Tales of the Gold Wookie, Part 12

Three days later, Leia found herself sitting with Luke, Clarence, Artie, Yoda, and their equipment in the back of a rickety old truck that looked like it had last been driven sometime in 1919. The owner, a Spanish man who was almost older than Yoda and his truck, swore it was trustworthy. It was so trustworthy, Harry took twenty minutes fixing the engine to get it to work and had to give it sharp kicks twice when it got stuck in ditches along the mud-clogged roads. Sharp shrieks and small eyes followed them as they bumped down the road.

There wasn't much chance to talk as they bumped along the rutted mud that the Guatmalans called a road. She was just plain tired. They'd switched trains at the border of California and Mexico, and then at Mexico City. They'd had to abandon the train all together at Guatemala City. It didn't go anywhere near their dig site. She wouldn't have paid such an outrageous amount that old man, but she was in a hurry. She didn't want to even imagine what Vader and Palpatine were doing to the Alderaanian temples.

“Everyone in their uniforms?” Harry pulled his Coruscant officer's cap low over his eyes as he pulled in at the gate around the temple site. It was guarded by Coruscant guards in gray and white. Admiral Piett himself stood attention at the gate's booth.

“Now we find out if these uniforms are worth the price we paid,” Leia grumbled as she tucked her hair under another stiff gray military hat.

Harry tried to give her one of his usual half-grins, but it was strained. “It'll work.”

Luke gulped and turned pale under his cap when he saw the flutter of a long black coat. “Vader's out there.”

“Don't get jittery, kid.” Harry turned towards the gate. “There's a lot of guys who wear long jackets.”

Clarence raised an eyebrow as he mopped his neck in his heavy gray blazer. “In this heat? He'd roast to death before he could unearth more than a few pebbles!”

“Leia and I are endangering everything,” Luke moaned. “Maybe I should have come. Leia can avoid them, stay at her dig. Miss Tano could have sent someone else...”

“Worry you should not,” Yoda assured him. He was under a blanket, since they couldn't find a suit that close to fit him. “Get past them, we will.”

Charel's uniform barely fit him. In fact, one of the buttons popped off and almost took out Harry's eye as he turned to ask him a long question. “Careful, buddy. And keep your distance from Vader, but don't look like you're keeping your distance.” He made a face at his co-pilot's stream of worried Russian. “I don't know! Drive casual!”

“Sir,” Piett asked Harry as he pulled up to the gate. “What are you carrying in this...vehicle?”

“Parts and equipment for the dig at the Temple of the Guardians.” Harry tried to give him a winning smile. He handed him the entrance papers and hoped that he hadn't gotten too good of a look at him back in Coruscant.

Vader stepped up to the booth. Luke turned stark white; Leia's breath quickened. “Piett, do they have the code clearance?”

“It's an older code, but it checks out. I was about to clear them.”

“I shouldn't be here,” Luke choked under his breath. “Leia shouldn't be here. They're going to catch us.” His sister kicked his shin lightly. His panic attack was not only not going to help anybody, but would give them away.

Piett finally nodded. “Looks like everything's in order. Carry on.”

Harry saluted them. “Yes, sir!” He grinned at the others as the truck pulled through. “See? I told you we could do it!”

Leia had her own doubts, but not about the expedition. If anything, she was more determined than ever to find the final sword and stick it to Vader, preferably somewhere personal. She was worried about her brother. Luke had been shaking like a leaf ever since they'd gone through the gate. He did seem to calm down a bit as they drove through the camp and up into the mountains and through the jungles, even with the occasional howl from the trees.

“We're going to have to get off here.” Harry finally pulled over by the edge of a gorge mostly surrounded by dense jungle. “We're not going to get much further in this old thing.” He kicked the tire as the engine started to smoke. He and Charel leaned in the hood, trying to figure out what went wrong.

“I think everyone can ditch the uniforms.” Leia pulled off her jacket. “For one thing, it's too hot for them.”

Artie had already divested himself of his jacket and tie and had rolled up his shirtsleeves. “I think it's pretty here. I can see why the Alderaanians would want to make this their home base.” He ran to the edge of the gorge, taking in the sweeping views. “This is amazing! You can see everything! The Temples, the Imperial camp, even some of the city...”

Clarence joined him briefly at the edge, only to reel back. “How can you stand so close? It makes one dizzy.”

“You're such a baby.” The shorter man took a deep sniff. “Smell that air! There's real earth in that.”

Clarence took a deep sniff and coughed heavily. “All I smell is mildew and slightly rotten vegetation.”

“We'll set up camp here.” Harry took one last whack at the wheels with his heavily booted toe. “Not that we have a choice. This thing won't be going anywhere for a few centuries. We'll have to walk back to the Temples.”

“And go right through the Imperials?” Leia made a face. “There must be another way.”

Luke shivered. “I don't like this. I think we're being watched.”

Harry was helping Charel to pull out the tents. “We're in the jungle. There's a lot of things watching us around here.” He winced at yet another noisy howl. “Not to mention whatever's been yellin' ever since we came.”

“Guys!” Artie waved his hands. “Over here!” He frowned as the bushes nearby rustled. “I think we've been spotted.”

“Oh no.” Leia ducked down behind a tree as five of Vader's men on motorcycles roared into the next clearing. She'd recognize those white jackets and dark helmets anywhere. “How are we going to get rid of them?”

Harry nodded at the bushes. “We'll take care of this. Char and I have gotten out of worse scrapes.” Charel added his own Russian affirmation.

“Quietly, you two!” Luke scolded. “There might be more of them.”

Harry gave them the famous half-grin. “Hey, it's me.”

Yoda shook his head as they tip-toed towards the goons. “Egotistical, they are. In trouble, they will be. Known for stealth, they are not.”

Artie snorted. “No kidding, old man.”

They were, of course, right. Harry went two steps before a twig cracked underfoot. One of the men slammed him across the chin before he could move. Charel managed to take out another with his big rifle, but the remaining three took off on their cycles.

“Leia!” She ignored her brother's worried bleating and leaped onto a motorcycle. “At least let me go with you.” His slender and warm frame settled behind her. “Do you even know how to drive one of these things?”

His sister shrugged. “How hard could it be to figure it out?”

They dodged through the jungle, riding around trees and over logs. Leia managed to shoot one man off his cycle, giving Luke the chance to take the vehicle for himself. “Keep on that one, sis.” He turned it around. “I'll take the other two.”

“Right.” Leia zoomed past trees and vines, the leaves and branches crunching underfoot. Three times she almost fell off the darn thing. It was going much faster than she'd anticipated. She was surprised that she hadn't run into a tree. They always seemed to come out of nowhere, and she'd just barely avoid them. Monkeys leaned over and tried to grab at her hair.

She lead one to run into a tree, but the other was a better rider and harder to catch. His bullet almost caught her on the shoulder. Her own gun got him in the leg, distracting him enough to run off a cliff. Unfortunately, it also distracted her. The massive palm tree, with its roots spreading in every direction, suddenly loomed in her vision. She leaped off just as the vehicle ran head-long into the trunk, smashing to bits. Leia landed in a soft pile of leaves behind a rock...and that was all she could remember before she passed out.

Something sharp poked at her. It was long and thin. She presumed it was a twig and tried to brush it away. At least that didn't hurt too badly. She slowly moved her other hand. The chattering behind her picked up an octave as another sharp object poked around her arm.

She'd had quite enough. “Would you cut that out?” She rolled over and sat up...and found herself staring into a pair of large brown eyes and a soft gray monkey face. He really looked more like a small gorilla with longer arms than a monkey. She suspected he was a younger monkey. His arms weren't as fully-formed and his face wasn't as full as the howlers she'd seen in the San Diego Zoo.

Leia sighed and looked around. “Well, looks like I'm stuck here. I just wish I knew where 'here' was. Maybe you can help me.” She patted the log next to her. “Here.”

The little monkey still seemed skittish, nudging her and sniffing at her. “Want something to eat?” She was so glad she'd snitched a few crackers when they stopped to make camp. The little monkey sniffed at the food eagerly. He finally climbed up next to her and snatched the crackers, cramming them into his mouth. “You're a jittery little fellow, aren't you?”

He let out an ear-splitting howl when she pulled off her motorcycle helmet. “Whoa!” She threw her hands over her ears. “It's just a hat! It won't hurt you.”

The monkey picked up the hat when she handed it to him. She had to chuckle as he inspected it from all sides. He even got it on his head and pulled down the visor, trying to imitate the sounds he'd likely heard from the motorcycles earlier.

He was chewing on the cords that held them on when he suddenly looked up and howled. Leia frowned. She'd heard something rustling in the leaves, too. “What is it?”

A gunshot answered her question. She shot into the brush while her little friend dumped the helmet and hid under the log. A human hand grabbed at hers before she could shoot again. “Well, what's this?” The face under the white motorcycle helmet smirked unpleasantly. Another man in white came up behind them. “I think this is the girl Mr. Vader was talking about. Go get your bike. We'll take her back to the camp.”

Leia jumped back as a howl wailed from under the log. Her new friend scrabbled out and leaped onto the soldier, grabbing at his ears and trying to get his helmet. The distraction gave Leia a chance to knock him over and get him on the ground. She shot the other man's tires. He spun out, knocking himself out against a tree.

“Let's get out of here.” The howler monkey climbed up onto Leia's shoulder. “I think I'd better find the others, before Vader's boys find them.”

As it turned out, someone else got there ahead of them. Leia could hear the howling – human and monkey – from a mile off. “I'm assuming your relatives decided to make themselves at home at our camp.” Leia sighed as the monkey scrambled onto her shoulder. “How about I get my men away from them, before your relatives get shot, and you tell your family that our camp isn't their new home?” The little monkey seemed to consider that before nodding and squeaking in her ear. “Good. Let's go.”

Harry was trying to head off two monkeys with a frying pan as she arrived with her new friends. Two others hung off his legs, reaching for his guns. Charel fought with them for a hunk of beef he'd been roasting. Luke was on the ground as they scrambled over him. Artie tried to swat them away, but for every one he pushed off him, two more would replace him. Monkeys howled as they opened crates, ate bananas and dried meat, inspected their equipment, and tried on her drawers.

“What's going on over here?” She stomped over to Clarence, who seemed to be having a rather animated conversation with one of the monkeys. “Why aren't they after you?”

As Clarence stretched to his full height, the monkey climbed onto his shoulder and nuzzled him. “I'm fluent in sixty forms of communication, including some animal. I've studied the howler monkeys of Central America, including the golden-back variety. They're really very intelligent creatures, but they're also quite curious. They're worried that we'll harm them or hunt them, like those nasty Imperials down in the valley have been doing for weeks.”

Her little friend chittered in her ear, his high-pitched screech as annoyed as she felt. “Clarence, please tell them that we're not like the Imperials. We're here for knowledge, not to do any hunting.”

The tall secretary leaned over and gave the largest of the monkeys a series of howls that were almost louder than theirs. The monkey answered with his own long howl, pointing at the trees. He tugged at Clarence's hair.

“I'm not accustomed to conversing with non-humans,” Clarence admitted when he pulled up again. “They seem to be using a very primitive dialect, for a howler monkey, but they think I'm their equivalent of a God.”

Harry ignored Artie, Luke, and Charel laughing behind him. “Great! You can use that divine influence of yours and tell them to scram.”

“I'm sorry, Captain Solomon,” the secretary fussed importantly, “but that wouldn't be proper.”

Leia was worried that the Captain would reach over and pop him in the nose. “PROPER?”

Clarence did step back a bit at the force of Harry's word, but he still continued. “I'm afraid it's against my job description to play a religious figure for monkeys.”

“Why, you...” Every monkey in the place ran in front of Harry the moment he lunged for Clarence. “Why you...er, God-like secretary, you. Uh, yeah.” He finally just shrugged. “He's an, er, old friend of mine.”

Luke, Artie, and Charel were literally rolling on the ground in laughter. The noise finally brought Yoda out of his tent. “Young Skylark, what is all this about? Howling, I hear. Monkeys should be in trees, not in camp. Busy, I am. Must translate remaining notes. Need the noise, I do not.”

“Professor,” Leia began, “the Imperials got these monkeys riled up, and we don't know how to get rid of them.”

“Get rid of them, I can. Or we can.” Yoda tugged on Luke's sleeve and whispered something into his ear as he leaned down.

Luke nodded. “That might work.” He and Yoda closed their eyes and lifted their hands. Within seconds, two soft green lights flowed under Clarence and lifted him into the air like a floating pillow.

“Help! Help!” Clarence wailed and waved his hands, looking very much like an agitated golden goose. “Arthur! Mr. Luke! Please let me down! I hate heights! Oh, stop!” The monkeys let rip with banshee screeches and fled away, hiding in trees or behind crates, pointing and chittering at the suddenly “flying” god.

Leia knew what the elderly professor and her brother had in mind. She gently took her little friend's arm before he could run. “You tell your friends and family to leave us and our camp alone,” she snapped, “and we'll tell the God to lower himself and not unleash his great magic.”

“Wait!” Harry rushed over, pushing another monkey off his leg. “I have a better idea. These little buggers don't like the Imperials any more than we do. Why don't we use them?”

“Use them?” Leia raised an eyebrow. “How?”

Harry leaned over the largest monkey. “Let's make a truce.” He winked at Clarence, but he was really looking at Luke, who was starting to sweat with the effort of holding the secretary in the air. “Hey Mr. God, I think you can come down from there now. They have the idea.”

The green light vanished as quickly as it appeared. Clarence flopped rather inelegantly in a pile of soft moss. “Thank heavens!” He hugged the ground like a child. “I'm never leaving the ground again. I didn't think I had it in me to fly!”

“Tell them we want to make a truce.” Harry gave Clarence one of his famous half-smirks. “We'll keep the Imperials from hunting them, if they'll do a little something for us.”

Leia scratched her new friend's back as Clarence howled softly, encouraging the monkeys to come out of the trees. “What did you have in mind?” She grinned at her heavily sweating brother. “And thanks, Luke. You too, Yoda. That was some good Force work there.”

Luke was wiping his heavily perspiring brow. “No sweat, sis.”

Yoda grinned, showing all three teeth he had left. “Tell your secretary, you should not. Needs the confidence, he does. Let him think he did it. Makes him happy.”

“And there aren't many things that make him happy.” Artie laughed as he watched his best friend howl back and forth with the long-armed furballs. “Let him have this much.”

Harry joined Clarence in the circle of fur and arms. “Clarence, we were wondering how to get into the Imperial dig site undetected.” He waved his hands at the monkeys. “Here's our ticket in. If they can do that to our camp, imagine what they can do to the Imperials. Get back at them for hurtin' their friends.” He nudged Clarence's arm as he addressed them. “And tell them to leave our weapons alone. Just attack the Imperials' stuff. They don't need them.”

He smirked and nudge Clarence as he began again. “Hurry up, will ya? We don't got all day.” Now everyone was laughing as the flustered secretary tried to relay everything to his rapt monkey audience.

Tales of the Gold Wookie, Part 13

Leia never thought she'd be following monkeys, but the critters seemed to know what they were doing. The next day, they hiked back to the camp, with a pack of the howler monkeys leading the way. The largest one, whom Leia suspected was the group leader, brought them to a shady, heavily wooded area around the back of the largest temple. Five men, three with motorcycles, guarded the back entrance. Voices, including one familiar mechanical hiss, and the sounds of hammers and ringing steel cutting into stone carried from around the front of the magnificent rock edifice.

Like most of the ancient civilizations of Central America, the Alderaanians built stone temples as shrines to their gods and their warriors. Unlike the more aggressive Aztecs or Mayans, the temples had been built with an eye for working harmoniously with the landscape. Many of the temples blended in with the cliffs, or were even built into them. Others were carved with reliefs and statues of trees, animals, and birds interacting with the gods. The workmanship on them was incredible. Just the nose on Shermala, the sun goddess, was etched so perfectly that Leia wouldn't have been surprised to see the nostrils sniffing out the tiny men underneath her carved feet.

“Nice job, monkey breath.” Harry grinned. “This shouldn't be too hard.”

Leia glared at him. “It only takes one to sound the alarm.”

Harry gave her another smirk. “Then we'll do it real quiet-like.”

She rolled her eyes. “You wouldn't know quiet it if it bit you in the rear.”

“Guys,” Luke groaned softly, “this is a bad time to argue.”

“Um, Miss Leia,” Clarence tugged at her arm and pointed towards the back of the temple. “I think one of our furry companions has done something rather rash.”

“Oh no.” Leia's eyes widened as one of the monkeys scampered over to the motorcycle and climbed onto the seat. “Can't someone get him off?”

Harry made a face. “There goes our surprise attack.”

The monkey was fascinated by the controls. His fleshy face screwed up in concentration as he pushed at one of the levers. One of the men had left the keys in the ignition. He turned them...and suddenly, the vehicle took off into the woods like a shot, with the little fellow hanging on for dear life! The remaining motorcycle officers heard them and followed them into the undergrowth.

“Oh dear,” Clarence fussed. “I hope he's all right.”

Yoda pulled out a set of binoculars. “Fine, he is. Swung into a tree, he did. Intelligent creatures, monkeys are. Left the officers following an empty vehicle, he did.”

“You're right, Ancient One.” Harry smirked. “Not bad for a furball. There's only two left.”

Charel grinned and waved at a couple of the monkeys. He plowed into one of the officers before he could even think about pulling out his gun, knocking him into the side of the stone temple. Monkeys scampered onto the other one, grabbing at his legs and hair. One pried the insignia off his jacket, inspecting it and trying to wear it as a hat. Another stole his hat and looked into it, wondering how the human could fit in that small bowl.

“Nice work, Char.” Harry handed him two coils of rope. “Help me get these two tied up, before they raise the alarm.”

Luke pushed hard at the rocky cliff that melded into the entrance. “How are we going to get in here?”

“According to Papa Bail's notes,” Leia began, “there should be a secret entrance cut into the rock, intended only for Jedi, the Guardians, and their attendants.”

“Everyone,” Yoda insisted, “feel around side of stone. There may be one stone that is loose, or out of place. Pull any stone you can, but be careful. Loose stones may fall on heads. Want to be in hospital with fractured skulls, we do not.”

“Thanks for the warning, old man.” Artie rolled his eyes as they all ran their hands along the moss-covered rocks. “This is crazy. If we were in the movies, we'd just be able to pull one of those rocks, and the door would open.”

“We are not in the movies, Arthur.” Clarence sighed in frustration. “However, he does have a point. That back entrance seems to be lost to time, I'm afraid.” He leaned against one of the rocks in the cliff. “It's been thousands of years. Face it. We'll never...oh!”

They all turned around as Clarence seemingly disappeared into the rock! “Buddy!” Artie dashed over first. “What happened?” He peered into the opening, his dark skin mingling with the inky blackness. “Hey, I think Goldie found the entrance!”

“I'm so glad,” Clarence moaned. “Now, could someone please help me stand? I think I landed on a knife of some kind. It's cutting me through one of my best shirts!”

“It's not a knife.” Leia inspected the ground under him as the others helped him to his feet. Luke used the Sword of Light to cut away at the entrance. “It's a crystal.” The sharp shard of blue rock glittered dully in her palm. “I think it's a khyber crystal.”

Luke nodded. “I wonder if there's more around here?”

“I wouldn't be surprised if there is.” Harry pulled a flashlight out of the worn leather satchel he carried, shining it into the darkness. “We need to get in there.” His voice was oddly strangled. “It...well, we just gotta.”

Clarence pulled away. “There's no way I'm walking around in that death trap. It's not in my job description. I'm a secretary, not an explorer” He grabbed the back of Artie's collar. “Since when were you an explorer?”

Artie glared at him “I ain't lettin' the kids walk off on their own! Who knows what's out there?”

“Why don't you two and Charel stay here?” Leia pulled out the notebook. “Someone will need to meet Laurence and Wedge when they arrive and keep an eye out for Vader and Palpatine and their boys.”

Charel growls and waved his arms, but Harry shook his head. “I kinda agree with Her Worship. The others will be around soon. If you see anythin' wrong, even a little bit, come after us, ok?” His friend nodded, but he still looked concerned.

“Come with you, I will.” Yoda leaned on his walking stick. “Translate, I can. Take care of myself, I can.”

“I'm not sure I like that,” Leia sighed, “but we do need another translator.”

The Sword of Light glowed blue in Luke's hands. “I'm ready.”

Leia raised the Sword of Wisdom as it glowed pale blue. “So am I. Let's go.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The moment they stepped in, Harry knew he had to be here. He couldn't explain it. Something wanted him here. He could hear it calling him. It was strange. He thought all this Force talk was nonsense when they first started out. Now, especially after he saw Leia turn Yasmin into dust, he...well, he didn't exactly believe, but there was no other way he could explain what happened with Yasmin, or with Luke and the Empire's weapon in Coruscant, or Ben vanishing like he did.

He stumbled over roots as he followed Leia, Luke, and Yoda down the corridor. “Stay close, everyone.” Leia was paying more attention to the notes than to the stone in front of her. “We're coming up on those booby traps Papa Bail mentioned.”

Harry winced, rubbing his head. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Yoda looked up as a rumbling was heard from over their heads. “Young ones, duck!”

Harry barely managed to drop to his stomach as iron blades whizzed over their heads. “That was a close one,” he panted as they got to their feet.

As usual, the elderly Asian professor was completely unruffled. “Good, good. Good Guardians, you are. Now...jump!”

“Look, old man,” Harry began, “I'm not...” He never got to finish the sentiment. Iron spikes burst from the ground beneath their feet. He barely managed to leap before one stabbed him in the foot.

Leia landed behind him, grinning slightly. “Is anyone having as much fun as I am?”

“No!” Luke landed on his rear next to his sister. “Ouch! What next?”

“Look out for rocks and boulders,” Yoda explained as, to Harry's surprise, he nimbly hopped over the spikes. “There will be many, but you cannot outrun them. Outsmart them, you must.”

“Could you speak English, old codger?” Harry made a face. “How can we outsmart rocks?”

Luke gulped as more rumbles were heard over their heads. “I think we're about to find out.”

Three massive blue, green, and yellow crystal boulders ran on wood and stone platforms over their heads. “Don't just stand there!” Leia started running the moment the green one hit the ground. “Get moving!”

“Shit!” Harry took off as the yellow boulder rolled down the hall, following him over narrow fissures and across deep chasms. He was glad for the mossy vines that hung down from the ceilings and allowed him to swing across. Maybe it was time he considered bringing a whip or something along. Sure, it made him sound like a lion tamer, but it would be a hell of a lot easier to get across rivers and gorges than with rope.

“Wait...” He could hear the other three yelling and the echoing of the boulders as they bumped down the hall. “They're all going in the same direction.” He ran as hard as he could to the end of a hallway. It was blocked by a seemingly bare wall and more vines. “Leia! Luke! Old guy! When you get to the end, grab those vines!”

Leia sounded agitated, even for her. “Are you crazy?”

“Know what he intends, I do.” He saw a flash across a gaping pit ahead of him of Yoda hopping up and taking a vine.

“What do you...ahh!” Luke nearly fell headlong into the pit before stumbling off and grabbing for the vine at the last minute. Harry saw Leia in another cave over him jump up and snatch a vine, just as the crystal boulder bumped beneath her.

All three boulders went flying into the ravine at the same time. They slammed into each other with a deafening impact that shook every stone in the temple. Jagged blue, green, and yellow shards flew everywhere as the remaining halves of the boulders tumbled into the ravine below.

“Whew!” Luke jumped down. “That was close.”

“Kid!” Harry was still swinging on his vine. “Hold on! I'm comin' over!”

“No, Captain, come, you should not.” Yoda dropped down easily from his vine. “Too far, it is. Even with Force, you could not swing over.”

Harry frowned. “Maybe not in your direction...” He swung, not ahead, but to the side, landing face-first on the side of the wall. “Ok, maybe that wasn't such a great idea.” The call of...well, whatever weird Force thing it was seemed stronger the further up he went. Gasps went up behind him as he took a hand-hold and climbed up the wall.

Leia had jumped off her vine in the cave under him just in time to let out a screech. “Harry, watch out! They're coming!”

“What?” Bullets sent pebbles raining down on him overhead. “Shit!” He tried to climb quicker, but almost lost his footing when it was shot out from under him. “How did Vader and his boys find us?”

Leia grabbed his hands. “We'll discuss my Vader's uncanny knack for following us later.” She managed to haul him onto the ledge, just another shower of bullets dislodged pebbles over their heads. “But right now, we have to get out of here.”

Harry dusted his US Army Air Corps jacket off and set the cap at a jaunty angle. “Come on, sweetheart. Something is here, either the sword or your big weapon. Well...this is going to sound strange, but it's callin' me. I can hear it. I'm it's Guardian, or somethin'.” He shrugged. “I think it has the wrong guy, but who am I to argue with a Force and a sword covered in crystals that could probably cut me in half?”

“No kidding.” Leia peered briefly across the chasm. “Luke and Yoda are gone. I'd call to them, but I don't want to give away our presence to Vader and his goons.”

“Good thinking. We'll meet the kid and the old guy later.” Harry pulled out his flashlight. “Come on. The call is feelin' strongest...” He turned to his right, leading her down a wider hall strewn with thick cobwebs and strange pictures and writing on the walls. “This way.”

Harry felt like he followed that call for hours. The only light they saw were the low yellow beams of their flashlights and the occasional sunlight emerging from a break in the crumbling ceilings. “Sweetheart, I don't read ancient gibberish,” he grumbled when they stopped yet again so she could get her fill of the wall. “What does it say?”

“It says...” Leia pushed him against the wall, “move!”

A thin crystal with a blade like steel dropped down from over their heads. It just barely missed them as it slammed into the floor, slicing clean through and shattering on the next level. “Those Guardians,” Harry grumbled, breathing hard, “had a really sick sense of humor.”

“Well, if you're going to keep people out,” Leia pointed out with a shaky smile, “why not use what you know?”

Harry turned his flashlight to the wall beyond the crystal blade. “Hey.” A series of crystal blocks were set in a wide square in the wall. “What's all this?” He took out a block and move it around. “It's like a puzzle.”

Leia flashed her light on the writing along the wall. “According to this, those who solve the puzzle will have the strength to find what calls to them.”

Harry nodded. “It's stronger here. Whatever that...it...is, it's calling me. It wants me.” He rolled his eyes as he started moving around the gems. “I have no idea why it needs me, but it does.”

“What does it say?” Leia pulled a shiny sky-blue piece to the top of the rock, where it clicked into place. “Hey, this is a puzzle! Every piece has a place where it fits.”

“Yeah.” Harry barely heard her. He was too busy trying to sort out all the pieces. “The yellow ones go in a triangle. Like a pyramid...”

“It's the Temple!” Leia pushed several smaller pink crystal pieces next to it. “And these are the Jedi.” She arranged more pieces, until they bore blocky resemblances to warriors in the elaborate feathered and beaded Jedi robes.

“And this is...” Harry frowned as he tried to organize several pieces, “is not working.”

“This is the sun.” Leia pulled the remaining yellow pieces into place. “And sunbeams,” she added as yellow pieces snapped into a line under the round crystals. “But that...”

Harry pulled the gray and green crystals into place over the Temple. “Looks like one of the swords.”

“It does.” Leia did the second. “You did the Sword of Wisdom. Here's the Sword of Light.”

“Then this,” Harry finished with gray-and-yellow pieces, “is the Sword of Strength.”

Leia ran her fingers over the yellow stripes coming from the sword. “What are they doing?”

“Drawing light from the sun?” Harry pushed more brilliantly colored stones around it. “The swords are all supposed to be in here...”

The moment he clicked the stones into place, the crystal Temple mural lit up from within, glowing like the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles on Friday night. “I have a bad feeling about this,” Harry muttered.

The wall rumbled. Tiles and pieces of the ceiling crumbled and crashed to the ground around them as the mural slid away, revealing a larger chamber. “Oh my god.” Leia stepped in first, her flashlight glowing gold on the debris scattered around the floor. “I think we found it.”

“Yeah,” Harry muttered as he followed her. “I think we did.”

Leia had never seen anything like the amazing statues that lined the walls. Each one was perfect likeness of a Jedi warrior, carved in blue, green, and yellow khyber crystal. They looked exactly like the artwork of the Guardians of the Swords seen in Papa Bail's sketchbook. “This is it,” she breathed as her fingertips ran along the empty hand of one of the statues. It was curved as if it still held a handle. “All the Swords were here, once.” Her eyes flitted across the notebook, and then the writing on the wall over the statues. “Only the keepers of the Swords can unlock and control the weapon.”

“Damn it, it's here!” Harry ignored her, trying to pull at some of the broken crystal on the wall opposite. “I can feel the thing! It needs me! Ow!” One of the broken crystal shards had stuck him, cutting him on his finger. He sucked at it. “There has to be some puzzle...” He tried pushing pieces of crystal around the wall, but he just ended up with cut fingers. “Shit. This is stupid.” Leia had come to the opposite wall to join him. “Hey sweetheart, mind if I borrow your jacket?”

“What about yours?” She tugged the khaki jacket further over her shoulders, clad in a blue button-down blouse.

“Leia, this is a good jacket! It's leather! Not to mention, I don't have much left from my Air Corps days.” His eyes widened. “I need this. The Sword needs this.”

“Fine.” The moment she slid out of the jacket, Harry wrapped it around his right fist. He felt for an indentation in the wall, where the crystal seemed to be a little thinner. “Here. It's right here.”

He put his hand through the crystal wall. To Leia's surprise, instead of cracking, it left a round hole. “I think I saw this in the book.” She flung open the notebook as he leaned in, trying to feel around. “You should be able to open the wall easily now, like we did with the door in here when we finished the puzzle.”

Harry nodded and pulled at the wall. There was a rumble and a crack, and it once again slid across the floor, vanishing into the back of the room. “Well, that worked. Now what?”

The smaller room had two cobweb-strewn statues standing on either side. Unlike the ones in the main room, these were carved entirely in a pale yellow crystal. “I wonder why no one ever found this room?” Leia studied the statues. “They look like the carvings in the book, but they're not holding anything.” She studied the writing over their heads. “You have to give them a helping hand.”

“How can I do that for crystal?” Harry studied their hands. “You know, Your Worship, they kind of look like they want to shake our hands and thank us for managing to get this far.” He gave her that little smirk. “At least hunks of crystal know how to be respectful.”

“That's it.” She grinned at Harry. “I think that's it. Why don't you shake their hands?”

Harry nodded. “Why not? I have to get back there somehow, and it's not weirder than anything else we've run into on this trip.”

His fingers laced with the soft canary yellow crystal ones. As he shook it, the statues seemed to move out of the wall, sliding in much the same way as the door. “That's it!” Leia grinned. “We did it! That's the Sword of Strength!”

“Come to Papa, baby.” Harry gently tugged the long, flat blade studded with softly glowing golden-yellow gems out of the stone alcove where it was hidden for so long. “Yeah, you wanted me, didn't you?”

Leia shuddered. “I'm glad you found that thing, but I think it's time we got out of here. Vader and his creeps are still after us.”

“Yeah, I know.” Harry swished the sword around. “Hey, not bad.” He looked up as Leia moved out of his way. “You know, Sweetheart, you still have your toothpick, too. Maybe we could go back there, overpower Vader's goons, and get the hell out of here.”

“I don't know.” Leia rubbed her forehead. “I have a bad feeling about this. I feel like...like we're being watched...”

They heard the sound of footsteps too late. “Hello, daughter.” Vader strode in last as his men and the Coruscant officers surrounded them. “Thank you for leaving me the maps. Between the map and following you, it took us right to the location of the final sword.” He glared at Harry under that wide-brimmed fedora. “I can't believe that the Sword of Strength chose you as Benton Kenobi's successor. You're nothing like him, Solomon. You're just a common thief.”

“Maybe I ain't like him, Ugly.” Harry gave him that lazy smirk. “But I can do somethin' a gentleman like him wouldn't do.” His fist started to glow with yellow light. “I can hit pretty damn hard.”

His fist went right into what remained of Vader's scarred and pockmarked nose. The big man flew across the room, right into the arms of one of the statues. “Get out of here, Leia!” Harry slashed at another one with the sword, then smacked a third on the rear with it. “Go find Char and the others! Tell 'em Vader knows we're here!”

Leia jumped in front of him, swinging her sword so hard, it went through two men at once. She concentrated on two more, telling to them to turn around and forget why they came. To her surprise, after the green light dissipated from their heads, they swung around on their heels and marched right out of the room.

“Harry, I don't want to leave you. You don't know where the exit is. You'll get lost” She managed to duck away from another man and lean over and give Harry a kiss, before they swung around and, as one, stabbed two officers with their swords.

“One of us has to sound the alarm, Sweetheart.” Harry almost shoved her out the door. “Go! I'll be behind you in a few minutes!” He gave her that grin. “I love you, Sweetheart.”

Leia grinned right back. “I know.”

“This is sickening.” Vader tried to block the exit across from the larger warrior statues. “You can't run from me, daughter. I know your weakness, how you operate. No matter where you hide, I'll find you.”

“And no matter how much you talk, I'll still be able to do this!” Leia brought up her knee into her father's groin. She gave him an evil grin as he groaned loudly and collapsed. “I just found one part that wasn't replaced with metal.”

Harry cheered wildly as she darted out the door. “Nice work, Leia! Good girl! I'll be there in a minute!”

He was beginning to really like this Force business. His glowing fist flung goons all over the room. One even landed on the head of one of the two-story statues in the main room, looking like part of his feathered headdress.

“You know, I've really been enjoying this little party.” Harry turned his smirk on the two remaining guys. “But I promised my girlfriend that I'd follow her. It's not a good idea to upset the woman you're hoping to marry.” He rubbed his head and made a face. “Besides, I feel something nasty coming. Were any of you guys ever Jedi, or...”

A black-gloved hand slammed across the back of Harry's head. The pilot slumped to the stone floor as the Sword of Strength clattered to the ground. He gasped as Vader's dark red light hefted him into the air like one of the small Alderaanian toy warriors he'd seen in Yasmin's collection.

“The Guardian of Strength.” Harry struggled to breathe, trying to pry Vader's thick fingers from his neck. “I don't understand why the Sword chose you,” the big man snarled, “but you will in handy. Very handy.” Harry struggled, but he couldn't stay awake much longer. Vader had a firm hold on his windpipe. He let out one more desperate gasp before sagging, out cold.

Vader swept the Sword into his grasp as the remaining men swarmed over Harry. “Tie him up and bring him to the Weapon Room. I have...plans...for my daughter's rascal of a lover.” The larger officer wound rope around Harry's wrists and ankles and managed to haul him over his shoulder before they made their way out.

Tales of the Gold Wookie, Part 14

Luke knew he and Yoda had been walking for hours. His teacher, at least, seemed to have some idea of where he was going. “Come, come,” the little greenish professor chortled. “Find what we are looking for, we will. Get their hands on it, Vader and his chancellor must not.”

“What are we looking for?” Luke slashed walls of thick cobwebs with the Sword of Light...and the occasional thicker spider. “And the next time I follow Leia on one of these trips, I'm bringing industrial-strength bug spray and a dust cloth. This is worse than trying to get through the jungle.”

“Alderaanian secret Death Star weapon, we must find.” Yoda easily ducked under most of the cobwebs. “Here, it is. At the top, it is.”

“At the top of what?” Luke slashed through a curtain of vines. “This temple?” He shuddered. “I'm almost beginning to wish we'd stayed with the others. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Yoda wasn't listening. He was reading the carvings that had been hidden under the curtain of vines. “To unleash the weapon,” Yoda said, “a test of the Force, you must take part in. Only those who believe in the Force will see the way to the Star.”

“What do you mean?” Luke frowned as he looked at the empty nothing beyond the curtain. “It's just a pit!”

“Pit, you say?” Yoda gave him a toothless smile. “Pit, you say. Bridge, I say.”

“Master, it's a pit!” The young reporter looked down...and instantly wished he hadn't. The chasm continued into infinite blackness. He couldn't even begin to see the bottom. “All right.” Luke sighed. “I'll give it a try.”

“Concentrate, you must. Do, or do not! There is no try” Yoda put out his hand and closed his eyes. “A trick, it is. Only those with faith in the Force can raise the bridge.”

“Well, all right.” For a moment, the only thing Luke felt was the breath of air coming through the cracks in the temple walls. Then, a tingle, a glow that zipped up through his hands and arms. “I...I can see it!” The light knew. There was energy in him, strength. The energy sizzled in his veins. It bubbled over, seeping into every pore and crack in that wall.

When Luke opened his eyes, the very lichen in the walls glowed with the same blue light he got from his sword. A bright blue bridge, almost translucent, extended over the gorge and into the next room. “We did it!” He stepped cautiously onto the bridge. The light held. It didn't even waver. “It worked!” He happened to look down...and notice bubbling golden liquid below them. It smelled like boiling melted aluminum foil.

“Work, it did. Work, it always will, when you believe in the Force.” Luke swiveled around to see that Yoda had already gotten across. “Come.” He wiped his forehead. “The liquid below us is melted metal. Not fall, we must. Quick way to be metal statues, it is.”

The sun was just beginning it's inevitable slide into the horizon when they emerged into a wide, dusty chamber. It's rays showed behind a row of arched windows, each guarded by a glittering gold and gem-studded statue. A wide gold and metal pedestal dominated the center of the room, directly under a round hole in the roof. The walls were etched with what looked like round moons, and each warrior had a glowing moon, green or gold or blue, on their metal shields.

“This is it,” Yoda stated as Luke gaped at the shimmering golden warriors. “The Death Star weapon, we have found.”

“But where?” Luke walked around, trying to find an opening. “I don't see a gun or anything.”

Yoda stepped up to to the pedestal. “This is it,” he repeated. “Sword goes here. When all swords are here, activated, the Death Star will be.”

“This is incredible!” Luke whipped out his camera. “No one in LA will ever believe this!”

Yoda frowned, rubbing his head. “Leave, we must.” He reached for his own staff. “Darkness, come, it does. Find this place, it must not.”

Luke was too busy taking photos to pay attention to the sick feeling in his stomach or the sound of footsteps that were too heavy to be Yoda's. “What do you mean?”

Yoda stepped closer to the pedestal, his hand out. “He is here.”

“He who?” Luke looked up...just in time to be slammed with a bolt of purple lightning. It flung him into the wall as easily as Luke could fling a rag doll.

“Palpatine.” Yoda managed to pull himself up first as the wave of lightning subsided. “How did you manage to get here ahead of us?”

“Followed you after you took off at the gorge.” The old man in the long black coat and heavy gray suit that was a size too big was even more of a shriveled prune than he'd appeared back at Coruscant. The shark grin he gave Luke sent shivers down his spine. “I see you have one of my new apprentices with you. How kind of you. I'll be taking him to Coruscant City after we use the Death Star Weapon to subdue a few countries that are...holding out.”

“Fight you, I will.” Yoda put out his hand. “Take the Skylarks, you will not.”

“How can you fight me, you old goat?” Palpatine cackled, sounding for all the world like a witch from a fairy tale. “You can barely stand.”

“Have a mind, I do.” Yoda lashed out with a surge of green light that lifted Palpatine squirming in the air. “Have my ways, I do.” He tossed the dictator into the statue with the green gems. More green light surrounded the statue, until its arms somehow managed to squeeze the squirming elderly dictator.

“You think I'm impressed with your child's play?” Palpatine's cackling echoed in the dusty chambers. A cracking noise followed it, as a dark eggplant purple light wrapped around the arms, pushing them slowly apart. Palpatine dropped to the ground, cushioning himself from the fall with a pillow of light. “A mere bagatelle. Any Jedi could do such a thing.” Purple lightning from his fingertips curled around the statues. “I don't suppose you could do this. After all, it has been a long time.”

“Twenty years, it has been.” Yoda stepped back, pushing Luke behind him. “Twenty years since we fought in the courtyard here, after young Skylark killed those workers.” Yoda glared at him. “Children, some of them were. Innocent, they were. Never harmed you, they did not. No reason for their deaths.”

“They would have told everyone about this place. We couldn't leave survivors.” Palpatine smirked. “We've known this was here for years. It was just a matter of pinpointing the actual room itself. Bail Organa was nice enough to do it for us.”

“No!” Luke pulled out his sword. “Papa Bail wanted all this to be for the good of mankind, not some crazy old man who's read way too many comic books about maniacs who want to take over the world!”

“Oh, it'll be for the good of mankind.” Palpatine raised his hand. “My kind. The power this weapon wields will allow Coruscant to become the dominating superpower in the entire world! Every country will bow to our superior will and strength!”

“Right, the boy is. In your right mind, you are not.” Yoda raised his hand, sending a softer blue light over Palpatine. He screamed, falling to his knees and throwing his bony fingers over his eyes. “Corrupted, you are. Purify you, I can. Yes, make your mind better, I can.”

“I don't want your pity, old man.” When Palpatine removed his hands, his eyes were a mustard-y yellow and glowed with an unholy light. “I want your power!”

His purple light shot out at Yoda, surrounding the tiny man. The light circled him and bound him, sucking his green light out in heavy waves. The more light went through Yoda, the more he sagged.

“NO!” Luke charged Palpatine. “I lost Ben to this, and I'm not going to lose another teacher!” He slammed into the rope with his sword, his blue light “cutting” through Palpatine's beam like a saw through wood.

Palpatine jumped back. Yoda fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Luke caught him as the elderly chancellor screeched. “You're too late, boy!” His smiled chilled Luke to the bone. “That old goat doesn't have enough power left to fill a thimble!”

“Yoda!” Luke rushed to the elderly man's side and pulled him into his lap. “I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him. I tried, I really did, but...”

“Do, or do not, remember?” Yoda's voice was down to a rasp. “When gone am I...the last of the Jedi, will you three be. Pass on...what you...have...learned.” Tiny fingers tugged on Luke's black jacket. “The Force...is strong...in your family. You have it...your father has it...your sister has it...any...child...that...”

“Yoda?” Even as the young man spoke, his diminutive mentor was fading away in his arms. “Professor, please! No!” With one last soft curl of green light, the little man vanished, leaving behind only his old khaki traveling suit and pith helmet. “Oh god, no. Not again.”

All Luke saw was red. He lunged for Palpatine, his sword raised. “Good! Good!” The chancellor was more nimble than he appeared and was easily able to dodge the angry reporter. Luke slammed into him, holding the sword to his neck when he ended up on the ground. Palpatine only laughed. “You're very good, my boy. But not good enough.”

Luke didn't have enough time to dodge him before the purple light writhed around him. “Let me go!” The young reporter flailed wildly as Palpatine's violet beam raised him into the air. “I won't let you drink my magic, like you did Yoda's! I'm not a root beer float!”

“Hardly.” The evil smile spread from ear to ear. It chilled Luke to his bones. “I have more...specific...plans in mind for you, my young apprentice. You and your friend Solomon are going to help me release the weapon.”

Luke gave him his best angry glare. “You're mistaken. Soon, you'll be dead, and me with you.”

“Oh, you'll find it's you who are mistaken, young one. About a great many things.” Palpatine lifted the Sword of Light with the purple beam from his other hand and stabbed it into the pedestal. “I'm afraid the Death Star weapon will be quite operational when the rest of your friends arrive.”

Luke swung to and fro, only able to watch helplessly as the Sword of Light gave off a sickly dark-blue glow from the crystal in the center of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I really don't like this.” Artie frowned. “They should have gotten out of there by now.”

“Well, they are exploring a lost temple.” Clarence shrugged. “That involves a considerable amount of danger. Who knows what might have happened in there?”

The stubby chauffeur pulled out his flashlight. “That's why I'm goin' in.”

“Are you crazy?” Clarence grabbed his arm. “We don't have a map or Professor Organa's notebook!”

“We have you.” His best friend smirked. “You can read the lingo, and the lingo for every crazy lost civilization this side of the Rio Grande. That's why Bail hired you in the first place. You're a translator.”

“Yes, but...that's all I am! A translator! I do not work in the field!” His arms waving wildly with every word. “I'm no good with danger! I'll faint the first time I see a hairy spider!”

Artie grabbed his collar before he could run. “We'll take that chance.” Charel grabbed his other arm. “Thanks there, buddy. Yeah, your friend is in there, too. We swore to their parents that we'd keep an eye on the Skylark kids. Yoda's an old buddy of mine, too. How about you, Char?”

Clarence nodded as Charel went on in his rough Russian basso. “He says he owes Captain Solomon his life. They helped each other escape a mud pit where they were trapped during the Great War, and the Captain has been his friend and confidante ever since.” His thin yellow face managed a smile. “Yes, Mr. Bacca, Captain Solomon is a very rash man. It is more than likely that if it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be alive now.” He raised an eyebrow. “You know Professor Chiang? From the War? He was in Russia?” Charel nodded, continuing in his deep barks. “There's certainly many things I didn't know about the Professor. I didn't think Russian history was his area of expertise.”

“It ain't.” Artie went on as he peered into the blackness beyond the rocks. “He was there right before the Revolution broke out. Managed to get out just a month before all hell broke loose in Moscow.”

Charel winced at the reference and nodded. “You helped each other get out? He was there to help some of your family?” Clarence's mouth dropped open. “I'm sorry about your family, but I had no idea the Professor was involved in the Russian Revolution!”

“Yeah, you think you know some people.” Artie looked over his shoulder. “Let's get going. I have a bad feeling about this. The kids might need us.”

“Wait!” Clarence shook his head. “We need to wait for Mr. Laurence. He's supposed to be around with the rest of the team.”

Charel poked Clarence on the shoulder...and pointed to four Coruscant officers with guns coming around the corner, followed by a whole platoon of local Guatemalan workers. “I don't think we have a choice, Goldie!” Artie shoved his best friend in the door, followed by Charel. The monkeys remained behind to grab at the men's ankles and weapons and jump on their heads while Artie and Charel managed to shove the rock door closed.