out there? STARKILLER There is
a fierce inversion just east of Bull Pup station... It's really a mess out there. The
officer smiles and the ground crew starts to check
out the starship. Starkiller heads for the main docking exit, followed by Artwo. He
remembers something as he passes the control station, and calls out to the
officer. STARKILLER Do you
mind if I use your com-link? OFFICER No. Go ahead. Starkiller walks into the small control area and pretends to talk
on an intercom system. STARKILLER
(to Artwo) Find the
highest security area. Artwo punches his claw arm into a computer socket, and the
brain comes to life, feeding information to the little robot. Starkiller watches the officer as he directs the crewmen in the
securing of the starship. Artwo removes his arm from the computer, and the duo
leave the control station. ARTWO Station
325 is the highest security area on board.
It's a detention area. They
disappear into a chamber lock hallway. 164. ELEVATOR TUBE - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE Starkiller, trying to look inconspicuous, waits for a horizontal
elevator. Troops
and fortress personnel come and go, but no-one seems to pay any attention to the pair. Finally
a small car arrives, and Starkiller follows Artwo into the podlike vehicle, and it takes off through a vacuum tunnel. 165. DETENTION AREA - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE Starkiller and Artwo enter a security
station. Guards and electronic cutters are everywhere. An
officer approaches Starkiller, and checks his
papers. OFFICER The B-23
can't enter this station. STARKILLER But I
need him. OFFICER Sorry. No mechanical personnel. It's restricted. Starkiller watches helplessly, as Artwo
is led into a waiting area. OFFICER You may
proceed, but you'll have to be escorted. A
trooper joins Starkiller and leads him through a
series of hallways. Starkiller carefully surveys the area as he follows the guard. TROOPER Mathusians just beat the PDR's
again. They should be in another
league. Do you follow the ecometrics? The
guard turns to discover that Starkiller has
disappeared. He is stunned, then manages to pull out a small ring radio. TROOPER Code six
- Alert. 166. STARSHIP RUNWAY - IMPERIAL OUTPOST - YAVIN Six Wookees sit before Han and the general, listening to Han
explain something about space fighting.
Owen Lars approaches the general. LARS We've
made contact with the underground on Aquilae. Things are tighter. They can only get one man out.
Datos is on his way. GENERAL We
should be ready by the time he arrives. Han
turns to the general. HAN They're
ready to go up. The
general makes a short statement to the Wookes in
their own language. They let out a loud cheer, and run for the row of starships. 167. STARSHIP - SPACE - YAVIN The
general sits next to Chewbacca, as he leads two other Wookee
piloted starships in a tight formation.
They head for a small cluster of asteroids orbiting near the planet's surface. The general quietly gives Chewbacca some reassuring instructions. Han
leads a second formation of three ships, following Chewbacca's group.
The two formations of starships make an attack run on the asteroids.
The general watches as Chewbacca lines up and fires at an asteroid blowing it into a million pieces. The general smiles, and slaps Chewbacca
on the back. The Wookees
excitedly chatter among themselves over the intercom system. 168. DETENTION AREA HALLWAY - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE A patrol
of ten men marches through one of the long hallways in the detention area. They stop at an
intersection. The officer in charge
reports on the intercom. OFFICER Ben Five
to Moma. All
clear. The
troops relax, some stand in groups, others wander a distance away, poking into the various small alleyways running off the main
hallway. One trooper notices
a small reflected light in one of the narrow corridors, and carefully moves down the dark passageway to check it out. Out of no-where, a fist knocks the trooper unconscious and drags him into a small
alcove. The
officer finishes his report on the intercom and yells for the troops to fall-in. Men scurry in
all directions and out of a narrow corridor emerges Starkiller, dressed in the uniform of an Imperial startrooper. He
joins the platoon, and they march away. 169. GENERAL'S QUARTERS - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE General
Vader and several officers watch the progress of the search on TV monitors. The general
speaks into an intercom. VADER Have
them clear the area. Bring in the
seekers. On the
monitors, the troops are assembled in the main entry-way and several small chrome balls are thrown into the hallway. Small antennae pop from the chrome surface, and the small balls float down the
hallways. Valorum, once a proud Knight of the Sith, enters wearing the uniform of a stormtrooper. He snaps to attention before the general, and hands him a
report. Vader gives Valorum
a sly grin. VALORUM Contact
has been lost with the ship carrying the doctors from Alderaan. The princess' treatment will have to be delayed. VADER We've
just trapped your own friend Starkiller. Watch us accomplish what you found to be impossible. Valorum
is humiliated, but stays at attention.
Valorum [Vader?] gets an emergency call on the intercom. VADER Yes...Yes...
Put it on the view screen. One of
the TV monitors switches to an image of the unconscious trooper Starkiller stripped. VADER Get me
the Captain of the Guard. 170. DETENTION AREA - MAIN ENTRY - SPACE
FORTRESS - AQUILAE Three
squads of troops including Starkiller, stand at
attention in the main entrance
to the detention center, while the Captain of the
Guard gets new orders over his headphones.
Starkiller studies the situation carefully, looking for a way out of his predicament. The Captain of the Guard calls up the platoon sergeants and gives them a series of
orders. They return to their squads and begin to inspect the troops. Starkiller begins
to get worried. The
sergeant works his way down the line until he gets to the trooper next to Starkiller. He sees no
chance of escape, but surprise.
Suddenly, he bolts from the ranks and races down the hallway. CAPTAIN
OF THE GUARD Squad
leaders! Ten
troopers break out of the ranks and take up the chase. Starkiller runs down a corridor and rounds a corner, reaching a dead
end. The troops round the corner and confront the trapped Jedi. The sound of igniting laserswords fills the hallway. Starkiller takes a defensive stance, his huge lasersword buzzing loudly. The
troops attack. They fight with skill and
bravery, but are eventually all cut down by the invincible Jedi warrior. Starkiller breaks away from the troops and runs down a long
hallway. A safety door slides shut, closing off his escape. He turns around in time to see another door seal off the opposite end of the hallway. Before he can make any attempt to pry open the door, gas fills the sealed
corridor. Starkiller collapses in a heap on the floor. 171. GENERAL'S QUARTERS - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE Vader
laughs as he watches the unconscious Starkiller on
the TV monitors. All of the
other officers in the room are [something whited
out] laughing and joking, except Valorum, who remains grimly at attention. GENERAL
(to Valorum) Take him
to the special section. Valorum
salutes, and exits the offices. Vader
laughs again. 172. STARSHIP RUNWAY - IMPERIAL OUTPOST - YAVIN Nine
gleaming starships sit in a row along the edge of the vast jungle runway. Bizarre
and colorful Wookee
designs have been painted across the large deflector fins of the spacecraft.
Some designs transform the ships into huge and grotesque animals, while others create unique mosaic
patterns. The four- man Wookee crews stand proudly at
attention in front of their ships. The general,
along with Han and the underground leader, Datos,
review the assembled Wookees. In one
of the Wookee crews, a pilot is picking fleas off
the back of his tail gunner. When the general
passes, he snaps to attention. There
is a gleam in the
general's eye as he shows off his strike force to the crusty old underground leader. When
they've inspected the last starship, Datos turns to the general. DATOS I'm
speechless. It's amazing. A most impressive display. For the first time since the take-over, I feel real hope. GENERAL Will
your people be ready? DATOS Our
forces have already started sabotaging their com-link set ups. A refugee camp on Mananyo has been conducting
raids on shipping from Alderaan.
That's how we intercepted those doctors... GENERAL
(to Han) Get them
in the ships... We're on our way. (to Datos) Send the
code signal. 173. DETENTION CELL - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE General
Vader and Valorum watch as a medic revives Starkiller,
who has been strapped to an upright slab, protected by cutter-rays. MEDIC He's
coming round. The medic
backs away, and throws the switch which activates the cutters. A blue glow surrounds Starkiller as
he wakes up and sees Vader and Valorum. VADER For all
the myths and the trouble, you don't seem like much... He
laughs and leaves Valorum alone in the room with the young Jedi. Valorum appears sad and frustrated at the capture of the noble
warrior. They stare at one another for a few moments. VALORUM You were
insane to come here. The security on
this... this thing is impossible. Why?....For her? I
can't believe your loyalty is that strong. You're a
great warrior... but you're a greater fool.
This is a place for androids, no codes, no honor. Our ways are useless here. Why couldn't you have stayed away? He
storms out of the cell. Starkiller struggles to free himself. 174. SLUM DWELLING - GORDON SPACEPORT - AQUILAE The
young partisan, Occo, listens to a small
transmitter in a secret closet behind the main room in a slum dwelling. He jumps up and runs into the main room,
where Quist and several other men are sitting
around a table covered with maps and plans. OCCO It's Datos. We've got
the go ahead. Everyone
cheers and starts hugging and slapping each other on the back. Finally,
they settle down. QUIST Go to
your organizations. (to Occo) What's the
code time? OCCO Zero
three thirty... QUIST May the
force of others be with you. The men
solemnly shake hands and leave the room. 175. GOVERNOR'S OFFICE - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE Starkiller stands on a small platform before Governor Hoedaack and the High Consul. His hands are held behind his back by
electric bonds. GOVERNOR .... And
I'm sure the emperor will enjoy your execution. I only regret I won't be there myself.
This should end the Jedi myth once and for all. Take him to Alderaan. Valorum
steps forward with a squad of stormtroopers and
escorts the prisoner away. Vader and the
governor seem very pleased with themselves.
Valorum looks back in disgust. 176. CONTROL CENTER - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE In the
large central control room, two officers sit above a row of monitors and giant read-outs. FIRST
OFFICER Look! That whole sector just went dead. We're losing contact with the surface. Use the IF link
and find out what's going on. 177. DOCKING AREA - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE Valorum
halts the squad guarding Starkiller on an
observation deck overlooking a starship docking port.
Valorum reports to the officer in charge. VALORUM Where is
the ship? OFFICER It's on
its way in. It will just be a few
minutes. Valorum
returns to his squad and watches the large starship slowly move into the docking area. He
glances at Starkiller, who stands defiant, ready to
meet his fate. Valorum
continues to study Starkiller. The young Jedi returns his gaze. Slowly,
the spacecraft locks onto the docking port with a loud jolt. The troops
snap to attention, but Valorum grabs two laserswords
and in one swift move, switches off Starkiller's
bonds and tosses him one of the laserswords. Starkiller assumes a defensive stance, as the troops realize what
has happened and draw their swords. VALORUM This
way! The two
warriors fight their way through a side exit.
The door slides closed behind
them, and Valorum throws the lock, trapping the troops on the observation platform. They
race down the hallway and stop at an intersection. VALORUM This
way! We can get a starship and be out
of here before they've discovered... STARKILLER I'm not
leaving without the princess. VALORUM It's
impossible; there are traps everywhere... You're mad! Starkiller just grins and runs down the passageway leading to the
detention area. Valorum rushes
and catches up. An alarm signal wails
through the hallways. 178. WOOKEE STARSHIPS - SPACE The
general leads three squads, of three starships each toward the glowing planet of Aquilae. GENERAL There
she is. Activate your deflection
shields. 179. DETENTION AREA - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE Valorum
talks with the Captain of the Guard.
He gestures wildly, like something important had happened.
Four troops run into the central detention area leading the bound Princess Leia. The Captain of the Guard salutes Valorum,
and the Sith knight, followed by the four troops and Leia, leave the main area. 180. DETENTION HALLWAY - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE Starkiller appears boldly at the end of the hallway, facing Valorum
and the troops. VALORUM Get him! The
troops rush for Starkiller, swords drawn. They are no match for the skilled Jedi. He makes
short work of them, as Valorum frees the princess. The trio
then run into another hallway. The
princess embraces Starkiller. VALORUM We only
have a few seconds before they find us.
All of these hallways are sealable... Starkiller spots a small garbage chute on the corridor wall. He goes and looks into it. STARKILLER Is this
pressurized? Valorum
nods yes, and they lift the princess into the chute and quickly follow. 181. GARBAGE CHUTE - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE The trio
slides through a series of chutes, until they end up in a large room full of garbage. Starkiller spots a doorway and struggles to get it open. VALORUM They're
power sealed...We'll have to find another way, or some way to shut the power off... They
search the smooth-walled room for another exit. 182. GOVERNOR'S QUARTERS - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE Governor
Hoedaack watches General Vader as he supervises the
hunt for Starkiller and Valorum. They
watch troops move through the detention area via TV
monitors. Seekers buzz through the
hallways. The general gets a report from an officer on another monitor. OFFICER We've
lost contact with the surface. There
is a good probability of an uprising. Even the IF
links are out. GENERAL Use a
substandard relay and put all units on alert. The
officer disappears from the monitor and is replaced with the Captain of the Guard. CAPTAIN All
sections D through P-12 are clear. We
have reason to suspect they escaped through the disposal system.
We are checking....(he is interrupted by an excited
trooper who tells him something)....We've found them in Receptacle B- 29. You should.... A red
light flashes on one of the other monitors. GENERAL Hold
on... A
controller appears on the second monitor. CONTROLLER Starships
approaching, three squads. Imperial
design, but no clearance... GENERAL Full
alert. Battle stations.... The
general turns back to the Captain of the Guards. CAPTAIN You
should have them on your screen. Alarms
sound throughout the fortress. Lights
flash a warning. 182. [obviously an oversight - second 182]
GARBAGE RECEPTACLE - SPACE FORTRESS
- AQUILAE A floodlight
switches on, revealing Valorum and Starkiller
attempting to cut open the door. The
princess stands up and stares into the floodlight. Vader's
voice comes over an intercom. VADER I'm
afraid I have no more time to deal with you.
A senseless and futile attack
by your friends has forced me to take a rather unpleasant course of action. Your execution
will have to be expedited. The
intercom clicks off, and a loud rumbling begins to shake the room. With a loud
shriek, the princess points to the far wall; which starts to move toward the trio. The
situation looks desperate. 183. SPACE - WOOKEE STARSHIPS - AQUILAE Laserfire from the space fortress creates a wall of death, which
the three squadrons of Wookee starships
miraculously emerge through undamaged.
The general
barks orders to the Wookee craft, and Chewbacca and
his squadron break off and start an attack dive. Laser fire from Chewbacca's brightly colored ship hits one of the prime power terminals on the fortress
surface. It explodes, creating weird electric arcs, as it goes. Han and
the general also concentrate fire on the distinctive black power terminals. Two more are
destroyed in an arcing spectacle. A
chain reaction is set
off, creating a series of explosions leaping across the surface of the fortress from power terminal to power terminal. 184. GARBAGE RECEPTACLE - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE The
shock of the explosion can be felt over the rumbling of the trash masher. The wall
has moved within a few yards of squashing Valorum, Starkiller
and the princess. They are still
frantically trying to somehow stop the relentless wall, to no avail. The
lights blink off, then on again, and the moving wall rumbles to a halt. Leia
breathes a sigh of relief. STARKILLER They
must have knocked the power out. Valorum
runs over to the door, and kicks it open.
They rush out of the would- be death trap. 185. SPACE - WOOKEE STARSHIPS - AQUILAE One of
the Wookee starships is caught in a crossfire and
disappears in a cloud of smoke. Another ship for some
unknown reason dives headlong into the surface of the fortress, creating a huge explosion. 186. MAIN HALLWAY - SPACE FORTRESS - AQUILAE Starkiller, Valorum, and the princess are thrown to a hallway floor
by the explosion. They get up and
start down the hallway again. A voice
calls out from a connecting corridor. ARTWO Hey! Over here. The trio
turns and see little Artwo standing at the other
end of the corridor. He waves
his claw arm at them, and wobbles toward them. ARTWO The
power core has exceeded the normal stress quotient by point eight. The magnetic fusion pods have evaporated. There appears to be an immediate danger. VALORUM There is
a lifepod station at the other end of this
sector... Hurry. The
group, followed by Artwo, make a dash for the lifepod, but are knocked to the ground by another explosion, which rocks the
hallway. A hole is ripped in one wall, sucking debris into space. Everyone holds on to wall fixtures for dear life. 187. GOVERNOR'S QUARTERS - SPACE FORTRESS -
AQUILAE Aides
and officers rush through the office, as Vader tries to keep things under control. Governor
Hoedaack remains calm, watching the progress of the battle. Vader turns to
the governor. VADER They've
pinpointed every terminal. It's
impossible. What are they? Where did they come from?
An electromagnetic transfer has started....There's no stopping it... GOVERNOR Continue
the fight... VADER We've
already lost control of the planet. We
must abandon ship while there is still time...Conditions are much worse than... GOVERNOR Continue
the fight...This fortress is invincible.
I will not give up. A giant
explosion sweeps through the office. 188. SPACE - WOOKEE STARSHIPS The tiny
starships race the chain reaction explosions across the surface of the fortress. Laserfire is everywhere.
one of the starships skimming across the surface, lags behind and is caught in an explosion and
disappears. GENERAL |