The Adventures of the Crimson Hawk, Part 24

Leia had never seen so many trees in her life. Endor was mostly woods and rocky cliffs. The trees dominated everything, so large she couldn't begin to see their tops. Their roots formed tunnels over their heads. The cliffs were strewn with sharp crystal that glittered softly in the dim afternoon sun and animal holes that one could step in and turn an ankle, if not careful. Tinkling streams babbled along, carrying fish and frogs to their fall and winter homes in the Calamari River.

“It's hard to believe that Coruscant would ruin such a pretty place.” Rusty straggled along behind, admiring the view. “There's more to be learned here by just standin' and listenin' than dragging rocks out of the cliffs.”

Cedric shuddered. “I don't know how you can say that. This land is filled with wild animals and savage natives and rock slides and who knows what else?”

“Shh!” Henry waved his hand. Everyone had thrown green and white or brown and white cotton Naboo army jackets over their clothes, except Henry, who wore his brown duster that he'd taken off the Falcon before it left. “There's a couple of guys out there.” Indeed, four Coruscant soldiers in white dusters and helmets were milling around four small carts, eating their lunches and discussing going over to the mines to check on the workers later. Charles shooks his head as Henry smirked. “Charlie n' me will make short work of them.”

“Quietly, Henry,” Luke reminded him. “There might be more of them out there.”

Henry's famous lazy smirk never faltered. “Hey, it's me.” It lasted for exactly three minutes, or until he stepped on a twig. One of the men heard him and gave him a hard right to the chin, knocking him flat on his back.

“Why am I not surprised?” Luke grumbled.

“Over there!” Leia swung her finger to two officers taking off on carts. “Two more of them!”

“Thanks, lass!” Charles' bow and arrow never missed it's mark. Two more men went down, but the two Leia pointed out still managed to flee the scene.

The duchess was already climbing into a cart. Luke knew what she was doing in an instant. “Wait, Leia!” He just managed to jump on as she took off.

There were no roads in the shadowy confines of the massive trees. The carts banged over spiky rocks and around prickly pine bushes. Leia's driving was confident despite the obstacles, just making it around two tremendous oaks that the soldiers behind them were unable to miss. When a branch knocked one off, Luke leaped onto his cart.

Even as they continued through the brush, three more carts flanked them. “You take that one,” Luke insisted. “I'll take these two.” He turned away from her, through a split in a pine tree that was taller than the largest steam ship in the world.

Leia's small horse was tiring. She couldn't outrun this man...but she might be able to out-shoot him. She pulled out her light gun and took a few shots, dodging bullets from his direction. She was about to fire again when her horse let out a spooked whinny.

“Whoa!” Her horse turned just in time, turning away from the edge of the Khyber Cliffs. The cliffs were among the steepest in Europe. People had died climbing them, never mind horses. The other fellow wasn't so lucky. He tried to stop too fast and was flung from his vehicle, his body last seen in free-fall over the sides. She could hear him screaming all the way down.

“Stop!” Leia tugged at the reins, but it did no good. Her horse kept running, the cart nearly flying over rocks and brush that poked hard into her tender skin. Worried that they too would go off the edge, she leaped out of the cart, landing in a bed of moss, as the horse galloped off into the distance. It was the last thing she saw before collapsing into the soft undergrowth.

~*~*~*~*~

Something hard and pointy was poking at her. She thought it was a pine cone or a thorny branch, until she heard the squeaks. They were loud and almost as sharp as whatever object was poking her in the side.

“Enough!” Leia shoved the pointy thing aside...and was surprised when she saw a tiny man clutching the other side. His fur robes, complete with hood with rounded ears, gave him the look of a wide-eyed bear cub. The spear he carried was less adorable. His face was plump and chubby, still showing its baby fat. “You're...you're a child.”

It gave a little growl, holding up what turned out to be a spear. “I won't hurt you. I don't hurt cubs.” She rubbed the bruised elbow she'd landed on. “Wish I knew where I was. Maybe you can help me, little one.” Her fingers brushed the log she'd climbed onto. “Why don't you join me?”

The little fellow continued to hold the spear at her. His growled “No!” hardly needed translation.

“Here.” She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and opened it, revealing dried fruit and meat and a few biscuits. “Would you like to share my lunch with me?”

He poked at her lunch, seeming intrigued despite herself. She thought he'd go for the meat, but he was more interested in the ginger spiced biscuits. “Try them. Maz Kantana made them. She's an excellent cook.”

His tiny pug nose sniffed wildly at the spicy, molasses-sweetened delicacies. She handed him one, then bit into another. “Oooh, they're delicious! I think Maz must have used fresh ginger. Must have gotten it from one of those fellows who hang around at the Inn. I knew they were pirates.”

The little man-cub ignored her talk and snatched a biscuit from her lap. He nibbled at it, slowly at first, but then faster as a big, dimpled smile spread across his plump face. His little legs scrambled onto the log next to her, enjoying his unusual treat. “You're a jittery little fellow, aren't you?” she asked him as he wolfed down one cookie, then another.

Rustling leaves and the cry of warblers over their heads attracted his attention. His big brown eyes gazed around furtively. Leia may not have understood what she said, but she got the gist of the meaning. Something was out there. Something bad.

Two bullets were fired into the log, just missing Leia's leg. They both ducked behind the log as Leia exchanged fire. The little fellow pushed behind Leia, chattering furiously, his shining eyes big and fearful.

“You!” She hadn't seen the other officer, at least until he reached out and grabbed her arm. “What do we have here?” He nodded at his friend. “Go get our cart. We'll take her to Hux.”

The little cub-man wasn't about to let a mean man in white harm his new friend! He stabbed him hard with the spear in the part of his leg between his boot and his trousers. The man went down with a yelp, giving Leia the chance to knock him out with a thick branch. She shot the other man in the shoulder. He fell off his cart and into the ravine.

“Let's get out of here, before the whole Coruscant Army shows up.” Leia helped him off the log. “We need to find my friends, too. I imagine they're worried sick about me by now.”

The little fellow squeaked, waving his fur-covered mittens in the direction of the ravine. He grabbed his new lady friend and pulled her off into the woods. He knew where she would be taken care of, where no one would ever find them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In another part of the woods, Luke and Henry were having their own problems. Henry's right leg was currently lodged under Charles' stomach. His left one was squashed uncomfortably between Luke's thigh and Rusty's right foot. Being trapped in a vine net wasn't nearly as much fun as the penny dreadfulls would have you believe. He now knew what a salmon felt like after it was caught by a fisherman.

“This is just great,” he groaned as they swung in the net, suspended above the mossy ground. “Always thinking with your stomach, Charlie. Did it ever occur to you that the only people who would leave dried meat hanging around are local natives who want dinner?”

Charlie tried to shrug, but his shoulders were wedged against the bottom of the ropes. “Sorry, mate. I was hungry. I hadn't had anything to eat since lunch!”

Henry rolled his eyes. “That was an hour ago!”

“Stop complaining, you two.” Luke tried to make the net swing further. “Henry, can you reach my saber?”

“Sure!” Henry tried to stretch his fingers towards Luke's electrical pack, but they kept twirling around every time he moved. All he got was dizzy.

Rusty made a face. “This is ridiculous. Looks like it's up to me to get us out.”

Cedric saw the knife he pulled out of his pocket flash. “Rusty, I'm not sure that's a good idea. It's very...ohhh!”

The moment Rusty cut through the bottom of the net, they all dropped to the ground, falling on a bed of leaves and each other. “Ok,” the handyman groaned, “maybe that wasn't the smartest thing I ever did, but how else were we gonna get out of there?”

Luke was more concerned about the faces gathered around them. He'd never seen such small beings. Even the tallest only reached his hip, and he was considered to be a small man. Each and every one wore the pelt of an an animal – bear, fox, rabbit, wolf – they'd caught. The older warriors sported black smudges around their eyes and noses that were probably intended to show their rank. All carried spears, knives, or sharp staffs.

“What the hell is this?” Henry grinned. “Did we fall into a toy store? Since when did they start selling stuffed animals in the middle of the woods?”

One of the “stuffed animals” didn't like Henry's quick movements or his insolent tone. He thrust his spear in his face, chattering heavily. “Hey!” Henry shoved it away. “Point that thing someplace else, Baby Bear.”

Luke took his light gun before he could cause trouble. “Henry, don't. It'll be all right. I can read their minds, you know. They're the 'local natives' you mentioned. They're more scared of us than we are of them.” They all handed over their weapons to Luke, who handed them to one of the older warriors.

“Oh, my head!” Cedric sat up, rubbing the back of his skull. “Why do we always have to make such hard landings?”

Every native around them chattered even more noisily, pointing to Cedric's bright gold coat and trousers. They were even more astonished when this vision spoke to them in their own language. They dropped to their knees and bowed before him, chanting in what sounded like gibberish to Henry.

Luke raised an eyebrow. “You understand what they're saying?”

“Why of course, Mr. Skywalker!” Cedric beamed. “I'm fluent in almost every language used by the Alliance, including some of the little-known ones. I could be mistaken, since they're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe they think I'm their sun god.”

Rusty and Charles burst into laughter, and even Luke couldn't resist a smile. Henry's smile was more feral. “Well, why don't you use that divine influence of yours and get us out of this? Tell them we need to find Leia, too.”

Cedric sniffed. “I'm sorry, General Solo, but that wouldn't be proper.”

Henry's mouth dropped open. Luke, Rusty, and Charles nearly fell over laughing at the incredulous look on his expressive face. “PROPER?”

Two of the little men helped him to his feet. “It's against my job description to impersonate a deity.”

“Why, you...” He was about to grab Cedric and deck him in that snotty nose of his when six spears were immediately thrust in his face. “My mistake.” He put out his hands in defeat. “He's an, uh, old friend of mine.” The other three rolled on the ground with laughter.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luke and Charles found it far less amusing when they were all trussed up on poles and brought to their campsite, high in the trees near the cliffs. Rusty and Henry were yelling something fierce, but the little warriors ignored them. Luke didn't like what he was reading in their minds. They thought they'd found dinner! Cedric, on the other hand, was carried on a litter piled with soft moss and set before a roaring fire.

“I have a really bad feeling about this.” Henry tried to twist towards Cedric and his throne. “Goldenrod, what's going on?”

Cedric shrugged. “I'm rather embarrassed, sir, but it seems you four are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor.”

“Boys!” One of the younger warriors lead Leia into the main square. Henry wished she'd let her hair down more often. Her long, flowing locks and the ruffly White Swan blouse under her tunic made her look like the portraits of wild women and ancient princesses he'd seen in books on Medieval Naboo. She turned to her squeaking companion. “These are my friends, not your next meal!” She went to Cedric's side. “Please tell them that they must be set free!”

The “god” spoke to the two tallest natives in their own language. The one in the eagle's head and feathers shook his head, waving away the witch doctor in huge caribou antlers. “I'm sorry, Your Grace, but they just won't listen to me. They say they haven't had a good catch in months, thanks to those abominable Coruscant soldiers chasing off their game. They need this meal.”

“Does it have to be us?” Henry struggled wildly. “I could get you some meat from the butcher in Theed Town. He's an old friend of mine. What do you say?”

Luke sighed and closed his eyes. Cedric suddenly lifted out of his throne and into the air, flying around like a deranged, skinny golden bird. “Eeeek! Ahhh! Put me down! I don't like heights! I'm going to be sick! Help! Mr. Skywalker! Rusty, do something!”

Rusty was watching Luke with a knowing look. He turned a big grin up to his best friend, currently hovering several feet over his head. “You get them to turn us loose, and we'll let you down.”

“Yes, yes! Anything!” Cedric covered his eyes, shaking from head to toe. “Please just let me down!”

They had no problems obeying orders after that. Leia rushed to Henry the moment he was free, kissing him as passionately as she could as he spun her around, to the delight of some of the more romantic-minded natives. Charles gathered both in his arms for a big hug. “Glad to see my tykes back together!” he roared happily.

Rusty pulled a small box of out of his pocket as soon as Leia's little friend freed him. “Come 'ere, kid.” He zapped him in the rear, making him jump and squeak. “That's what you get for treating us like the catch of the day. Try that again, and you'll get it on the other side!”

Charles pulled Luke into their tight circle. The younger man beamed up at Cedric from under Charles' hairy arms. “Thanks, Sun God.”

Cedric was back on his litter, mopping himself with a handkerchief. “I never knew I had it in me!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Cedric was in rare form that night. As the stars glowed through the treetops, they provided the perfect spotlight for the secretary to tell them stories of their journeys. He told them of the valiant warriors Crimson Hawk and Golden Eagle, and of the beautiful chief's niece who became the White Swan. He told of the native who fought with them, of the servants who aided them, of the friends who helped them along the way. They gasped as he spoke of a man who was half-machine, of the grotesque slug-man who tried to feed them to hungry predators, of the terrifying crone who held their country in his grip.

There was much chattering among the natives. Leia's little friend squeaked, tugging at her sleeve. Leia patted his back. “I can't speak their language, but I think he's trying to tell me that his leaders are debating whether or not to join us.” He sighed and leaned against Leia as she patted his back.

After a few moments, the tallest native, the one whose headdress was made of the skull of a hawk, stepped out. Cedric translated his speech. “Members of the Rebel Society, we apologize for capturing your leaders earlier. We are in dire straits. The men in the carts made of metal invaded our homes two years ago. They destroyed our villages and hunted or frightened off our game. Many of us were forced to work in the Khyber Crystal mines on the cliffs, taken from our families, never to be seen again. Other tribes have moved further into the hills, but we of the Sequoya Clan will not leave. This is our sacred home. Our ancestors raised their children here, and their ancestors. We will fight with you for what is ours.”

As the drums pounded, Leia's friend flung himself into Henry's arms, squeaking excitedly. Cedric joined them. “We're now a part of the tribe, sir.” He nodded at the little warrior. “That's Wicket. He's one of the youngest scouts. He and his hunting party will take us to the mines tomorrow morning.”

Henry tried to grin. “Just what I always wanted.”

Charles was attempting to pry another warrior off his leg. “Aren't they a bit small for dealin' with the Coruscant Army?”

“Well, short help is better than no help at all.” His boss was having an equally hard time getting Wicket's big paws from around his leg.

Luke wandered away from the festivities. One of the bridges connecting the two halves of the village had an excellent view of the indigo sky. He looked out into the stars, his mind a million miles away.

“Hey.” Leia put her hand on his shoulder. “You've been distracted ever since you came back from Dagobah. Wedge and Henry have noticed it, too. Wedge told me something happened, but he said it was personal and I'd have to ask you about it.”

“Leia,” Luke began, “do you remember the day I met you, when we discussed our parents?”

“Yes.” She chuckled. “How could I forget that day? You and Ben must have ridden like the wind to get there ahead of us.”

“We did.” His gentle face was the most serious Leia had ever seen it. “Leia, I'm going to have to confront him. Not now. He's not here. He left for Nabarrie Palace a few hours ago.” The soft voice cracked a bit before continuing. “He's my father.”

“Your father?” Leia couldn't believe that. “I thought you said Vader murdered him.”

“Ben didn't tell me the whole truth. Vader didn't kill him. He changed his identity after joining Palpatine.” His face was stony, but his eyes spoke volumes about the pain he felt. “There was a rift between him and Ben that ended with him in the suit. Ben didn't explain it. I may ask him about it when I see him.”

“Luke, you don't have to do this.” Leia gently put a hand on his shoulder. “Stay with us. We'll protect you. You know we will.”

“No. If I don't come back, you're the only hope for Naboo.” His fingers laced with hers. “Did you ever wonder how we were able to communicate when I was in trouble in Bespin? Why we just seemed to...connect...even after only knowing each other a few months?”

“Actually, yes. Ever since I met you, it's been like I've known you all my life, like you were my childhood imaginary friend.” She frowned. “Why?”

“The Force runs in my family, Leia, or so Ben told me.” He sighed. “Vader has it. I have it. And...you have it. My sister has it.”

Her eyes widened, then turned up to the bright, glittering sky. “Aunt Breha and Uncle Bail told me that Mother died when I was young. I wish I remember her better. They said she was a remarkable woman.”

“Ben says she was, too.” Luke's voice dropped to a whisper. “I've done research on her. Quenton Jinn had piles of books on the royal family in the library at Corellia Manor. They said Queen Padme was one of the greatest rulers Naboo ever had, that she was wise and generous and fair.”

“Queen Padme?” Her heart nearly stopped. “You mean, we...”

Luke dropped into a low bow. “My name is Prince Luke Quenton Amidala Skywalker. Ben told me this shortly after we met. I didn't believe him at first...until the Naboo soldiers went after us and killed my aunt and uncle, Vader's stepbrother and his wife.”

“You mean,” Leia breathed, “I'm a princess. I'm the princess of Naboo.”

“And we're the country's rightful rulers.” Luke raised himself back up, his sapphire eyes deadly serious. “That's why I have to confront him. I can bring him back, Leia. He still loves Mother. I heard the longing in his voice when I mentioned her in Bespin. If he can love her, there's still a little piece of goodness left in him.”

Henry poked his head out. “What are you kids up to? We're starting to make plans to raid the mines tomorrow. The Ewok tribe knows where the Coruscant fort that's generating the electricity for the mine is.” His grin was wide. “The League of the Crimson Hawk is going to ride again.”

“Just talking.” Luke pulled him over. “Henry, I need to tell you, too. You're my guardian and Leia...well, I know you and Leia are close. You can't tell anyone else, though. Not even Charles.”

Henry crossed his arms. “Tell them what?”

Leia leaned into his arms. “Henry...Vader's our father.”

“What?” He took her shoulders. “What gave you that idea? You're too good for that maniac, both of you!”

“Vader told me in Bespin.” Luke shuddered. “Yoda confirmed it when I went to see him with Wedge and Rusty. Considering how old he was, if anyone knew whose parents were whose, it was him.” He took his friend's shoulder. “I'm going to have to deal with him eventually, probably when we get to the ball.”

“I don't like it, kid, but you do what you have to.” Henry rubbed Leia's back, but he was looking at Luke with a wan grin. “Just don't get yourself killed, ok? We need someone to kick Vader's rear. Why not his own son?”

Luke gave him an equally shaky smile back. “I'll be careful, Henry.” The older man put his arms around both of them, letting his ward and his ward's sister melt into his warm, safe embrace.

Han patted their backs. “Now, come on, kids. We have a busy day tomorrow. We're gonna give the Coruscant Army a ghost tale they'll never forget!”