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| Remnant |
Remnant
The X-Wing's cockpit was silent. It's interior awash with flickering
white light as the fighter's powerful engines thrust it through the tumult of hyperspace. The tiny red, and yellow lights which blinked on the control panels found it nearly impossible to compete with the cacophony of brilliant white. The temperature in the cockpit rose slightly as sensors detected the pilot stirring and waking.
Luke Skywalker yawned widely and poked a couple of fingers under his darkly tinted helmet visor to rub at his tired eyes. He shifted, trying to find a comfortable position in
the acceleration chair, then shifted again. All he really wanted was a long stretch to relieve his cramping muscles. The sleep he had snatched at had not relieved his fatigue, it had merely accentuated it.
He turned his head, glancing out at the seething lights beyond the cockpit, his tired eyes becoming mesmerized by the twisting white. He blinked rapidly, reminding himself not to stare too long.In days of old, when hyper-travel was
a new phenomenon, men had lost their minds to the chaos they observed. He checked his chronometer, groaning and wincing when he saw that he still had several hours of the journey to endure, and he almost wished he had taken up Han's offer of company on the Falcon, but that would have delayed the Corellian's return to Dantooine and his reunion with Leia.
The Jedi Knight tried to settle again, shifting this way and that. He closed his eyes, and willed sleep to descend;but he was left awake and frustrated. He needed to get out of the fighter, needed to refresh, needed to relieve the
soft pressure in his bladder (although his flight suit was equipped to deal with such an occasion Luke was loathed to make use of its facilities; mainly because he disliked disposing of the plastic container while stripping out of the suit at the end of the journey).
"Artoo." He spoke to his metallic companion, who monitored the ships systems from the snug droid socket behind the cockpit. "I'm breaking the programmed run, and reverting to real space. I need a break."
The small droid let out a screech of electronic chatter and Luke read the translation from the screen before him. "Yeah, I know the Xalan committee will be waiting, but I either stop now or fall asleep during the negotiations. 'Sides, a short
stop's not going to delay that much."
Luke's fingers ran over the controls, giving him manual control of the fighter, then he braced himself for the sudden deceleration. The streaking lights fell back as the X-Wing dropped into real space and Luke found himself
at the edge of a small solar system.
"Artoo? Where are we?" He requested as he surveyed the collection of planets orbiting a large yellow sun. The astrodroid relayed the information requested onto the screen.
"Ce'drron?" Luke questioned, shaking his head slightly as though he could loosen any recollection of the place by the movement. "Never heard of it." He quickly scanned the print which detailed what was known of the rim system and its planets.
Ce'drron was named after the adventurer who had discovered it. It was un-colonized, unpopulated and of the three planets only the smallest was suitable for sustaining human life. Luke turned away from the screen and guided the fighter toward Ce'drron II. He glanced back at the read outs as the X-Wing's sensors picked up more information; no technology was present, backing up the data supplied by the onboard computer there were no power surges apart from a thunderstorm on the right side of the planet. He didn't need the scanners to tell him the planet was teeming with life, he could sense that himself. However, there was no feeling of conscious thought that he could associate with intelligence, and he wondered why the Alliance had not utilized Ce'drron's resources during the war.It appeared to be a perfect site for a base. He shrugged as he considered the thought; perhaps that was the reason. It seemed too perfect, and therefore one of the first places the Empire would have looked.
Luke eased the fighter down through the white clouds, and skimmed across the breaks of blue sky. He ignored the scanners which were pinpointing suitable landing areas, and looked down at the planets surface himself. It was quite beautiful;
rolling green hills spattered lightly with patches of grey rock, thick forests reaching deep into valleys. He smiled as a herd of large animals scattered and ran through deep prairie grass as the roar of the X-Wing's engines shattered the stillness of the afternoon, startling them
He took the ship lower, heading for a glint of silver in the distance. Then the lake was below him. It had prairie on one side, and around the other three it had undulating hills which flowed down to a beach of golden sand. The sun sparkled rainbow colors on
the waters calm surface.
"Wow!" Luke breathed, taken in by the untamed beauty. He slowed to hover over the beach, then turned the fighter until its nose pointed toward the water. Gently he lowered the ship to the sand. As the engines died he popped the canopy and, eager to be
free from the confines of the cockpit, quickly climbed down to the ground. After stripping off his gloves he removed his helmet and heaved in a breath of fresh, clean air. He stretched, enjoying the freedom of movement.
He looked around, at the scenery that was almost more beautiful from the surface. It was also very warm; the sun all but directly over head. Luke gazed at the twinkling surface of the lake - the water looked cool and terribly inviting.
"Artoo?" Luke spoke over his shoulder to the small droid, as he checked the status of their safety. "Anything on the sensors?" Luke recognized the droids reply as a negative. "No Gundarks?" He queried, knowing the large ugly creatures' liking for quiet waters.
This time Artoo's negative reply was followed by a long babbled sentence. Luke glanced back and grinned as the little robot rose from the socket behind the cockpit and scooted along the fuselage.
"I take it you want down?" Luke asked, throwing his gloves and helmet to the side. "Hold still then." He slightly raised a hand and ,on closing his eyes, he pictured the little astrodroid lifting from the ship and slowly, gently, being lowered to the sand.
Smiling, Luke opened his eyes, Artoo's domed head was spinning in circles, and he could swear that the "Wheeee" coming from the droids audio outlet was audible proof that he enjoyed these short excursions by the Force.
A more insistent pressure from his bladder reminded Luke of his need to urinate. "Hold on a minute will you?" He needlessly asked the droid, then, modest to the last, he ducked behind a large, grass covered sand dune to relieve himself.
A moment later he returned to the lake's edge, gazing out at the stretch of water. "Looks inviting, huh?" He suggested to his companion; but Artoo moved swiftly back hooting loudly. "Well," Luke shrugged. "It does to me." He began to undress swiftly.
"Last one in's a lugrux!". Hopping on one foot, he drew off his last sock, dropped his flight suit, utility belt and lightsaber, and ran, wearing shorts only, into the water.
"Yeow!!" He yelled in delight. "It's freezing!" Luke dove in, down, stretching under the water, feeling his muscles respond as they worked out their lethargy. With powerful strokes he swam back to the surface and waved to Artoo. He felt good; one of
those times when he felt alive, felt the tension he lived with everyday fade from his being. He dove again, and swam on.
The large sand dune quivered ever so slightly. A tiny delicate, metallic instrument surfaced, and opened. It scooped up a small amount of wet sand and disappeared back under the surface. The waking probe droid broke the sand down into its components
and ran an analysis. It found the sample to be made up of sand, decaying vegetable matter, mineral deposits, human uric acid, and nitrogenous waste.
Shaking off more sand ,its' scanners picked up a stationary rebel X-Wing, an Artoo unit, and a human swimming in the lake. It's systems kicked to life, it's power levels surged, and it began transmitting its pictures and scanner information to the Imperial
fleet even as it lifted itself from it's place of hibernation.
Artoo swiveled his head around ,as he abruptly picked up the sudden power flow, and let out a squeal of horror when he saw the Imperial Probe Droid bearing down on him. His treads jerked him back a few inches but they caught on a piece of dried drift wood, and he stalled. The astrodroid wailed helplessly as the probe droid reached for him.
Luke turned in the water, his adrenalin rushing with sudden anxiety, to find Artoo swamped by the attacking robot. "Artoo!" he cried, striking out for shore, realizing as he did so that there was nothing he could do for his little companion.
The probe's attention turned to Luke, its' turret twirled, and it fired off a warning shot. Luke ducked down to avoid it. Knowing the astrodroid could hold valuable information, the Imperial probe droid merely shut Artoo down. It's main objective now was the Rebel pilot.
Luke re-surfaced to find the probe hovering over his clothes. His clothes and his lightsaber.
Cursing silently, Luke headed toward the shore still unsure of what action to take against the machine.
The droid picked up each item of clothing one by one, examining it before discarding it as unimportant. It extended another arm and lifted Luke's saber. Luke paused, treading water in apprehension.
It turned the weapon slowly, studying it carefully before searching its memory banks. A lightsaber. The weapon of Jedi Knights. Its' scanners monitoring the human enlarged their picture, and its' transmissions changed frequency as it identified the rebel Commander Luke Skywalker.
It dropped the weapon and swiftly scooted across the sand toward the water.
"Oh no!" Luke breathed, watching it skim the surface of the lake toward him. He looked back to the shore and spotted his saber lying on the sand. Still treading water he closed his eyes and calmed his anxiety as he raised his arm. The lightsaber slowly rose from the sand, and began sailing through the air.It passed the droid, sailing into his...
There was a sudden high pitched whine, and the saber was dealt a blow by a laser bolt. Knocked to the side, and out of Luke's control, it fell into the water and sank to the depths. Luke sank down after it as the robot floated closer, the whine building again. He swam down,
searching in the dim waters for his weapon.
Reaching the floor of the lake, he frantically began combing among the rocks and plants in the area where he believed the saber had come to rest. But it was dark, thick with water foliage, and the ache in his chest was pushing him back to the surface to gasp for clean oxygen.
He burst through the water, heaving in fresh air, hoping to dive back before the droid could get a fix on him. He twisted his body, held his breath and was hit by the rings of blue light before he could complete his dive. "Stun," was his only thought as he plunged into unconsciousness.
The Imperial probe caught him with one of its appendages before he could sink beneath the lake's surface, and carried him back to the beach. There, it placed him down and hovered nearby, reporting its success to its programmers.
The day was still warm when Luke awoke. He drew in a deep breath, immediately regretting it when his ribs protested with dull pain. He groaned, then coughed, regretting that more than the breath. He opened his eyes, blinking in the bright afternoon sunlight and could see nothing apart
from the wide expanse of blue sky. It was the sound which caught his attention; a constant, repetitive stream of electronic noise. Glancing to the side he could see the probe poised nearby. He sat up, then had to wait a moment until the resulting dizziness had subsided. He looked to the X-Wing and Artoo; they
both appeared to be unharmed. He glanced at the probe again - its opticals were watching him closely.
Sitting still, and staring out at the quiet water, Luke began to ponder his situation. It was clear that the droid had lain dormant until his landing on the beach had awakened it. The broken sand dune behind the fighter now revealed it's hiding place. How long had it been here, waiting
to fulfill it's programming, and, more importantly, how was he going to work around that programming and free himself?
He glanced back to the probe. Just how much intelligence had its makers worked into its matrix? Could it be reasoned with? Were they merely for gathering information on the Alliance? It just
hovered there without a pause in its transmissions, searching out a dead fleet.
He looked over at the fighter again. If only he could reach the ship; if only he could reach the blaster which sat in a niche under the acceleration chair, then he could end this farce and resume his journey to Xalan.
With those thoughts in mind, Luke turned his attention to the beach- looking around for something he could use to distract the robot- and noticed the drift wood near Artoo. With a slight movement of his hand, a brief moment of concentration, he sent the wood flying toward the Imperial machine.
Its' turrent whipped around.A whine grew within it, and it released a single burst of laser fire.
Luke scrambled to his feet, using the few seconds to make a move. He only managed a few steps before the droid returned its sights to him and pulled off another shot. The sand in front of Luke exploded; he took a step back and sat down. It had reacted faster than he'd anticipated.
The droid returned to its' transmissions, and Luke returned to his thoughts.
A slight breeze drifted across the lake, and in the distance, Luke watched dark clouds gather. He shivered, and glanced at his clothes wondering if the droid would allow him to dress. Well,
there was only one way to find out. He stood and moved toward his clothing.
The droid immediately moved closer, the whine building again. Luke had no wish to be shot at or stunned, again; he sat back down. The droid settled and resumed its broadcasts. It had known a retreat when it saw one. How would it react to the spoken word? Luke gestured to the bundle on
the sand. "I'd like to dress," he told it. "May I dress?"
The probe fell silent, seeming to consider Luke's words. Watching his captor carefully, Luke reached for his clothing once more. The robot remained still as Luke dressed. After he had fastened his belt, he sat down to pull on his boots, considering his next move. Perhaps attempting to
reason with the thing was the best chance he had.
"They haven't replied, have they?" Luke asked, calmly and quietly.
The probe ignored him.
"They won't come," He told it. "The war's been over for seven years."
Still no reaction.
Perhaps he was being too vague. Perhaps it required a more direct approach. Silently he watched a bird of prey plunge into the lake, catch up a large fish and wing its way across the surface to the distant shore. Then Luke spoke again. "The Empire's dead." He said the words slowly. "The
fleet was destroyed, the Emperor killed. There are no Rebels, no Rebellion. Not any more."
The transmission ceased. It appeared to turn, and regard him more closely.
Luke grabbed the silence. "You've waited a long time, haven't you?" He glanced over at the broken sand dune. "Now you've woken to find a different galaxy, your programming pointless." He almost felt sorry for the thing.
Its' transmissions resumed, and it turned away.
Luke continued hurriedly. "You either don't believe me, or don't understand me. But, I know you collect information." He gestured to Artoo Detoo. "Read the Artoo units memory banks, collect its' information. It knows all there is and..."
The whine had built quickly and Luke had no chance to protest before the probe silenced him. He slumped back into a stunned slumber.
The probe droid turned its attention to the astrodroid. It scooted quickly over the sand to hover by the little unit. Extending an arm it reactivated Artoo and ,before the rebel machine could protest, it told him of its intent. Artoo glanced over at Luke, but remained quiet as the probe connected with his memory.
--and we are on Alderaan. See Threepio is--
The probe moved on, shifting quickly through Artoo's memory.
--we have reached Tatooine but are boarded by stormtroopers. The Princess is--
--Master Luke and General Kenobi are taking us to Mos Eisley/ Threepio is complaining about--
--away from Dagobah. Master Luke is worried and I--
--Tatooine, where--
--the Rebel fleet has massed and Threepio and I--
The probe slowed, reading carefully.
--we are on Endor. I am damaged and I am being carried away from the Imperial Bunker, where I know General Solo and Chewbacca are--
Slower.
--a sudden explosion from the sky. The Death Star is burning. See Threepio--
Slower.
--celebrations. President Mon Mothma is inaugurated and Master Luke--
It shifted quickly through the memories once more, coming upon the most recent.
--are on route to Xalan. Master Luke is tired and wishes to revert to real space. We enter the Ce'drron system where--
The probe droid retracted from Artoo and moved slowly away to hover, humming quietly to itself, several meters away. There it waited.
It was much cooler when Luke awoke, the sun hidden behind the black clouds he had earlier watched gathering, and the slight breeze had grown to a cold wind. He shivered and sat up,
wincing, as again his ribs protested the movement. Quickly he glanced around and saw that Artoo was now activated, and the probe was floating nearby, quiet apart from a gentle hum. It had obviously carried
out his suggestion, but where did that leave him now? Taking his chances, he stood and was relieved when nothing happened.
"Artoo? Are you okay?" He threw the question over his shoulder to the astrounit; not wishing to turn his attention from the probe. Artoo's blooped tone told him he was fine. "The
ship?" He asked, and the same tone was his reply.
He took a step closer to the probe. It remained still. Another step, another, and another. Luke approached it steadily, his curiosity about the machine now getting the better of him;
after all, not many rebels had gotten the chance to study one up close. They usually self destructed when they were discovered.
It then clicked home. "Artoo! Look out!" He yelled, and sprinted toward the pit which had once housed the probe as the humming from the machine grew in pitch. He jumped in and covered
his head with his hands, waiting for the impending explosion; cursing himself for his farm boy curiosity. The hum throbbed and grew to an ear splitting level, then gradually died away.
After several seconds had passed, Luke glanced out of the hole and watched as the probe's opticals dimmed. It sank slowly to the ground, settling into the sand.
Luke climbed from the innards of the dune and looked over at Artoo whom, he was sure, was sniggering to himself. "Out of power, huh?" He said to his companion.
Artoo merely blooped back.
"It was just a matter of time!" Luke grinned to himself, laughing at his own stupidity. Seven years of quietly maintaining its' systems had clearly drained its power cells. Thus, one afternoon of intense activity had finished it, leaving Luke feeling more than a little foolish. He glanced at the dead machine for a last look, hoping that Artoo would be discreet and not pass on this story to Threepio, who in turn would relate it to Han, who, in turn, would never let him live it down. He then turned, and picked up his gloves and helmet. "We'd better move ourselves."
Artoo ran off a steady stream of chatter
Luke turned to find the little robot gazing out at the lake. "Oh, no! My lightsaber!" He muttered, looking out at the wide, darkening expanse of water. He shivered in the growing wind.
"Uh, Artoo? Does your periscope still work?" He glanced around to find the little droid moving steadily toward the X-Wing bleeping quietly to himself. "Artoo?"
It had started to rain heavily as Luke, with obvious reluctance, began to undress again...
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