The Adventures of the Crimson Hawk, Part 25

Hux despised this assignment. These savages lived like animals. He had no idea how they could exist without niceties like indoor plumbing or clothes that weren't made from bear skins. Not to mention, he was no outdoorsman. He had been attacked by at least six blood-sucking insects, a deer nearly blindsided their carriage, and three birds used the shoulders of his good summer uniform to relieve themselves on.

The cliffs on the border of Endor and Naboo were said to have contained rich khyber crystal deposits since antiquity. Until the last 20 years or so, only the Jedi Guards knew the secret of how to obtain the crystals, and they took what they needed and no more. Vader, a former Jedi, revealed this secret to the Prime Minister. The local tribes were conscripted to work the mines. They were the only people in the kingdoms who were short enough to fit through the narrow tunnels.

“I never understood that concept.” Hux climbed out of the carriage, followed by two of his men. More men climbed out of smaller carriages and carts, sporting lances and heavy rifles. “Why would you only take what you need? If you can have it all, you take it, as fast as possible.”

The shorter of the officers looked up in the air nervously. “You know, I've been hearing strange noises in the mines all morning. A low moan, like a deer is trapped in one of the tunnels...or a ghost.”

“Don't be silly.” Hux rolled his eyes. “There's no such thing as ghosts. I'll show you myself.”

He stormed into the tunnels, the two men trailing behind, and jumped into the first mine cart he saw. One of his men pushed the lever, setting them off down the trail. The mines were lit by the finest Khyber lamps, which glowed an eerie green and blue in the stifling passages.

They came to a stop at the bottom of the shaft, in the main room of the largest mine. Hux was barely able to stand upright. The top of his gingery head brushed the ceiling. Little people in tiny jumpsuits wound their way through narrow openings around them, hacking crystal out of the walls. His men barked at them, making sure each did their job without insubordination. Each creature was chained together by their ankles, keeping them from attempting to flee or rebel.

The taller officer nearly jumped into his lap as a louder moan blew through the mines. “Did you hear that? This place is haunted!”

The other officer wrung his hands nervously. “The spirits of the Jedi Guards have come back to destroy us! They know we're taking their crystals. They know what we're doing.”

“Oh, knock it the hell off!” Hux would have slapped his men silly if they hadn't been wearing those hard metal helmets. “There are no such things as ghosts! I'm going to prove it to you!” He stormed into the nearest tunnel...and reeled back out when his head hit the top of the wall. “Blast it!” His snapping amber eyes swiveled to his snickering men. “Don't any of you dare laugh!”

Another moan sent most of his men moving several feet back, their guns drawn, and the little nativs chattering into their holes. “This is utterly childish.” The general stomped back to the tunnel, this time ducking and making sure to stay low. He snatched a torch lit by green fire on his way.

“Hello?” The inky blackness was unnerving. There was nothing around him but crystal and wooden support beams. “Hello in there! Whomever you are, show yourself! You are trespassing on government property! As a representative of the Coruscant Empire, I demand that you show yourself!”

The eerie green glow of his torch was matched by one that was more sickly. To his shock, two figures in woolen cloaks covered in what appeared to be a greenish and bluish film, hovered slowly across the rocky ground. One figure was tall enough that his head was bent down. The other was a bit smaller and more slender. “You,” whispered the first figure, “are the trespasser. The Khyber Crystal mines are sacred territory. Only Jedi are permitted here. You and your soldiers are the intruders.”

“No we're not! We own these mines now.” Hux glared at the figures. “Leave these mines at once, or I'm placing you under arrest!”

That was when the smaller man began to laugh. It was more like the cackle of a demented clown than a laugh, and it chilled Hux to the bone. “Can you arrest us? Can you arrest what isn't there?”

“You are there! I can see you! I'll prove it!” He put the flame to the taller man. He winced, pulling away. The khyber crystal coating had melted, revealing a black hooded cape covering an arm clad in a red blouse. “See? You're not real ghosts!”

“Maybe we're not real ghosts.” A louder moan came closer and closer. “But we are your worst nightmare.” He pulled a Jedi's electrical saber from behind his back as his friend let out a noisy whistle that echoed in the tunnel.

That was when Hux saw the light. The light was a sickly green glow, almost hypnotically bright in the tunnel. It came closer...until it was flashing in his eyes and nearly running him down. The man slashed at him, cutting off his torch. It hit the ground, flaring out. The light kept coming closer...closer. It had him hypnotized...

Until a pair of arms clad in a flowing white blouse knocked him into a hard, splintering vehicle! “Got him, mate,” a voice boomed. “Are you gonna let the others out?”

“Already on it.” Hux heard a thousand “clicks” echo through the tunnels, followed by a squeaky, noisy cheer. “There. Used the Force to release the prisoners.”

“You!” Hux squirmed in the big galoot's arms. “It's you! The man who kidnapped me at Chalindria Court!”

“Aw, pipe down.” Another short man, this one in a white blouse and a blue carpenter's apron, was holding down his legs. “We're just freeing your workers. Ain't nice to chain 'em up like that.”

“Why are you worried? They're just savages.” Hux sniffed. “No one cares about them.”

The big man wrapped his fingers around Hux's neck and squeezed. “I do, you stuck-up, skinny table leg!”

“Chewbacca, release him.” As Hux panted, he saw the two men throw off their glowing cloaks. His eyes widened. The taller sported a red blouse with a black vest; his smaller friend wore gold and black. Both had hoods and goggles. The taller one gave them a lazy smirk. “We'll find something useful to do with him.”

“Maybe later!” A short woman in a white ruffled blouse, black vest, and the same goggles and leaped in the cart Hux vacated, tossing a protesting Cedric in with her. “My warrior friend Wicket went to get the rest of his tribe. For now, we just have to hold off Hux's boys.”

“Let me go, you nasty ape!” Hux kicked at Rusty, who grabbed his knee instead of holding him. He shoved Charles' arm, then leaped out of the cart, landing with a hard thud as he landed. He took off after them in the next mine cart that rolled after them.

“Sir!” One of the men saluted him. “I don't know how this happened, but the workers have all escaped, sir. We can't follow them into the tunnels. They're too narrow.”

“Never mind the blasted natives!” He pointed at the group in front of him. “That's the Crimson Hawk and the Golden Eagle! Shoot them! Vader wants the Hawk dead!”

Henry looked over his shoulder, just barely avoiding a bullet. “Shit,” he muttered, pulling out his own gun. “They're shootin' at us!”

Leia called over her shoulder. “We're going to take the tunnels back up to the surface! We'll meet you there!” She reached out a pulled a lever that separated the tracks. She and the carts filled with workers went to the right. Henry and the others and Hux and his men went to the left.

Henry ducked as they blasted down the rickety, slightly rusty track. “Kid, you direct this tub. Make sure we're goin' on the right track.” He leaned over to return fire to three soldiers behind them.”Chewbacca n' I will cover for you.”

The tunnels were low and and fairly narrow. Luke yelled “Duck!” every time a cropping of crystal on the ceiling or wooden beams came into view. He used the Force to change the signals and keep as many of the soldiers as he could off the track.

“We're almost there, kid!” Henry winced as the cart flew uphill, going slower and slower. “I just hope this pile of splinters can make it.”

“Everybody lean upwards!” Charles pushed at the front slats. Luke used the Force to push from behind. Rusty shoved at Charles' back. Henry kept firing.

None of them were ever so happy to see daylight. “Everyone out!” Rusty tumbled out first. “Let's get a move on! Those creeps are still after us.”

“Right.” Henry started gathering branches. “I read this in a western story in a magazine once. There's a pretty good-sized hole here. We'll cover the hole, lead Hux and his idiots to it, and let them fall in.”

“That would be a wonderful idea,” sneered a familiar voice, “if we hadn't already heard it.” Hux and two of his men were leaping out of their carriage. At least ten or twenty more followed behind them. “I knew I'd capture you someday, Crimson Hawk. You too, Golden Eagle. It's the end of the line for both of you.”

“Not yet, it isn't!” Hux didn't look up fast enough. A short blur in white and black ruffles swung into him, knocking him into three of his men. “You forgot the White Swan, asshole!”

“Good work,” Henry smirked, “Swan.”

Leia tossed his gun to Henry. “Nothing to it.”

The moment her booted feet slammed into Hux's gut, the rallying cry of hollowed-out ox horn sounded the alarm. Wicket lead his fellow warriors into the clearing, throwing spears, jabbing knives into the exposed parts of their knees and arms, and knocking them to the ground with rocks thrown from catapults and natives on gliders.

“Did we make it?” Cedric hurried over, followed by the Chief, the medicine man, and several of the taller, older warriors. “Wicket and I raced as fast as we could to the village. They sounded their version of an emergency alarm and rounded up three other villages to help.”

“You did wonderful, both of you.” Leia hugged him. “I'm proud of you.”

“Yeah, Goldie.” Rusty grinned. “You did ok.”

Rusty smirked. “And now, we're going to make sure no one can go back into those mines. Everyone out, Goldie?”

Cedric looked up from Chief Chirpa. “The Chief says all are accounted for, including those who were held in the mines and the camp.”

“Good.” Henry gathered shiny blue and green sticks bound together and handed them to Rusty. “We're going to take these to the main entrance. I've done enough experimentin' to know that when khyber liquids get too hot or are boiled too rapidly, they'll make some damn good noise.” He rubbed the back of his head, where several faded blue and green blotches were visible. “No one knows better n' me.”

Leia helped the warriors throw nets over the remaining soldiers and load them into carts driven by members of the League of the Crimson Hawk. “They'll take them over the border and turn them into the nearest local authorities.” She pointed her sword at Hux, who squirmed between Luke and Charles' arms. “What are we going to do about him?”

Luke ran a finger over his coat. “You know, this is excellent workmanship. Very nice. Your tailor does a good job.”

“Thank you.” Hux sneered. “But it still won't save you. When Vader finds out what you've done...”

“I think we should take this nice outfit with us.” Henry's smirk grew wider as he rejoined them. “The kid knows about clothes. They're too good for you, Hux. We'll dump him an' his men in the mining camp on the bottom of the cliff.” He turned to Cedric. “Hey Goldenrod, how'd you like to be promoted?”

Cedric raised his eyebrows in confusion. “To what, sir?”

Henry put an arm around him. “Cedric Thrombottom, you came to Endor as a god...but you'll be going to the Diamond Jubilee Ball as a general!”