Star Wars Character Cafe - The Hidden Master Chapter 3

THE HIDDEN MASTER

CHAPTER 3

Captain Nathanial Price wasn’t looking forward to this. As he had watched the Jedi’s freighter weave its way around his ship, Captain Price had a sickening thought. The last time he had seen a YT-1300 flown that well, his daughter had been on board. He had also learned that the Jedi’s female companion had been captured. She would have been returned to the ship sooner, but Commander Tekel had ordered that all shuttlecraft keep their distance while the Jedi’s freighter was in the area. Now that shuttle was coming in; and Commander Krusche insisted that they go together to inspect the prisoner. As Captain Price walked to the forward landing bay, he prayed that he was wrong, that this traitor wasn’t the woman he was afraid that he would see.

As the two men entered the landing bay, they were joined by Commander Tekel. As he acknowledged the young Commander’s salute, Captain Price couldn’t help wishing that his only daughter had found a solid young man like Victor. He would have made a fine son in law.

As Captain Price’s blood froze as he stood there and watched the prisoner walk down the shuttle’s boarding ramp. What in the Emperor’s name did he do to deserve this? Even Lo’s appearance sickened him. Why did she have to cut her lovely blond hair so short? She used to be so beautiful, but between the cropped hair and the baggy shirt and work pants, it was hard to be certain that she was even a woman. Her eyes locked onto his blazing with hatred.

“So this is how you repay me for all that I’ve done for you!” He growled.

Lo continued to stare defiantly back at him.

“You’ve never done anything FOR me,” she spat back at him. “You had Mom arrested on trumped up charges and stuck me with that horrible governess so that we wouldn’t interfere with your glorious career in the Imperial Navy! I may have loved and aided your enemy, but he was a better man than you, Vicky or any of your other sick Imperial friends will ever be!”

Commander Krusche smiled coldly as he listened.

“I see we have a family reunion on our hands,” he observed to Commander Tekel.

Victor winced.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he replied grimly. “Miss Price is the first mate on the Wild Nerf, a smuggling ship operated by my half brother Marcel. Marcel usually goes by the name Maxx and he has made quite a name for himself in smuggling circles.”

Commander Krusche nodded, young Victor forgot to mention that this Wild Nerf was thought to have aided the Rebellion.

“I can see why,” he said coolly. “Your brother seems to have become an exceptional pilot. I am looking forward to adding his lightsaber to the Emperor’s collection.”

Lo shifter her glare towards Krusche.

“Who the Sith are you!?” She demanded.

Krusche smiled icily.

“I am Commander Varden Krusche, Jedi hunter,” he said. “Think of me as the man who will destroy your lover and end his little Jedi insurrection once and for all.”

***

“I am afraid that the two of you have me at a disadvantage,” Commander Krusche said calmly as he eyed Commander Tekel and Captain Price from his seat in the ready room. “Both of you have some familiarity with this Maxx and I have none. What can you tell me about him?”

“What does it matter!?” Captain Price wailed in despair, “He’s probably on the other side of the galaxy by now!”

Commander Krusche scowled.

“Captain Nathanial Price! Pull yourself together!” He ordered. “Now our man may indeed be on the other side of the galaxy for all I care, but I have a plan to force him to return. For this plan to work I will need to know all that I can about this Jedi of ours. What can either of you tell me about his relationship with our prisoner?

“I know that they have been together for at least three years,” Commander Tekel answered curtly. “The earliest record that I have of Marcel using the name Maxx involves his helping the late Braga the Hutt escape from Nalma the Hutt on Tindalaire. I have heard that shortly after that escape, he rescued Miss Price from Nalma. I assume that they were lovers at that time.”

Commander Krusche smiled, that was indeed good news.

“Excellent! Commander Tekel, is it your opinion that this Maxx would return to the Invincible and attempt a rescue if he thought that Miss Price was in danger?”

Captain Price’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, the idea was absolutely preposterous.

“I suspect that he would,” Commander Tekel replied. “Marcel was always a bit of a showoff and he seems to enjoy pulling off stunts like that.”

“Oh?” Commander Krusche asked, his eyebrows rising.

“Indeed,” Commander Tekel replied. “While I was on loan to the Corporate Sector Authority, I learned that Marcel was helping an old friend return to Tapan. They were attacked while awaiting repairs on Ord Mantell and his friend’s Twi’lek slave girl was captured. Marcel managed to return to the Corporate Sector, slip into a guarded facility, find the girl and return her to Tapan. “

Krusche closed his eyes for a few seconds to ponder the information.

“Curious,” he finally said. “My understanding is that the Jedi usually didn’t approve of slavery.”

Victor Tekel shrugged.

“We aren’t talking about one of your historical Jedi,” he replied. “We’re talking about Marcel and that man never seemed to conform to any standard of morality that I was ever aware of. When he was younger, Marcel delivered spice for a smuggler and had an affair with a Twi’lek courtesan. Since he left Tapan, he has modified his freighter to the point where it could never carry a legal registration. He even armed it to the teeth with ion cannons and an obscene number of missile launchers. He has used that ship to work for Hutts, Rebels and other riff raff. I doubt that the man has a moral bone in his body.

Krusche nodded thoughtfully, amused with Commander Tekel’s simplistic concept of morality. His experience with criminals suggested that many of them had their own peculiar moral codes. They may have ignored the rule of law, and other facets of conventional morality, but they had their own loyalties and occasionally more than a bit of misplaced idealism as strange as it may have seemed.

“And yet you expect this Maxx to return to this ship at great risk to his life and attempt to rescue his lover?” He asked.

Victor nodded.

“You don’t know Marcel as I do,” he replied firmly. “If there has been one constant in his miserable life, it has been that Marcel could never resist a challenge. He was always so proud of his ability to outwit, outfight and out-fly anyone he has ever come up against. So far he has survived and his survival seems to have forced him to seek out greater challenges. I’d suspect that he is relishing the opportunity to take on a Star Destroyer just for the way it would burnish his reputation.”

Commander Krusche frowned thoughtfully as he listened.

“And you think this woman means nothing to him?” He finally asked.

“I doubt it,” Victor replied. “I think he enjoys having sex with her and I know he has made good use of her technical skills, but I doubt that anybody could ever mean much to that man.”

Krusche shook his head as he pondered what the young Commander had said. He couldn’t help wondering how much of his low opinion of this Marcel was based on fact and how much came from his sheer hatred of his half brother.

“Then why did our man choose to take Jedi training?” He asked, “and why would any Jedi bother teaching him the ways of the Force?”

Victor shrugged.

“I think the answer to your first question is obvious. Our man sought out Jedi training because he knows that it would make him more dangerous.”

Commander Krusche smiled and shook his head.

“Jedi training may make a man more dangerous, but it also puts him in more danger. The Emperor doesn’t dispatch Lord Vader to deal with common smugglers, you know.”

Victor sighed.

“Between the two of us, Commander, I doubt that Marcel gives much thought to his personal safety. No man would get involved with the affairs of Hutts, take on the might of the Corporate Sector or join the Rebellion if he was worried about death.

Commander Krusche pressed his lips together as he listened.

“Then you think your man has a death wish?” He asked.

“Maybe he does,” Victor replied with a shrug. “I have always assumed that Marcel has so much faith in his talents, that he believes he will always be able to cheat death.”

Commander Krusche smiled coldly as he listened.

“That is a common belief among men who throw themselves into dangerous situations,” he replied calmly. “It may be true in this case, but I warn you not to put too much stock in it.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed as he listened.

“Why?” He asked.

Krusche’s smile broadened.

“Because you are but one step away from underestimating your opponent,” he replied sternly. “Its one thing to dislike someone so much that you believe that they are incapable of any sort of goodness. It’s a mistake, but it has limited tactical implications. If you mistakenly believe that your opponent puts too much faith in his ability to succeed in any situation that he throws himself into, then you are dangerously close to underestimating his willingness to think and his ability to plan. That mistake has cost several of my colleagues their lives.”

Victor bit his lip and narrowed his eyes as he listened.

“Now the question in the center of my mind,” Krusche continued, “is why would any Jedi or Jedi Master bother teaching this Marcel of yours if he is as much of a scoundrel as you claim. The Jedi may have their faults, but they tend to be highly idealistic and have great insight. Why would any Jedi take on a student who has such dark tendencies?”

Victor smiled wryly.

“Maybe Marcel has conned his teacher into believing he is a better person than he truly is,” he chuckled.

Commander Krusche scowled.

“Commander Tekel!” He scolded. “This is anything but a laughing matter!”

Victor sighed.

“I know,” he replied sullenly, “I doubt that the Emperor would take our failure lightly.”

Commander Krusche nodded solemnly.

“That is why we MUST not fail,” he said firmly. “And the question remains. Why would any Jedi teach this scoundrel, if he is indeed such a scoundrel?”

Victor gritted his teeth.

“Oh, he’s a scoundrel all right!” He replied crossly. “I don’t pretend to know enough about the Jedi to say what kind of master would choose to take him as a student. Still, what kind of Jedi would bother teaching a Hutt?”

Commander Krusche shook his head.

“I wish you would take this more seriously Commander,” he answered reprovingly. “There has never been and will never be any Jedi Knight who would bother training a Hutt, they have too many dark tendencies.”

An evil grin sprang to Victor’s lips.

“And you’re sure of this?” He demanded.

“Absolutely!” Krusche replied. “I have conducted extensive research on the Jedi: read the records confiscated from the Jedi Temple and even interviewed Lord Vader himself. I have never come across anything that would suggest that A Hutt might have been trained in the Jedi arts.”

Victor’s smile broadened.

“I think I may have,” he replied, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. “I had sent a detachment to investigate an odd life form reading at a cave near the clearing where Miss Price was found. As my troops approached the cave, they were attacked by stones and boulders, killing almost a hundred men. The attack ended when someone managed to fire several missiles into the cave. My men searched the cave for over an hour and found a large number of Jedi artifacts but the remains of only one life form, a small Hutt.”

Commander Krusche cleared his throat.

“And it is your opinion that this Hutt was the Jedi that had attacked your men?” He scoffed.

Victor nodded.

“Rocks do not hurl themselves,” he replied firmly.

“And it’s not possible that the real Jedi Master escaped in the freighter with your brother?” Krusche asked.

Victor scowled.

“My HALF brother,” he replied crossly, “let’s not insult my family any more than we have to!”

Krusche smiled.

“At this point Commander, the exact relationship between you and our man is unimportant,” he replied. “What IS important is that we have at least one Jedi that we have to acquire and kill or else we are going to be in serious trouble. The question I have is do we actually have two Jedi to deal with, or was this Marcel actually studying the Jedi ways from this Hutt as you seem to be claiming.”

Victor sighed as Commander Krusche brought him back to reality.

“To answer your question,” he replied, “it is possible that Maxx spirited his teacher away in his ship. Most smuggling ships contain shielded compartments. Still, I doubt it.”

Commander Krusche raised an eyebrow as he listened.

“Why do you say that?” He asked.

“The Wild Nerf was seen racing towards the cave at low altitude,” Victor replied trying to be calm. “YT-1300s are not very aerodynamic and flying that close to the ground at full throttle is extremely dangerous. I don’t think Maxx would have done that unless he was trying to rescue someone.”

Commander Krusche waited a few seconds before replying.

“Didn’t you just finish telling me that this Marcel was so confident in his abilities that he didn’t believe he could fail?”

Victor nodded.

“And you had just finished warning me that taking too much stock in Maxx’s overconfidence was dangerously close to underestimating him,” he answered.

Krusche’s smile blossomed.

“Touché,” he replied. “I’m just wondering if this ‘rescue attempt’ wasn’t just a diversion to make us think that this Hutt was the Jedi Master while the real Master was safely in the freighter.”

Victor nodded thoughtfully as he listened.

“Its possible,” he replied, “but I wonder if a Jedi Master wouldn’t have forced Maxx to fly a little more prudently. What good is a diversion if one dies in the attempt?”

Krusche nodded.

“Either way we have to convince our Jedi to come to us,” he answered coolly, “and I think I know just the way to do that.”

***

Trix sighed after she turned off the comlink, she couldn’t say that she hadn’t been warned. Yesterday Tre’ la said that Maxx had told her that he was sending a data card to Marshal and that the two of them should watch it together. Trix still didn’t know what to make of these telepathic “conversations” that Maxx had with her daughter. She supposed that she should just be glad that Maxx had found a way to connect with their daughter, but some of their conversations could be disturbing. She remembered the time when she tucked Tre’ la into bed and her little girl said that they would have to cancel their trip to Alderaan because the Empire had just destroyed that world. Tre’ la went on to say that they didn’t need to worry because the Rebels had destroyed the “Death Star” that had destroyed Alderaan. Several days later the Empire sent out a news report claiming that the Rebellion had destroyed Alderaan testing a new superweapon. After that, Trix was almost afraid to wonder what might happen next.

Even with all the tension, Trix smiled when she saw Marshal Thonas at the door. Marshal may not have been much to look at, or very romantic for that matter, but he exuded a reliable gentleness that made her feel warm and comfortable when he was around. Trix threw her arms around Marshal and squeezed tightly as soon as he had entered her apartment.

“You’re trembling,” Marshal said when Trix finally relaxed her embrace.

Trix smiled sadly.

“Can you blame me?” She sighed. “That Alderaan thing was bad enough, I’m almost afraid to ask what this is about.”

Marshal smiled sympathetically. He knew that his former apprentice was just trying to do the best he could with a difficult situation, he still didn’t appreciate the burdens Maxx often placed on Trix.

“A kid in an old freighter just dropped this at my office an hour ago,” he said grimly pulling a data card from his pocket. “We’d better watch it and see what this is all about.”

Trix released her embrace and led Marshal to the bedroom. They sat on the bed and Marshal slipped the data card into the datapad that Trix had set up on the dresser. Marshal pressed a few buttons and a small hologram of Maxx appeared. He was wearing his old khaki duster and flying boots. His face was grim.

“Hello my friends,” Maxx said somberly. “I’m sorry that I’ve been such a burden to you lately. I wish I could say that things were going to be easier from now on but they won’t, at least for the short term. The Emperor has sent a Star Destroyer to the world where I have been training. My Master is dead and Lo is a prisoner. I have escaped, but they are trying to find me. I have a plan to free Lo and deal with her captors, but it will take time to implement and the three of you may soon be in grave danger. The Empire will soon begin to torture Lo in order to get to me. There is a chance that they may come after you as well. I am monitoring the situation and should be able to warn you in time, but you must be able to act quickly.

“Marshal, you will need to have one of your fastest smuggling ships on standby. It should be provisioned for a long journey, fueled and carrying a good supply of medicine, tools and spare parts. There should be at least fifty thousand credits in its safe so that you can avoid the Empire’s banking system.

“Trix, keep Tre’ la close at all times. She is my only way of warning you that the Empire is closing in. As soon as she warns you, contact Marshal and get to his hangar as quickly and discretely as possible. It would be best for you to have a bag packed with essential documents, valuables and other essentials so that you can leave on short notice.

“The both of you should be as secretive as you can. Tell as few people as you can get away with telling and tell them as little as you can. The two of you should carry comlinks at all times and develop a code so that you do not arouse too much suspicion. Once you are off world, I will contact you and provide as much help as I can.

“I’m sorry to have to burden you with this. I love the three of you so very much and wish that I could leave you in peace so that you could enjoy your lives together. Unfortunately I have created powerful enemies and you need to be warned. I hope that some day the two of you will forgive me for this. Fare well.”

And with that the hologram flickered off. Trix and Marshal looked at each other thinking about what Maxx had said and what they needed to do.

“You in?” Trix asked softly.

Marshal nodded solemnly.

“How could I not be?” He replied quietly. “I will reserve a ship as soon as I return to the office and prepare it tonight.”

“Good,” Trix said with a weary smile. “I will start packing as soon as you leave and make certain that Mae’ la is instructed.”

With that Trix reached out and pulled Marshal into an embrace. She was afraid of what the future might bring, but she couldn’t help but appreciate how wonderful it was to have a lover who was so strong and supportive in a time like this.

***

Lo had known that something like this might happen. Being a smuggler who aided the Rebellion wasn’t the safest thing in the galaxy, but that knowledge had never prepared her for this. As she was strapped in the rack, staring in horror at the bed of electrodes that lay below her, Lo found herself cringing in anticipation. It all seemed so unreal. No body had bothered to ask her any questions about Maxx, or anything else for that matter. The stormtroopers just strapped her into this thing and Victor Tekel just flipped the switch that energized the electrodes and then pulled the lever that caused the rack to slowly descend towards the bed. As the needle like electrodes penetrated her clothes and stabbed into her skin, Lo’s body was wracked by intense pain. She screamed.
***

Maxx doubled over in pain and was bombarded with stun bolts from the remotes that he hadn’t been able to deactivate. He quickly used the Force to switch off the remotes. Jedi the Hutt shook his head.

“You will not be able to switch off the stormtroopers as easily,” he chided.

“Forgive me Master,” Maxx said as he gasped. “This is the first time I had ever felt anything like that.”

Jedi the Hutt smiled sadly.

“I know,” he replied warmly. “Unfortunately it won’t be the last. Varden Krusche is as clever as he is ruthless and he knows how to use a Jedi’s abilities against him. The only thing you can do is become strong so that you won’t be swayed by this.”

Maxx nodded, it wasn’t like his teacher hadn’t warned him about this. Krusche was notorious for torturing a Jedi’s family and friends so that he could lure the Jedi into a trap.

“I know,” he replied heavily. “It was my first time, I needed a breather.”

His teacher nodded.

“Are you ready to resume?” He asked.

Maxx nodded firmly. He reconnected with the Force and blocked out the pain he was receiving from Lo using a technique that Master Yodale had taught him for blocking his own pain. He then switched on the remotes, raised his lightsaber and prepared to deflect the stun bolts.

***

Maxx sighed sadly as he puffed on his pipe and stared at the holographic representation of Captain Price’s Star Destroyer. He felt so totally useless. Far away on that ship, Lo was being tortured for several hours a day while he remained safe, practiced his Jedi exercises and stared at the deck layouts of this monster trying to figure out how he was going to rescue her. In a way, Maxx knew that he was doing the right thing. He may have come a long way since he had started lightsaber training, but he was not a Jedi yet and he would need all the talent a fully trained Jedi Knight could muster if he was going to rescue Lo from that beast. Still, every day that he waited was another day that Lo had to suffer. It tortured him because he knew that Lo was not as brave or as strong as he was. Maxx had often used the Force to watch over Lo and the way that she curled up into a ball while she was in her cell tore at his heart. As he stared at the hologram, Maxx wondered if Lo would ever recover. He wished he could change places with her.

“They’d kill you if you tried that, and her fate in Kessel would be scarcely better than it is now.”

Maxx looked up and acknowledged his teacher who had just appeared in the Nerf’s lounge.

“I know that,” he replied glumly, “but knowing that this is the best I can do doesn’t make her suffering any easier to bear.”

Jedi the Hutt was tempted to ask his student if that pipe made it easier to bear, but he wasn’t about to begrudge Maxx one of the few things that seemed to comfort him. Maxx stared thoughtfully at the Hutt and frowned.

“Will it always be like this?” He asked.

His teacher frowned.

“Like what?” He asked in reply.

“Will I always spend my time brooding about the people I’m unable to save?”

Jedi the Hutt waited awhile before answering.

“That is your decision,” he replied. “I know that you have brooded like this in the past and while your concern for others does you credit, I hope that you will also appreciate the times you have been able to help others. Even at this time you have done quite a few good things.”

Maxx smiled sadly.

“I know,” he replied, “its just that it is so hard to be content while someone I love suffers like this.”

Jedi the Hutt nodded.

“Perhaps that is way romantic love was forbidden under Jedi law.”

Maxx stared into his Master’s eyes as he listened.

“Do you think I should not love her?” He asked.

Jedi the Hutt returned his student’s gaze and thought for awhile before speaking.

“The prohibition against love vanished along with the Jedi order, so this is for you to decide,” he finally answered. “Though I think you understand the reasoning behind that prohibition.”

Maxx nodded sagely.

“Now more than ever,” he replied. “And yet, even though I feel the pain and know the dangers I would gladly face them. Still, I suspect it will soon be over.”

Jedi the Hutt blinked.

“Oh?” He asked.

“I don’t think Lo will be strong enough to face the possibility of going through this again,” he replied sadly. “I know that she loves me, but sometimes love just isn’t enough.”

Jedi the Hutt nodded thoughtfully.

“But you’re still going through with this,” he replied.

Maxx nodded solemnly.

“There is no way I cannot,” he said firmly. “I owe her this much.”

***

“That time already?” Lo asked blankly as the door to her cell opened and Commander Tekel walked in. It didn’t surprise her too much that Victor entered the cell alone, it was not like she was able to pose any real threat.

“You still have two hours,” Victor said grimly. He wasn’t exactly certain what he was doing there. He had told Captain Price that he wanted to speak with the prisoner and see if he could learn anything about the Jedi’s possible plans. Krusche had been certain that Marcel would rush here and rescue this woman once he learned that she was in pain. Victor wasn’t gullible enough to believe that his half brother could ever be concerned for anyone’s well being, but he was certain that Marcel would come out of arrogance and the inability to resist a challenge. Yet as the days wore on, that miserable scoundrel seemed to stay where ever he had managed to hole up. As he marked the twenty second day that this Lo was to be tortured, Victor couldn’t help wondering how he and Commander Krusche could have managed to be so wrong.

“When do you think he’ll come?” Victor asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

Lo frowned as she contemplated the question. There was a time when she couldn’t wait for Maxx to rescue her and give these sithspawn what they deserved, but as the days ground on, and the futility of her situation became obvious, Lo found herself hoping that Maxx would never come. At least he would live on and she figured that the galaxy needed a Jedi Knight more than another engineer.

”Maxx?” Lo asked, her voice sounding unnaturally distant, “hard to say. If he’s coming, it will be when he’s good and ready.”

Victor tensed up as he listened.

“If he’s coming?” He asked nervously. “You mean there’s a chance that he won’t come?”

Lo narrowed her eyes as she contemplated “Vicky”, she thought that that would be obvious.

“Would you?” She asked in reply.

Victor frowned as he listened.

“But I’m not him,” he replied indignantly.

“I know,” Lo replied firmly. “But just because Maxx is a better man than you’ll ever be does not mean that he’s stupid enough to take on a Star Destroyer single handedly.”

Victor slapped Lo across her right cheek.

“That kind of talk can get you executed!” He growled.

Lo shrugged.

“It’s either that or some place like Kessel anyway,” she replied grimly.

“Not necessarily,” Victor said trying to sound like he was in control of this interview. “If you were a little more cooperative, you could work for us. The Empire could always use another engineer with your talents and once this Jedi business gets resolved, I’ll be able to get you a position in fleet engineering. If you’re really cooperative, I might be able to get you posted to a friendly company like Sinear Fleet Systems.”

Lo narrowed her eyes as she listened.

“In other words, you want me to turn on Maxx so that I can save my own skin and do engineering work in a prison cell?” She scoffed.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

“Look!” He said firmly. “I have to believe that you’re smart enough to know that this Maxx of yours can’t help you anymore. Either he will return to save you, and we’ll kill him or the Empire will hunt him down, just as it did all the other Jedi. Either way, you’re on your own. It just makes sense to look after yourself.

“Besides, it won’t be that bad. Your movements will be restricted, of course, but you will have a comfortable apartment with all the engineering resources that you’ll need. I’m sure that the Empire could find engineering assignments that matched your ability.”

Lo’s lips pressed together as she considered the last Imperial engineering marvel that she had heard of.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she replied grimly. “If it’s the same to you, I’d rather rot in Kessel than help your Empire design the next Death Star.”

Victor’s eyes widened, in shock. Ever since his days at the Imperial Intelligence Academy, Victor Tekel had heard rumors about a so called “Death Star” that was supposed to be under construction on the penal world of Despayre. It was said that Lord Vader himself was supervising its construction. He had heard rumors that the battle station was the size of a small moon and contained enough firepower to destroy an entire planet. Victor had grown to discount these rumors as little more than a wishful desire among some Imperial officers for an easy way to deal with the Rebellion. Now this prisoner, a civilian engineer with no Imperial connections was talking about a “Death Star.”

“I’ve heard rumors of a ‘Death Star’ from time to time,” Victor relied, “and I can assure you that no such thing exists.”

“Oh?” Lo asked as she arched an eyebrow, “then how do you account for the destruction of Alderaan?”

“Alderaan!?” Victor shouted the horror quite clear in his voice. “The Empire would NEVER destroy Alderaan. Alderaan may harbor a few rebels, but Alderaanians are peaceful. They’ve even disarmed! We’d never harm them!”

Lo narrowed her eyes and took savage delight in her captor’s discomfort.

“Then why don’t you hail Alderaan and see for yourself?” She asked fiercely.

Victor winced.

“I would,” he replied, “but Captain Price has ordered the ship to remain on com silence. We have heard nothing from the rest of the Empire since Commander Krusche and I came on board.”

“Then listen to me!” Lo demanded as her eyes narrowed. “The Nerf has been monitoring communications ever since Maxx felt a disturbance in the Force. There are no communications coming from Alderaan and we have heard several reports that the planet has been replaced by an asteroid field.”

Victor’s fists clenched.

“That’s impossible!” He screamed.

“I wish!” Lo replied, “but that is what happened. If this bothers you, you may want to think about what side you’re on.”

Victor slapped Lo again.

“I’m not listening to any more of this treasonous nonsense!” He bellowed. “I’ll be back in one hour and you may want to consider being more cooperative.”

“The Sith I will!” Lo shouted back as Victor Tekel turned around, punched in his authorization code and left the cell.

***

Commander Varden Krusche winced as he reached for his pills. As much as he loved the thrill of a case, Krusche couldn’t help wondering if he should have resisted the Emperor’s request that he join in this particular hunt. He chuckled to himself as he pulled two pills out of the jar. Death was likely in either case so he might as well choose the one that gave him the most pleasure. Besides, displeasing the Emperor could easily bring a quick, painful death while the stress of returning to the field merely increased his chances of a heart attack. “Oh well,” he thought as he popped the pills, “everybody dies sooner or later.”

Commander Tekel’s report on his interview with the prisoner concerned him. Commander Krusche didn’t worry too much about the possibility that Maxx was waiting for the right time to attack. The Jedi’s patience and willingness to prepare might make him more dangerous, but he was still only one man against nine thousand troops. Krusche was more concerned by the possibility that this Jedi had decided to abandon his lover and save his own skin. He knew that it was the only reasonable thing the Jedi could do. Any rescue would be hopeless and one Jedi Knight would be worth more to the Rebels than even one hundred engineers. Still, if this Jedi had decided to walk away, he and Commander Tekel would be forced to explain their failure to the Emperor and Commander Krusche was pretty certain how that conversation would go.

Maybe that was why Commander Tekel seemed to be so disturbed. Waiting for the Jedi had seemed to make everybody on board the Invincible a little tense, but the young Commander’s talk with this prisoner seemed to have left him even more unsettled than usual. As he felt the tension in his chest ease, Commander Krusche wondered how this prisoner might have gotten to Commander Tekel. Lo Price did not seem to be particularly dangerous, but then looks could be deceiving.

In any case, young Tekel’s moodiness was not Commander Krusche’s main problem. His concern was to find a little extra leverage to bring this Jedi to the Invincible quickly. He would have to talk with Commander Tekel and interrogate the prisoner to see if there were other people that he could use.

As he poured himself a drink, Commander Krusche thought he heard a deep booming laugh. At first Krusche was certain that he was imagining things. There was no way that a Hutt could have gotten on board the Star Destroyer without his knowing about it. Then he heard the terrible laugh again, this time it was much louder. He turned and suddenly dropped his glass. He stared blankly at the glowing apparition before him.

“Commander Varden Krusche!” The translucent figure bellowed.

“Y…y…yes?” Krusche replied quivering in terror.

“I am the Hutt that your men killed twenty three days ago. I have come back to take my revenge!”

Commander Krusche cowered as he stared in horror at Jedi the Hutt.

“But I thought the Jedi didn’t believe in revenge,” he said meekly.

“But Hutts do!” The apparition growled.

“But…but why go after me?” Krusche begged. “Commander Tekel was in charge of the assault that took your life.”

Jedi the Hutt narrowed his eyes and did his best to look more sinister than he had ever been during the time that he was alive.

“But YOU were the man who brought them to my world and you have the blood of many Jedi on your miserable hands!” He growled. “The souls of those Jedi have contacted me and insisted that you must die! They don’t consider this to be revenge, they think it is merely justice.”

Krusche felt his chest tighten as he stared at the leering Hutt.

“W…w…what are you going to do to me!?” He wailed.

Jedi the Hutt’s lips curled into an evil grin.

“I am going to make you wish that it was the Emperor who was torturing you.” He replied. “He’s much kinder than I.”

With that, Jedi the Hutt started slithering towards Commander Krusche. Commander Krusche felt his heart pound and reached for his medicine as if that would ward off the spectral Hutt, but it was too late. He collapsed on the floor and died.

***

“You look tired, my Master,” Maxx said warmly as Jedi the Hutt reappeared on the Nerf.

“I have just gotten closer to the Dark Side than I have ever wanted to get,” Jedi the Hutt replied wearily.

“Then he’s dead?” Maxx asked.

“Krusche?” The Hutt asked in reply. “Definitely, I waited around to make certain. The scary thing is that it almost felt good to watch him die.”

Maxx nodded sympathetically.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “and I appreciate your sacrifice. You’ve left me with one less threat to deal with.”

Jedi the Hutt smiled warmly.

“Then it was worth it,” he replied. “Just do me one favor.”

“Name it,” Maxx replied earnestly.

“If you find yourself enjoying the prospect of killing, back off if you can. I don’t want to see you fall as I almost did.”

Maxx nodded sagely.

“I will do my best, my Master.”

Jedi the Hutt beamed.

“Good, good!” He replied. “Did you get the things you needed?”

Maxx nodded.

“Excellent!” The Hutt exclaimed. “Then you are ready.”

Maxx nodded.

“I am.”

“Then,” Jedi the Hutt replied, “the galaxy will soon see what a fully trained Jedi Knight can do.”

***

As Lo was being marched to the Invincible’s interrogation room, she couldn’t help feeling silently amused. There was something funny about having twenty of the Empire’s best frontline soldiers escort one unarmed prisoner. Lo found this particularly comical because she was woefully out of shape, had no martial arts training and had only the most basic understanding of how to use a blaster. She wasn’t particularly dangerous even on her best day.

Lo knew that the stormtroopers weren’t really for her, but for the man her captors hoped would come to her aid. Lo was convinced that her father and his Imperial friends were wasting their time. At first, Lo had expected Maxx to arrive in a few days to rescue her but as the days dragged on, the impossibility of her situation started sinking in. The Star Destroyer was huge and contained thousands of stormtroopers. How could one man, even a Jedi Knight, win against those odds? It would be almost as foolish as taking on the Empire single handedly. Maxx may be heroic, but he couldn’t be that stupid. He must have decided that it was best to abandon her and concentrate on the good that he could do.

At first Lo was devastated when it occurred to her that Maxx would not be coming. The hours of intense pain that she had experienced in that room had left her body feeling shaky and numb. She needed Maxx to take her away from all this and make their enemies pay for what they had done to her. As the days continued to drag on, Lo started taking comfort in the thought that her love was alive and free. Eventually, she started seeing every day that she suffered as another day that Maxx had to disappear before the Empire started looking for him. Lo knew that her captors would eventually figure out that Maxx wasn’t coming to her rescue and the search for him would start in earnest but every day she could delay that was a gift, the only one she had left to give.

Then they passed one corner and Lo heard a series of muffled explosions echo throughout the ship. Suddenly everything went black and Lo felt something gently shove her against a wall. The corridor was bathed in an eerie purple glow. She saw a tall figure wearing an Imperial uniform brandishing a purple lightsaber. She wanted to call out, but couldn’t. It seemed surreal to stand there watching Maxx use his lightsaber to bat the blaster bolts back towards the men who were shooting at him. It was like she was in one of the old holodramas she watched in college but this was real. Maxx was doing the things that she had only seen pretend Jedi do before.

As soon as the last stormtrooper was vanquished, Max turned to her. He was wearing an Imperial technician’s uniform and had what appeared to be a tool satchel slung over his shoulder.

“I don’t have time to argue,” he said. “Just follow me and do what I say. We may make it out of this in one piece.”

Lo felt dazed as Maxx grabbed her right hand and led her down one of the corridors of the intersection that she had just passed. This was insane! There was no way that they were going to make it off this thing. Still, there was no way that she was going to endanger Maxx by arguing with him. If Maxx was going to risk everything to come for her, Lo owed it to him to follow his lead. They continued down the corridor. At one point, Maxx suddenly extinguished his light saber and flattened the two of them against a wall right before a squad of stormtroopers rounded a corner and rushed right past them. As they continued along in the darkness, something struck Lo.

“Maxx?” She whispered.

Maxx suddenly stopped and pulled her into an embrace so that his lips were right next to her right ear.

“Yes?” He whispered in a voice so soft that it was barely audible.

Lo trembled as she felt Maxx’s body press tightly against hers.

“We’re moving away from the docking bay,” she whispered as softly as she could.

“We’re not going to the docking bay,” he whispered back. “I don’t have time to explain, please trust me.”

With that, Maxx released the embrace, grasped Lo’s hand and pulled her forward. Lo would have stumbled but something caught her and held her upright until she was able to move her feet.

Eventually they stopped and Maxx opened a hatch and pushed Lo into a small compartment. As Maxx entered behind her and started pushing buttons, Lo recognized where they were.

“This is an escape pod!” She whispered forcefully as Maxx overrode the programming and launched the pod.

“The best way off the ship,” Maxx quietly said. “The docking bays are crawling with Imperial troops. The Nerf will soon be by to pick us up.”

Lo pressed her lips together. Why didn’t he understand?

“We’ll be sitting nerfs out here!” She whispered in despair.

Maxx shook his head as he continued to pilot the escape pod away from the Star Destroyer.

“I doubt it,” he whispered. “Their sensors are down, their guns are down and I doubt that they’ll be able to launch any fighters. Besides, soon it won’t matter.”

Lo couldn’t believe her ears.

“What!?” She asked.

Maxx closed his eyes and his face took on the peaceful expression it usually did when he was accessing the Force. Suddenly the escape pod was jarred by a violent explosion. Lo peered out the view port and saw that the Invincible was gone and that a debris field had taken its place. She turned to Maxx and saw that he looked weary and a bit sad.

“It’s amazing what a few thermal detonators can do if you put them in the right places,” he said, his voice radiating exhaustion.

***

“Could this get any worse?” Victor Tekel thought irritably as he waited for the prisoner to be marched into the interrogation chamber. He was in such a foul mood that even the thought of making that filthy Corellian howl with pain for the twenty sixth day did nothing to lift his spirits.

As far as he was concerned, this mission was one big fiasco after another. First that phony Jedi half brother of his managed to escape his troops and the might of the Invincible itself, then their attempt to lure him back by torturing his miserable lover had failed – or was in the process of failing, now Krusche was dead. Victor vividly remembered visiting Commander Krusche’s cabin shortly after the body was discovered. The look on his face, the sheer terror in his eyes, still haunted Victor. The elderly Jedi hunter was the coldest, most bloodless person that Victor had ever known. Even the presence of the Emperor himself didn’t seem to faze Commander Krusche. As he drummed his fingers against the control panel, Victor wondered what could get to a man like Krusche. He also couldn’t help wondering if there was anything he could do if whatever it was came after him.

As troubling as it was, the Commander’s death was hardly Victor’s greatest worry. With Krusche gone it was Victor’s responsibility to find this so called Jedi Knight or he would face the Emperor’s wrath. He was beginning to wonder if he should ask Captain Price to admit their failure and call upon the rest of the Imperial Navy to join in the hunt. At least they should arrest Maxx’s Twi’lek girlfriend and his old boss. Maybe their pain and suffering could bring that miserable scoundrel to heel.

There was always that other question that bothered Victor on those times when he was alone and had time to think. What if the prisoner was right and the Death Star was more than wishful thinking of a few low ranking Imperial officers? What if Alderaan had really been destroyed as she had claimed? Victor had visited Alderaan many times during his childhood and he loved that world almost as much as he had loved Tapan. It as so beautiful and the people had been so warm and kind. Could he continue serving the Empire if he knew that it was responsible for destroying such a world?

Suddenly Victor was torn from his brooding by a series of muffled explosions that seemed to cascade through the ship. As the lights went out, he knew what was happening. “Explosive charges?” It had never occurred to any of them to plan for the possibility that Maxx would have planted explosive devices throughout the ship. Victor felt around the room until he found a glow rod. There was only one thing he could do now.

***

TC-23J was supervising the Nerf’s two Asp labor droids who were scrubbing the main cargo bay when she heard the ship’s power cores spool up. She turned toward Trouble who was plugged into the lounge’s engineering station.

“Shut the droids down and get ready to move,” the astromech whistled and beeped. “We’ve just received our master’s signal.”

TC-23J walked toward the engineering station.

“Are you SURE it’s Maxx’s signal?” She asked cautiously. “Flying to the wrong signal could be disastrous.”

“Look gold bottom!” Trouble hooted. “I don’t question your ability to understand the grunts and moans of meat sacks, don’t second guess my ability to identify and interpret complex electronic signals.”

“Oh well,” TC-23J muttered to herself as she moved to order the labor droids to stand down. She liked Trouble most of the time, but she occasionally wished that Maxx was willing to consider upgrading the astromech’s personality matrix.

***

An awkward silence reigned in the escape pod as Maxx and Lo sat at opposite ends of the pod and stared dumbly at each other.

“What should a Jedi Knight say when he finally gets around to rescuing someone that he had left to suffer for way too long?” Maxx wondered. It was not something that his master had gotten around to lecturing about. “Sorry I’m late,” seemed hopelessly trite and explaining why he had waited so long made him feel like he was making excuses. He desperately wanted to say, “I love you,” but he didn’t want to make any demands on Lo. Maxx was not about to abuse their relationship by using the Force to pry into his love’s thoughts and feelings, but he was certain that she must have decided that she was better off without him. As much as he loved Lo, Maxx couldn’t help coming to that conclusion. She had adjusted remarkably well to the dangers of loving a smuggler and a Rebel sympathizer, but Maxx’s life as a Jedi Knight would increase that danger exponentially. In the past, Lo had accepted those risks but it was one thing to accept them when the dangers were theoretical possibilities and another to continue accepting them once she had experienced the suffering that they might lead to. Maxx just wanted Lo to be happy and if she decided that her happiness lay far from him, Maxx would smile and give her all the support she needed to strike out on her own.

Maxx was still thinking of what he should say to Lo when he sensed a deep burning hatred directed towards him. He closed his eyes and sensed the source of that anger.

“We’re in trouble,” Maxx said without opening his eyes. “Victor has commandeered a shuttle craft and he’s heading straight for us.”

Lo’s eyes widened in panic.

“I guess this is it!” She replied tensely.

“The Sith it is!” Maxx replied firmly. “I can hold him off for now, but I need you to use the datapad in my tool bag and see if you could slice into the shuttle’s override programming and do something.”

“How can you hold him off!?” Lo asked as she frantically opened the satchel and pulled out a battered looking datapad. “It’s not like this thing has any weapons!”

Maxx favored Lo with a sly grin.

“When the Force is with you, you’re never out of options,” he replied.

***

“This has been a long time in coming,” Victor thought as he closed in on the lone escape pod. He didn’t need the shuttle’s advanced scanning system to know who was in that pod. All he needed to do was get within range, fire a few shots and that fake Jedi scoundrel and that annoying prisoner would be finished. He had trouble imagining that the Emperor would be too displeased with him over the loss of a Star Destroyer if he could honestly claim to have eliminated one Jedi Knight from the galaxy.

Once he was within firing range, Victor pointed the shuttle directly at the escape pod and moved to the gunner’s chair. As he brought the guns on line and targeted the escape pod, the shuttle swung sharply to the right, making it impossible to hit the pod. Victor cursed as he returned to the pilot’s chair. If Marcel wanted to play games, it was fine with him. He had all the time in the galaxy and sooner or later, he’d figure out a way to get that rogue.

***

“I’m in!” Lo crowed as she hunched over the datapad. She marveled at Maxx’s foresight in bringing a datapad that was set up for slicing and had just about every sort of adaptor and hookup cable she could imagine. It didn’t take her long to wire the datapad into the escape pod’s rudimentary com system. Lo furrowed her brow as she pondered her options. Their attacker had managed to lock the power core, engines and weapons on manual. As she stared at the screen, she noticed that the navicomputer hadn’t been locked out. That could be promising.

***

“This time I have you!” Victor crowed as he turned the shuttle back toward the escape pod. He had manually locked the laser cannons on straight ahead and had transferred fire control to the pilot’s chair. He would have to get a lot closer to hit the pod, but it wasn’t like that thing was going to fire back at him. As soon as he got a target lock, Victor pulled the trigger only to see nothing happen. He stared down at the control panel and discovered that fire control had been transferred back to the gunner’s chair. Victor cursed as the shuttle raced past the pod.

***

Lo grinned as she looked down at the datapad. She had sliced into the shuttle’s navicomputer and downloaded her preferred coordinates into the hyperdrive controller. All she had to do was engage the hyperdrive and their troubles would be over.

“Emperor’s black bones!”

Maxx opened his eyes and gazed at her.

“What’s wrong?” He asked calmly.

“I’ve got the sithing hyperdrive ready to send Vicky far away, but I can’t get the thing to activate!”

Maxx smiled peacefully as he closed his eyes.

“Allow me,” he replied calmly.

***

Victor gritted his teeth as he pointed the shuttle towards the escape pod. Ramming the pod was hardly his preferred mode of attack, but he was going to get that man one way or the other. Besides, he was certain that the shuttle could limp to the nearest Imperial base with a damaged port wing. The escape pod wouldn’t be as fortunate. As he lined the Lambda Shuttle’s port wing up with the pod, Victor thought he saw a lever move out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly he saw the stars streak by as the shuttle entered hyperspace.