The Adventures of the Crimson Hawk, Part 6

Leia's head was pounding when she awoke. Everything around her was a gray blur. Gradually, her vision came into focus. She was likely in the brig or the Wookie slaves' quarters. The walls and the metal bunk she lay on were a dull, industrial gray, as was the scratchy wool blanket pulled over her shoulders. The one small port window was barred. Nothing was visible but clouds and sky.

She groaned. Baron Vader questioned her for hours, trying to get her to admit to stealing the plans and find out where they were now. She felt him probing in her mind, as if he were poking it with a sharp stick It took all her mental concentration, but she managed to block him out. Two of his men held her down long enough to inject her with a yellowish fluid that made her feel lightheaded and sleepy. Even then, she stuck to her story – she'd gotten lost and had wandered upstairs. She knew nothing about rebels, plans, or the Crimson Hawk. She was just here on vacation.

“Baron Vader.” Leia glared at him. “Only you could be so bold. Senator Mothma and my aunt and uncle won't stand for this. When they find out you've attacked one of the members of the royal house of Alderaan...”

“Spare me your lies, Your Grace.” Vader waved his gloved hand in her pale face. “I want to know what you've done with those plans. You were seen with two wanted criminals in my office. One of my men witnessed you handing off papers to two servants. Where did you send them?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm on vacation.” Leia drew up her shoulders. “Now, if you would please take me home, I can return to my family, and you can avoid being arrested for kidnapping.”

“You,” the mechanical man in black hissed, “are a member of the Rebel Society, and a traitor!”

“Now now, Vader.” Tarkin chuckled as he joined them. He still wore his gray uniform, which was as crisp and stiff as if it had never been touched by a pie or a bucket of water earlier that day. “This young lady is our guest. We should treat her like one.”

He kissed Leia's hand. She grabbed it away from him. “Your lips are cold, and you kiss like a dead fish.”

“Charming, to the last.” He lifted her chin. “It grieves me so to have to arrest you, but stealing government secrets and selling them to rebel factions is considered high treason in Naboo.”

Leia yanked her chin out of his clammy hands. “I'm surprised you had the courage to sign the papers yourself.”

Vader grasped the girl's arm so hard, she was sure he left bruise marks. “Enough, Your Grace. You're not at a cozy little dinner party, flirting with your beloved so-called Crimson Hawk. We are in command here.” He turned to his men. “Take her to the Bridge.”

“He's not my beloved Crimson Hawk.” Leia tried to pull her arm away, but he and his men held her fast. “I barely know the man. I never saw him before two days ago.” She would have done anything for her parasol, but she suspected it was locked up in some closet somewhere.

“That's not what I was told.” Tarkin and his men lead her down the plain, narrow, window-ringed hall. “Some of our men overheard you in the garden, being quite...chummy...with each other.”

“They must have heard birds settling down.” Leia turned her glare to the skeletal governor. “I was out to get some air and had to sit down. It was beastly hot last night.”

Tarkin lead her into a massive room, even larger than what she'd seen upstairs. A glowing globe the size of a boulder surrounded by brass spinning pieces nestled into a cherrywood and metal casing that dominated the center of the room. Otherwise, it looked very much like Vader's private office upstairs, with dark wood furniture and walls trimmed with gold leaf and lit by khyber crystal chandeliers. She'd never seen so many brass knobs, dials, and levers in her life. The ship's wheel stood at attention on a wood and brass post between two smaller wheels. One of Vader's white-clad crew members steered the ship.

The Aldra Mountains, with the county's capitol city Aldera just beyond the Calarmari River, filled the horizon. Vader held her shoulders, dragging her to the front windows. “Now, Your Grace,” Tarkin purred, “since you're reluctant to reveal the location of your co-conspirators, we've decided to make a second test of this equipment on your home country of Alderaan.”

“No!” Leia's face went dead white. “You can't do that! We're a peaceful country. We have no weapons on this level. We couldn't fight...”

“You would prefer another target? One with, perhaps, a stronger military? Then name the location.” Tarkin crowded her, his thin, musty-smelling breath hot on her cheeks. “I grow tired of asking this, Duchess, so it'll be the last time. Where are those plans?”

Leia blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Dantoonie Village, in Naboo. They're in Dantoonie.”

Tarkin chuckled. “See, Vader? She can be reasonable.” He turned to the three men in gray and black manning the dials and levers. “You may fire when ready.”

Leia's velvet-brown eyes widened in horror. “WHAT?!”

“That little village is too small and far away to make an effective test.” Tarkin's smile only made him look more ghoulish. “Don't worry. We'll only blow up a building or two. It won't even bother your little vacation.”

“NO!” Leia lunged forward. It took Vader and two of his men to hold her down as a green light shot forward from a narrow cannon on the side of the ship. The light hit one of their naval shipyards, the largest one of the coast in Aldra Harbor. The entire area exploded into a firey conflagration of bits of ships, brick, and wood.

Leia struggled. “Stop! You're insane! Alderaan never did anything to you, you bastard!”

Tarkin nodded. Vader slapped the hysterical girl hard across her soft, petal-pink cheek. “Oh dear. Her Grace is quite hysterical. Vader, take her back to her cell. See that she's given something to soothe those jangled nerves of hers, before we return her to Scarif City to stand trial.”

Leia continued to scream and struggle, but it was no use. Vader picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her back down the hall. He dropped her into her cell, right on the hard metal bunk. “Have a pleasant evening, Your Grace.” She threw the blanket, the only thing in the room she could move, at him before he managed to slam the door and lock it behind her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vader returned to the bridge just in time for once of his officers to run up to him. “Baron Vader,” he said, “two of our men reported sighting another airship coming dead at us, sir.”

“Another airship?” Vader hissed his surprise. “I thought we destroyed all but the Death Star fleet at the Erso Shipyards.”

Two more officers hurried in. “We've captured the airship, sir. The name on the side is the Falcon. The markings resemble another Falcon, a pirate vessel that plied the waters of the Mon Calamari River years ago. It can't be the same ship, though. The Falcon was sunk by the Coruscant navy when it was caught carrying illegal drugs to the Tatoonie badlands.”

“Wait.” The hulking, half-mechanical man stopped suddenly. “I sense something. Two somethings. One...I haven't felt him in years...but the other...I sensed the other at the fair.” The hiss went up, harsh and angry. “It's the Crimson Hawk. The one seen at the fair. I'm sure of it. Not the one at Senator Mothma's party.” ”

“Vader, what are you doing?” Tarkin's watery blue eyes glared at him. “How do you know it's the Crimson Hawk? The Force?”

“I felt it.” He kept walking, Tarkin barely able to keep up with his long strides. “The last time I felt the Force this strong was in the presence of my old master.”

“Sir Kenton?” Tarkin raised an eyebrow. “He's a manager for Henry Solo, a respected businessman.” The elderly man snorted. “Probably trying to resurrect his beloved Jedi Guards. Their power has gone out of the Alliance. You, Baron, are all that's left of their order.”

“Don't be too certain, Tarkin.” Vader swept along, his cape somehow billowing behind him despite the lack of wind in the airship. “Or too proud of this massive piece of progress your Dr. Erso created. The ability to destroy a building is insignificant next to the power of the Force and the crystals.”

“I'm all too aware of how we're in the air, Vader.” Tarkin smirked. “And we owe you for that. It was brilliant, revealing where those hidden khyber crystal mines were hidden. We should have enough stock to keep hundreds of Death Star Airships going for decades, as long as we can keep those Ewoks working.”

“My men will take care of them.” They trailed the officer down a metal staircase to the catwalks where other Death Star airships could join alongside them. The airship that came into view wasn't anywhere near as impressive as the Imperial Naboo ship. In fact, it looked like an ancient steam ship that had been patched together from parts of other ships, including sailboats. Cheerful red and silver paint couldn't hide the holes, rust, or splinters. The balloon bore a closer resemblance to a patchwork quilt than anything that could actually fly.

Three more men came down from the gangplank. “Baron Vader, we searched the entire vessel. No crew were found on-board.”

Vader hissed sharply. “Did you find any documents?”

“Only the usual kind for the ship itself. If there was any crew on board, they must have bailed out before we towed them.”

“Get a crew here to search the ship more thoroughly.” Vader's hiss became more of a growl. “Bring any crew you find on that ship to me. I want them alive!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“It's a good thing you had these compartments.” Charles helped Luke from the narrow lockers Henry had installed under the floor of the Falcon. It was cramped in there with one person, never mind three, one of whom was seven feet tall with arms like strong rope.

“I used to use them for smuggling.” Charles lifted Henry easily. “Never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them.” He turned to Ben in annoyance. “This is crazy. Even if we find the damn duchess, we'll have to get the hanger opened to get out of here.”

“Leave that to me.” Benton managed to pull himself out, followed by Rusty and Cecil.

“Damn fool,” Henry muttered. “I knew you'd say that.”

“Who's more foolish?” Benton shot back. “The fool, or the fool who follows him?”

“At this point, Ben,” grumbled Charles, “I'm starting to think it's all of us.”

Luke hurried after his mentor. “I want to go with you!”

“Stay with the others, Luke. You must find Leia and get her and those blueprints to the Naboo Senate.” Ben put his hand on Luke's shoulder. “Or this death trap may do worse things to Alderaan and Naboo than blowing up shipyards.”

The younger man couldn't help his whine. “But Ben...”

Ben just squeezed his shoulder. “The Force will be with you, my boy.”

Henry made a face as Ben walked out. The soldiers stationed outside didn't even look at him. “How does that old fossil do that?”

“We've told you, Henry. The Force.” Luke glared at him. “Ben is a great man, you know. He was one of the best guards Naboo ever had. He's told me stories about everything he's done in the Alliance Wars that would earn him six medals if the Jedi hadn't been disbanded.”

“What he's great at is getting us into trouble.” Henry peered out a window at the two guards, just as two more men came in with metal pokers and long hooks. “I just hope this duchess of yours is actually here.”

“She is.” Luke smiled a little. “I can feel her.”

“Well,” grumbled Charles, “how are we going to get out there without bein' seen?”

The longer Henry stared at the men, the wider his famous lazy grin became. “Wait. I have an idea.”

Before Luke could stop him, he threw himself onto the hanger. “Here I am, boys! Come and get me!”

The first soldier who followed Henry was met by a big Wookie fist right in the face and was knocked head-first into the wall. The second was hit over the head with a frying pan wielded by a nervous butler in gold. The third tripped over a short handyman, falling into his friends. The fourth got a kick in a rear from a slender red and black riding boot.

“Ok, fellas.” Henry tucked his goggles and mask into his pockets. “Everyone get into uniform. We're going to blend in until we find your girlfriend.”

The younger man blushed. “She's not my girlfriend, Henry! I have Wedge. I think you're the one who likes her.”

“Me?” A telltale blush was already creeping across Henry's face. “Well...maybe.”

“Come on.” Charles was already stripping the uniform off the tallest man. “Before the rest of those officers come back and realize these men are gone.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Leia had no idea how long it was before she heard noises in the hall. She looked up...in time to see one of the crew members, a soldier in a white uniform and helmet, blast the lock on her cell door. She was merely amused. “Aren't you a little short for a soldier?”

“I...oh! The uniform.” He grabbed her hand. “It's me, Your Grace! It's the Crimson Hawk! I've come to rescue you!”

Leia only smiled. “No, you're not. I know what the Crimson Hawk is like. I was close enough to him to figure it out. You're too small and thin to be the Crimson Hawk I saw at Senator Mothma's party.”

“Ok, ok. I'm not the Crimson Hawk.” He bowed for her. “I'm the Golden Eagle. We switch roles to confuse Baron Vader and his men.” There was a boyish smile under the helmet and goggles. “And because it's kind of fun.”

Leia suddenly noticed, as she and the Golden Eagle ducked into the hallway, that they were surrounded by gunpowder and bullets flying and...lights? Thin electric lights shot from the Golden Eagle's elaborate brass and copper gun, with its rounded, molded trim like something out of a Jules Verne novel. The tallest soldier held a bow and arrow, shooting with deadly accuracy. She recognized the real Crimson Hawk, wearing his hood and goggles instead of the helmet, but otherwise still in uniform.

“This is wonderful.” The duchess glared at her two erstwhile rescuers. “You got in here. Didn't you have a plan for getting out?”

The Crimson Hawk nodded at his younger companion. “He and the old man are the brains here, sweetheart.”

“This is ridiculous.” Leia grabbed the outlandish weapon from the boy next to her. She shot off two bolts of blue light, then shot the lock on a door, blasting it open. “Follow me, boys.”

The narrow metal spiral staircase lead to what appeared to be the garbage compactor. Bags of trash were heaped throughout the room. It reeked of rotting fish, moldy cheese, ancient meat scraps, and musty paper.

“Oh great.” The Crimson Hawk was nearly gagging. “The garbage room. Wonderful place you've lead us to here, Your Grace. The smell alone would kill at least sixteen bears.”

Leia shoved two bags aside. “There has to be another way out.”

The Golden Eagle whipped out what appeared to be a large box with dials and buttons on it. “R2-D2 and C-3PO,” he started, “you two are in the hanger. Can you talk to some of the soldiers and see if there's a way out of the garbage room besides the main staircase?”

“Sure, boss.” Leia's head shot up as she pushed another bag aside. She knew that voice. It was the same one she heard on the man who sold her the wooden hawk figure in the palace grounds earlier. She was about to inquire further when they heard gunfire on the staircase.

“Rustbucket, hurry!” The Crimson Hawk had his own version of the device. “The soldiers are comin', and I don't know how long we can hold them off.”

There was a sound of a scuffle, and Leia swore she heard Cedric's familiar fussy squawk. The line crackled, and then Cedric spoke. “Is this how this object works? I really don't understand some of these wild gadgets you gentlemen use. At any rate, my companion is busy with several very rude soldiers at the moment, but he insists there's a chute in the back of a wall, like a dumbwaiter, that can be opened to haul garbage back and forth.”

“That'll work.” The tallest soldier hauled three bags of garbage aside, then shot the back wall, blasting a door open to reveal a small, metallic tunnel. “All right. Who wants to go first?”

“I'll go.” Leia climbed onto the dumbwaiter. “I'm the one who got us down here.”

“Wait up!” The Golden Eagle followed behind her. She heard the Crimson Hawk call his taller companion a big oaf and insist that there was nothing to worry about and that he'd fit just fine before joining his two friends. A jolt and a heavy weight in the back revealed that the tallest member of the group had, indeed, gone last.

Leia felt like they'd been crawling for hours in the dark, dim hole. Her small, slender, dust-covered hands finally hit a wall. She managed to pull the bolts out, then loosen the wall enough to move it. She tumbled out into yet another hallway, this whitewashed and a bit brighter than the brig's hall.

The Golden Eagle grabbed the box from his trousers as Cedric's nasal British accent emerged. “Where are you now? We're hiding on the lower catwalks, across from the ship.”

“We're right above you.” The younger man spoke into the box, pressing small buttons. “We'll be down as soon as we can.”

Leia wrinkled her nose at the ship dangling from the ends of the Death Star. She'd seen broken furniture in better condition. “You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought.”

“Watch what you say about my baby, Your Grace.” The Crimson Hawk put his hands on his hips. “You should be grateful we're doin' this at all. They were just about to kill you.”

Leia glared at his goggles. “Must you remind me?”

“Shhh!” The taller soldier waved his hairy hand. “The guards are comin'!”

“We'll meet you there!” The Crimson Hawk barreled right into the soldiers, scattering them in all directions. The taller soldier just sighed, shrugged apologetically at the other two, and followed him.

Leia couldn't help admiring his long legs in those tight brown trousers. “He certainly has courage.”

“What good will it do him if he gets himself killed?” The Golden Eagle climbed onto the railing, pulling her with him, as more soldiers came in their direction. “I have an idea.” He threw open a window and tossed her his brass gun. “Hold this.”

The young duchess shot off a few lights as her companion tossed a rope with an old fishing hook attached to a pole that ran around the upper half of the ship, likely for use to tie up ships that wished to dock alongside it. Leia raised two slender eyebrows. “What are you doing?”

“Getting us out of here, before one or both of us gets shot.” The Golden Eagle grabbed her into his arms. He smelled of sweat and chemicals and, to Leia's surprise, fried fair food. “Hold on!”

She didn't know what compelled her to kiss him. She wasn't usually in the habit of randomly kissing boys, but he did look rather handsome, if a bit frightened. “Good luck!” The look on his face was pure surprise. He didn't seem to be accustomed to random duchesses kissing him, either.

Leia clutched the gun to her side, closing her eyes as tightly as she could. She willed herself to hold on and not look at the empty sky and river directly under them. Her feet in their whie button-down boots felt air and wind as they soared through the vast nothingness...then touched solid wood.

The Golden Eagle shook her shoulder. “You can look down now, Your Grace.” When she forced her eyes open, they met a familiar pair of mischievous blue ones. “We're on the Falcon's upper deck.”

Unlike the sleek Death Star, the Falcon looked like an old sailing ship that just happened to be attached to a balloon instead of billowing sails, with wings made from lightweight wood on either side. Tubes filled with fizzing blue and green liquid puffed steam into a patched yellow and white linen shell. Otherwise, it could have been a pirate ship, like the ones she'd seen in her books on ships at home. The ship's wheel was missing a spoke, but the brass parts gleamed. It was old and splintered, and some metal bits were rusty.

There were three cannons on either side...but they were made of brass rather than the usual dark metal, and were far more slender than most cannons were, more like larger versions of their guns. Thin tubes filled with the fizzy blue liquid ran up to the cannons,

Leia didn't like the look of it. “Does this hunk of junk actually run?”

“It not only runs, but it can out-run and out-fly anything on land or on sea.” The Golden Eagle gave her an almost apologetic grin. “That was my reaction when I first saw her, too. Trust me, she's a lot tougher than she looks.”

The young duchess sniffed. “I'll believe it when I see it.”

“Your Grace!” Cedric dashed onto the Falcon next, Rusty on his heels. “We're so glad you're safe!”

“I am, too.” Rusty joined The Golden Eagle at the crystal ball-like object that stood between the two tubes. The ball seemed to be spinning and almost fizzing with a crackling blue electricity. “Glad to see you kids made it. We have the plans, Your Grace. They're in the captain's cabin.”

“Kid!” The aforementioned captain and his first mate practically leaped over the gangplank and onto the ship. “Great, you're here. Is that everybody?”

“No!” The Golden Eagle's head whipped around wildly, scanning the outdoor decks for a familiar wizened face and brown hooded cape. “We're missing Be...The Negotiator.”

Cedric had been helping the taller bandit pull up the one remaining rope that held the ship to the Death Star. The claws that had clutched the sides were now hanging loose against the larger ship. His lanky form happened to gaze over to the walkway on the outside of the ship...and see two forms, one completely black, one wearing a thick tan cloak, confronting one another.

“Mr. Golden Eagle, sir,” Cedric tugged at the young man's blouse. “I believe that's the man you were asking about.”

The youth couldn't help himself. He sprinted to the side of the ship, his mouth open in horror. The others joined him, except for The Crimson Hawk, who was pushing buttons and dials around the steering wheel, muttering about the old man being late for everything.

“The Negotiator.” Vader's raspy hiss bellowed even over the hiss of the air in the balloons and the roar of the engines. “I've been waiting for you for a long time. I knew someday, you would stop hiding behind the protection of Solo Shipping.” To Leia's surprise, he pulled out an electric sword similar to The Negotiator's. It's ruby-red shade glowed purple against his opponent's blue. “Did you think I wouldn't sense your presence? You and your apprentice. There's something about that lad...”

“I didn't want my employers involved.” Sir Kenton raised his electric sword, the tube-covered pack on his back fizzing and spitting. “This has nothing to do with them.”

“You should not have come back.” Vader lunged for him. The old man dodged him more nimbly than one might imagine a man in a heavy cape could do.

“You can't win, Baron.” The Negotiator parried Vader's quick, hard thrusts. “If you strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

That seemed to enrage Vader further. For five minutes, the two went back and forth. Neither was willing to back down or give even a centimeter to his opposite. Even the Crimson Hawk joined them, putting his arm around his young friend's shoulders in comfort.

The Negotiator was showing signs of tiring. He hadn't been quick to begin with, but after a few minutes, he was barely moving. Vader, however, was still on his feet. The black-clad mechanical man finally shoved his sword against his hooded opponent's throat. “Say hello to Padme for me, old man.”

“NO!” The Golden Eagle let out a shriek of anguish as Vader's final thrust went straight through the man in the cloak. Leia's eyes widened as a mist of bright light seemed to surround the older man. When Vader pulled out his sword, he removed it from an empty cloak. The cloak fluttered down, down, through the spring breezes to the river below them.

More soldiers followed Vader as the Crimson Hawk released the final rope. “Blast the door, kid!” The Hawk shouted as he took the steering wheel, navigating them slowly but surely away from the Death Star. The Golden Eagle shot the door, jamming the rest of Vader's men inside. The taller soldier handed Leia his gun and went to help his captain. Rusty shot one of the cannons. Cedric settled for hiding behind a barrel of water.

The moment they managed to shoot ahead of the Death Star, The Golden Eagle's knees gave out. He slumped down, his face in his hands. “He was my teacher,” the youth sobbed, “and my friend. He took care of me after my aunt and uncle died. I can't believe he's gone.”

Leia draped her own coat over his scarlet-clad shoulders. “There wasn't anything you could have done.”

“Come on, kid.” The Crimson Hawk shook his companion's shoulder, his own face troubled. “I'm sorry about the old man, too. I'm gonna miss that fossil. He was a good fighter, and probably the best manager I ever had. I can think of better ways to go than with an electrical sword in my gut.” He pointed behind them, off into the horizon, as Leia helped the youth to his feet. “We're not out of this yet. You can honor the old guy's memory by kicking the Coruscant Empire in the ass.”

“You bet I will!” The Golden Eagle took the cannon closest to him. Rusty and the Crimson Hawk took the remaining two. Leia joined the taller man at the controls.

Leia just barely managed to tap the big pilot on the back of his shoulder. “Can I help?”

“Yes, miss.” He indicated the lever. “Keep an eye on the panel. Make sure we remain at an even keel. Watch the pressure gauges on the balloon. We may have to lower it to escape these blaggarts.”

Cedric tapped the Crimson Hawk on the shoulder. “Is there anything I might do, sir?”

“Yeah.” He nodded at a door into the room under the ship's wheel. “There's a box with a speaker in there. Looks like one of those new “telephone” things they're talking about now. Flip the big switch in the middle and see if you can get a hold of Rogue Three and the rest of my boys. We're gonna need a lot more help than this. There's a paper next to the transmitter with the signals and basic instructions.”

“Very well, sir.” Cedric pushed into the wooden door as Rusty turned to the others, spreading two wide blue papers covered with scrawling on the deck.

“Rustbucket, what are you doin'?” The Crimson Hawk was already positioning his cannon. “This is no time for light reading!”

“No, I know what he has in mind.” Leia bent down besides him. “Why do you think my...employers...wanted these blueprints? The airships in the Death Star battle cruiser line were built with a fundamental flaw in their engine.”

Rusty nodded. “I looked them over when we were on our way here. There's a small thermal exhaust port that leads directly to the main engine, the one that creates the steam and boils Khyber liquid. A bullet or missile shot into the port may cause a chain reaction that'll cause the ship to explode.”

“How can we manage that?” The Crimson Hawk scratched his head. “That thing isn't more than two meters.”

“I used to hunt for deer on the edges of the Tatoonie Islands when I was younger.” The Golden Eagle shrugged. “Some of the older ones can get pretty close to two meters.”

The Crimson Hawk clapped his younger comrade on the shoulder. “Then it's all up to you, Junior. Rustbucket, the Rogues, and I will hold them off while you make the shot.”

“The Rogues?” Leia looked over her shoulder at the taller man. “Who are they? And how can they find us out here in the open air?”

“What do you think I sent Cedric to do in there, practice bird calls?” The Crimson Hawk jutted his black-gloved thumb at the door the butler went through. “The Rogues are the rest of the League of the Crimson Hawk. They'll come, don't worry.”

“Mates,” shouted the tall man from the steering wheel, “I hope you've finished your briefing, 'cause here comes trouble!” Even as he spoke, explosions and the sound of electricity sizzling could be heard from just behind them.

Leia looked over her own shoulder as she dashed for the controls. “Here they come!”

The Falcon flew fast, faster than the swiftest bird...but the Death Star was larger and faster. It was alongside the Falcon in minutes, electrical light cannons blazing in shades of ruby red that reminded Leia of bright blood. She barely held on as the cab slammed into theirs, knocking everyone to their feet.

“Kid,” The Crimson Hawk hollered, “concentrate on getting to that exhaust port. We'll keep them busy!”

“Right!” The Golden Eagle ducked under two electrical blasts and leaped over another. He grabbed the cannon at the very end of the ship, trying to gaze through the target sighter to find the tiny port.

“I can't hold them off forever!” The Crimson Hawk just barely ducked another red blast. Two blasts went through the bottom windows, causing Rusty to abandon his post and rush down bellow with buckets of water and a belt laden with tools.

“They're coming in too fast!” The Golden Eagle's shots were quick, but the Death Star had the advantage of sheer size. Their cannons were twice as big as the ones on the Falcon. Shot after shot rocketed the small craft.

Leia was nearly thrown overboard by one perfectly-aimed light beam. The hairy pilot barely managed to catch her before she went over the side. “Thank you!” He merely nodded and went back to the steering wheel.

The Crimson Hawk frowned as Leia ducked two light beams and grabbed hold of a cannon. “How do you work this thing?”

Cedric's jaw nearly dropped. “Your Grace, I really don't think you should...”

“Here!” The Crimson Hawk flipped a lever. He lifted the cannon's target sighter to his eyes. “Aim, then push this button here.” His thumb pressed down on a button. A blue beam shot out, knocking one soldier over the railing.

“You mean like this?” Leia knew how to shoot. She was not only able to aim perfectly, but she took out five soldiers and two guns on her first try. There was a sly grin on her face when she looked over her shoulder at the others. “How was that?”

Cedric and the Crimson Hawk's jaws were nearly hitting the floor. “That was...very good, Your Grace,” the golden-haired butler finally sputtered.

“Yeah,” added the Hawk with his famous grin, “if you happen to be a gun-crazed soldier-warrior from Rambon.”

Leia matched his smirk. “Uncle Bail used to take me around to see all the new battle ships being built. The soldiers thought I was cute and taught me how to work their guns. These aren't that much different from some of the newer ones.”

It was getting hard to see. Smoke obscured the narrow gulf between the two flying vehicles. Vader strode down to the cannon rooms, his cape floating behind him despite the lack of breeze. “Commander,” he told the soldier firing the largest cannon, “you will vacate that chair. I wish to deal with these interlopers myself.”

“Yes, sir!” The man scrambled out as quickly as he could. Vader wasted no time. He shot three holes in the bottom of the vehicle, and two more in the deck. One just barely missed the youth in the attire of the Crimson Hawk.

“I sense something about that lad,” he muttered, watching the boy as he aimed his cannon downwards. “The Force is strong with that one.”

He was just about to shoot the boy down when a bright blue electrical light shot a hole clean through the man next to him. Another took out the one on the other side. Vader was the closest he'd ever gotten to flabbergasted. “What's this?”

“Woohooo!” The Crimson Hawk's grin was splitting what could be seen of his face. “You're all clear, kid!”

More shots, these made from gunpowder, could be heard from the waters below them. “Look!” Leia grinned, waving over the sides. The Ghost glided through the river waters below them, followed by two larger, more heavily armored Alderaan battle cruisers. Her aunt and uncle and Mon Mothma almost seemed to wave back. If she squinted, she could see Kanan and Ezra shooting light beams from their own electrical swords at the Death Star's side.

More laser beams came flying in from behind them, these orange or white. They tore holes in the back of the ship and took out five cannons. “Look out, folks!” The Crimson Hawk waved wildly at the smaller orange and white airship behind them. “The Calvary is here!” To Leia's surprise and delight, Ashoka, Jyn, and Cassian manned the guns with three of the Crimson Hawk's men. The Golden Eagle smiled and waved at the hooded pilot in the white and black outfit with wisps of black hair sticking out of his hood.

The Crimson Hawk turned to his younger friend. “Ok kid, let's blow this thing and go home.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Across the way, the Death Star was in a state of chaos. Many men had already started making for the life pods, ignoring the Governor's announcement that everything was fine and there would be no evacuation.

“I think you should change your mind about that, sir,” insisted one officer. “They've already done considerable damage on the undercarriage and port sides, and four of our cannons are gone.”

“Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?” Tarkin only smirked. “You underestimate their chances. They're missing two cannons, and the others likely won't arrive in time.”

Vader was starting to agree with the officer. He saw the young man in the Crimson Hawk's costume line his cannon up with the side of the Death Star. “What is he doing?”

The Golden Eagle was focusing on the target when he heard a voice. Use the Force, my boy. Let go. Trust your instincts. Ben, he thought. Ben. The Negotiator. He never steered him wrong.

“Uh, kid,” The Crimson Hawk growled nervously, “what's goin' on?”

“Nothing. I'm ok.” He closed his eyes and focused for a moment, concentrating on his target. It came into view as Chewbacca pulled them alongside. He wasn't close, but it was close enough to see it. He finally shot off two large balls of electricity. He finally let out a breath as the balls hit their mark, flying right into the exhaust port.

The Baron sensed the explosion before it actually began. Even as men were being knocked to the floor, he was joining the others already gathering in escape pods. He just managed to push his way into the last one to leave before the side of the ship with the pods began to break apart.

The Falcon and its sister ship moved away just in time to see the Death Star blow to bits in a spectacular explosion. Everyone on the Falcon moved to what remained of the rails around the main deck to watch. The Crimson Hawk threw himself around his friend. “Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!”

The Golden Eagle was grinning ear to ear. He hugged Leia, who gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Did you see that shot?”

Leia nodded in agreement as she wrapped her arms around both men. “You were wonderful!”

The Crimson Hawk wrapped his longer arms around both. “I wasn't gonna let you get all the credit and reward, Junior.”

Leia turned her grin upwards. “I knew there was more to you than money!”

The Golden Eagle didn't hear either of them. He couldn't help smiling at Ben's voice on the breeze. The Force will be with you, always.

“Rusty!” Rusty lay on the ground, his face and upper body burned and bleeding. “He was hit by one of those beastly cannons.” Cedric turned towards a gentle man with a mustache under his hood and a black bag as the smaller ship pulled up alongside the Falcon. “Sir, are you a doctor? I'll gladly donate any organs or skin necessary to save him!”

The doctor patted Cedric on the back. “He'll be all right. Just burns and cuts. Ol' Rustbucket's lucky. If he'd been an inch or two closer, that blast might have taken him out.”

“Leia!” Ahsoka, Jyn, and Cassian pushed past men in red shirts. “Thank god you're all right. Your uncle and aunt have been worried sick about you!”

“I found Mon Mothma looking for the rest of you at the fair.” Ahsoka nodded. “We saw the Death Star taking off and went to get help.”

“Si.” Cassian waved at the men in red coming in behind them. “We meet these gentlemen coming here as we were leaving palace grounds. Did we want ride? Are we on side of Duchess? Yes, we are, and yes we did.”

The Crimson Hawk smirked. “You're a good shot there, pal. We might have to talk technique sometime.”

Cassian shook his hand. “Gracias, senor. You are good yourself. We may meet again. My Jyn and I, we have decided to remain.”

Leia frowned. “I thought you were going back to Barcelona.”

“We decided we could be of more use here, after everything that happened.” Jyn's tanned face looked grave. “We'll honor Dad and the others by continuing their work, not by running out like cowards.”

Ahsoka put her arms around them. “Meet my newest assistants. They'll be covering local events with me as a reporter and photographer, including the Royal Regatta and the coronation.”

“I will do all interviews,” Cassian explained. “I used to be reporter in Barcelona, before I have...problem with government in Spain. Jyn, she will learn to take photos.”

Jyn shrugged. “I'm not so great with people. Cass can handle that.”

The two airships landed along the banks of the Calamari River, near the harbor. Leia ran straight for her aunt and uncle's arms the moment she got off the docks. “Lelita!” Bail caught his niece in his arms and swung her around like a child. “Thank heavens you're safe. When we saw the Death Star go down, we feared the worst.” Even as Bail spoke, bells were going off in the distance as fire boats, police officers, and members of the Naboo Navy hurried out to the wreckage to clear the debris and check for survivors.

Those who escaped in the pods were already being helped into waiting carriages or Naval boats. Baron Vader pushed past two officers who tried to help him aboard. The entire crew gave him a wide berth as he strode to the captain's quarters, his cape flapping in the non-existent breezes.

“Oh, thank you!” Breha gave her niece a squeeze, then beamed at the men before her. “Thank you so much for bringing our niece back to us!”

Bail turned to address the Crimson Hawk and his men. “Gentlemen, I'm in your debt. You rescued my niece from an unspeakable fate and kept worse damage from occurring in Alderaan. Whatever you ask, it's yours.”

The Golden Eagle spoke before his leader could. “All we ask is for enough money to bury our friend Be...The Negotiator, who was killed fighting Baron Vader.”

The Crimson Hawk gave him his famous lazy smirk. “And maybe a little for travel expenses.”

“Done.” Bail frowned. “I'm sorry about your friend. No amount of money could bring him back,” he handed him a wad from his pocket, “but maybe this will do for a decent burial.”

The Crimson Hawk counted the money, his grin still plastered on his face. “Yeah, this will be enough to give the old fos...the old man a funeral fit for a king.” He stuffed the money in his pocket. “And now, I'm afraid we have to be goin'. Places to go, things to see, ya know. Thanks again, Your Grace. You're pretty decent, for a Duke.”

Bail smiled. “And you're not a bad fellow, for a bandit.”

Leia followed him up the gangplank to the Falcon's main deck. “You're just leaving?”

He smirked. “You want me to stay,” the Hawk insisted, “because of the way you feel about me.”

“Well, you did rescue me. You're a natural leader.” Leia managed to glare daggers at him, despite being a foot shorter. “You could do great things for Naboo...”

“Spare me any talk about any crazy rebellions. I'm in this for me n' Junior.” He wiggled a finger at her. “Besides, that's not it.”

“You? You think we...I...” She glared at him. “You're just a half-witted, scruffy-looking, sheep-herder!”

The Crimson Hawk glared down at her. “Who's scruffy-looking?” He turned to the Golden Eagle, who rolled his eyes behind them. “Must have gotten her pretty riled up back there to get all loud like this.”

She glared right back. “I guess you don't know everything about women yet.” She grabbed the Eagle and kissed him as hard as she could, ignoring the Hawk's lack of amusement.

Breha frowned as her daughter stormed down the gangplank. “What was that all about, dear?”

“Nothing.” She grabbed her aunt's arm. “Come on. All I want now is to spend the rest of the night soaking in a cool bathtub.”

The Golden Eagle wiped his face. “I'm never going to wash my lips again.” He saw the look on his friend's face out of the corner of his eye. If he could have literally been green with jealousy, he would have. “You like her.”

“Her?” The Hawk grimaced in Leia's direction. “No, I don't!” The younger man just raised his eyebrows. “Well, ok, maybe I do. Maybe I like her a lot.” He grabbed the wheel as the towering man who still wore his Imperial officer's armor started tying up the balloon. “It doesn't matter, anyway. We'll be leaving as soon as we can make that money.”

“Han,” the Golden Eagle said as he joined his friend, “why didn't you take the full reward?”

“The old guy deserves a decent burial, even if we just bury his sword pack.” The Hawk finished the knots, then began to gather debris from the battle. “We'll find other ways to make that money. There's still a lot of big events this summer we could raid. The Royal Regatta is in the end of July, and there's the coronation and Gala Ball a few weeks after that.”

“I don't know, Han.” The taller man joined them, tying the other side of the balloon. “I don't think Jenkins is playing games. The next time, he'll probably send someone a lot more cunning than Gredono.”

“I've dodged Jenkins for this long. We can go another month.” The Hawk put his arm around his third-in-command. “And then, we'll leave for America, all right?”

The Golden Eagle sighed. “I wish you didn't have to leave. What am I going to do without you? I don't know anything about ruling a country.”

“You'll figure it out, kid. Even without Ol' Ben. You've got brains and guts, more than Palpatine ever did.” The Hawk grinned at his manservant. “Everyone ready to go? We have to pick up our marvels of the age and Rusty's carvings at the Palace grounds, then talk to a funeral home about arrangements for burying Ben.”

Leia and her parents watched as the two ships rose majestically into the air. “You know,” Ahsoka began, “I don't think the Crimson Hawk is as bad as he wants everyone to think he is.”

Jyn nodded. “His men did give us a ride.”

“He's an idiot.” Leia made a face. “All we did the entire time we were together was argue.”

Breha sighed. “It did seem rather romantic.” She put an arm around Bail. “Rather like the time you saved me from a vicious pack of bandits when we were traveling in Sullustia once.”

Bail gathered his wife and niece into his arms. “Remind me to tell you about that sometime. It was as close as we've ever come to living those romantic adventure stories you love so much, Lelita.”

Hera and her crew met them at the docks. “Are you all right, Your Grace? When we heard about what happened at the fair, we feared the worst.”

“We're fine, Captain.” Cedric handed Mon Mothma the book as she arrived. “And we brought something that...well, something you'll appreciate. From a friend.”

“Oh, don't worry.” Hera and the others all pulled badges with the silhouette of a mythical phoenix emblazoned on the front. “We all know about the Rebel Society. Why do you think Senator Mothma wanted us to drive her today?”

Mon Mothma peered in the book, giving Leia a grateful smile. “Thank you, Your Grace. All of you.”

“Not just me.” Leia nodded behind her. “The Crimson Hawk and the Golden Eagle deserve a lot of the credit. The Golden Eagle was the one who managed to get that shot into the exhaust port. Rusty and Cedric do, too. They kept the book from Vader and his men.”

“Where are they?” Mon Mothma turned around, expecting to see men in red, black, and gold. “I want to thank the Crimson Hawk and the Golden Eagle and their men personally, too. Miss Tano, Captain Andorez, Miss Erso, and their men were the ones who lead us here.”

“They already left.” As she pointed out the two vehicles, Leia could see the Falcon's cobbled-together fin in the air, going back towards Naboo. “They never even really said good bye.” The young duchess waved, her voice dropping to a whisper. “See you at home...Luke, Henry. You too, Charles.”