The Summer Strikes Back, Part 6

The late July heat pounded the entire Jersey Shore the next day. The yellow ball of flame scorched every wooden tile on the roofs of Cottages 6 and 7. Luke and Leia started nailing down shingles at 8 in the morning. By 11, they were both dripping, and Luke swore his flip flops were melting. Even Leia had to agree it was time to have lunch and hit the beach. Uncle Ben and Wedge, who had been working on fixing the back porch steps on Cottage 3, joined them.

Luke wasn't surprised that the beach was mobbed today. Even Chip and Arturro were out, Arturro literally dragging his taller friend into the water. Kes Dameron helped Poe build a sand castle, surrounding it with shells and pebbles.

“That's right, Luke.” The older man watched the youth as he charged his way into the barrel. “Go for it. Use the wave. Don't fight it.” Leia and Wedge were catching a few waves of their own. Leia always went for the big waves, but today, she seemed distracted. She only rode two smaller waves, and fell off of a third one.

Luke was by her side in an instant. “You ok, sis?”

She rubbed her head where it banged the side of her white and neon yellow board. “Yeah. I'm just worried. You saw what happened to Maz's yesterday. What if the Imperial Gang tries something here?”

Luke grinned. “Then we kick their asses.”

Ben stroked his filmy silver beard. “You do have a point, but I don't want to worry everyone needlessly. Remember, two of the cottages house families with children. Kes and Hera and her crew have enough to worry about with feeding their young ones and keeping food on the table.”

“That's why I'm doing this.” Leia lay back on her surfboard. “Empire Industries bought the Alderaan Manor Hotel and Country Club, right?”

Ben nodded as he cut over to a smaller wave. “The last I heard. A few local boaters and fishermen have mentioned some activity going on, but nothing seems to be built. Palapatine hasn't mentioned putting anything up there.”

Wedge floated past. “I wonder what that old geezer has up his sleeve?” He stood up on his board as a wave came past. “Later, folks.” Luke stood up himself as his dark-haired friend grabbed the smaller tube and took it to shore.

Leia stood up on her board and straightened the top of her blue bathing suit with the wide white straps. “I can imagine. I did some research at Town Hall yesterday afternoon. Palapatine is gunning for a spot on the city council. He wants to cut funding for schools and families, make three popular surfer beaches private, and increase the rents on the boardwalk and the Walking Mall.”

Ben wobbled a little as he got on his board. “He's been trying to get back on the city council for years. He actually was on the city council in the mid-70's, but they voted him out after he permitted the demolition of a few too many local landmarks and encouraged higher taxes for all but the wealthiest tourists.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “What a dickweed.”

He cut into a mile-high keg, grinning as Leia went in beside him. He heard Wedge cheering on the shore. Uncle Ben brought up the rear. He had to admit, he was impressed. The older man could cut some damn sweet moves, including a few couldn't manage yet. Leia was just holding on, her eyes elsewhere.

He'd never felt so with-it in his life. He'd never gotten in the pocket like this. It was like...like he was air. Like Twilight was his bird, and he was the wings. His uncle was right. It was a religious experience. He held on to his board, trying for a couple of jumps. He managed two before the wave broke and he found himself on the shore.

“Wow!” Wedge ran up to him, still hauling his own board. “Damn, man. You were bitchin' back there.”

Leia came in next. “I'm impressed, brother dear. You actually stayed on.”

Luke tossed his arm around her for a squeeze. “Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment.”

Cassian and Jyn clapped from their perch on the lifeguards' stand. “Beautiful, beautiful.” The dark-haired lifeguard grinned. “You'll be a top surfer yet, kid.”

Luke's shiny blue eyes were wide with hope. “You really think so?”

“You might even be better than Adam Walker.” Jyn nodded. “Maybe even Quinton Jinn...and he was one of the best there ever was. Or Yoda Yamagashi. Old don't mean you aren't good, man.”

“Yoda Yamagashi?” Luke exchanged confused looks with Leia. “Never heard of him.”

Ben came up behind them. “He taught Quin and me everything we knew. Yamagashi took us both in after World War II. He was in Japan and Indonesia when surfing was just getting started. No one knows more about the water than him.”

Jyn leaned over Leia as Luke, Ben, and Wedge went over to talk to Kes. “Hey, we need to talk. Not here. Saw's staring at us. Meet me at Cottage 3 tonight, before the Rogues' party. Say, around 8?”

“I could do that.” Leia watched her brother as he tossed a rainbow-striped beach ball around with Ben, Wedge, and Kes. Poe laughed loudly every time someone dropped the ball or took a nose-dive in the sand.

“Yeah.” Jyn winced as an older black man with dreadlocks, hard dark eyes, and a “Head Lifeguard” t-shirt shot a look in their direction. “Man, I think our boss wants us to pay attention. Saw's a decent guy, mostly, but he's a real hard-ass on the beach. He's still got this idea he's leading the troops in Vietnam.”

Leia leaned on her surfboard. “Why do you want to talk to me?”

Jyn's eyes were on the water. “You're the one with the connections.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Fulcrum found something big. You know, the DJ? Actually, no one really knows who she is. Well, Dad does, but he's been sworn to secrecy. Anyway, Dad was in on one of Palapatine's meetings, and Fulcrum actually brought recording equipment and took down all of it. Dad was in Palapatine's office, trying to get the money he owed him, when he found something huge in his desk. I told Dad I knew someone who could get it to the right people. He's scared to death ol' Palpy with find out.”

Cassian made a face. “The thing is, the equipment's kind of...sophisticated. We're going to need someone who can figure out how to run it.”

Jyn grinned. “And I know whom.” Two figures were body surfing on the smaller waves by the shore. “They should be coming back on the beach right about...”

“I TOUCHED SEAWEED!”

Jyn busted out laughing as Chip barreled past the lifeguard stand. He was covered in seaweed from the waist up. It was even up his nose. Arturro chased him with a few pieces, trying to shove it at him and freak him out more. People ran screaming, assuming he was some kind of sea monster.

Cassian grabbed Arturro's arm as he went past him. “Whoa, boy. No running on the beach.”

“Hey, we have a job for you.” Jyn leaned over him seductively. “Could you get your buddy? I don't speak...whatever it is you speak.”

Arturro waved his hand at Chip. Luke was helping him get the seaweed off. Chip's hands flailed as he tried to brush off the aquatic vegetation. “Get it off of me! Ugh! It's slimy and gunky and heaven only knows where it's been! I think it's trying to eat me! I saw something like this on a late-night movie once. There was this terrifying blob that ate everything in sight, including humans! It was awful. I never wanted to see another horror film.”

“Aw Chip, it's not that big of a deal.” Luke pried a piece off the rear of his faded gold shorts. “You know, they eat seaweed in soup and sushi in Japan.”

Chip sniffed. “Well, I'm not overly fond of sushi, and I find this vegetation abhorrent.”

Leia pulled it out of his shorts. “Chip, we need your help and Arturro's tonight. Jyn's dad made a really big discovery. Really hush-hush.”

“Rather a James Bond sort of thing then?” Arturo grinned and nodded, his voice indicating that he was all for it. “Arturro would love the chance to attempt to be an undercover operator, but I'm not so sure it's a good idea. What if Empire Industries finds out what we're doing? Shouldn't this be going to the authorities?”

Luke nodded. “Yeah, sis. I don't like this. What if someone tries to hurt you?”

“No one knows we have this.” Jyn shrugged. “Or so my dad says. He swears you can trust Fulcrum. He says she used to be a big surfer way back when. She's been here for ages.”

“What about the Rogues' party tonight?” Luke brushed sand off his board. “Wes is turning 21. They're throwing him a really big barbecue. You said you'd be there.”

Ben nodded. “We need to discuss our entrant in the Ocean View Boat Parade as well. The Ghost was our entry last year, but Hera said she agreed to represent Ackbar's Restaurant and Marina this year.”

Leia reached up and kissed her brother's forehead. “I'll be ok. I'm just going to hear what the tapes say, then take it into town. I'll be there by 9.”

“All right.” The small blond hefted his surfboard under his arm. “I'm gonna catch one more wave. Do you want to come with me?”

“That's ok. I think I'm going to take a shower.” She patted her brother on the shoulder. “Don't worry. I'll be fine. I promise.”

Had either twin looked up at the road at that moment, they wouldn't have agreed. The man in the green and red Members' Only jacket, motorcycle helmet, and sunglasses kept a silent vigil from a concrete and green wood bench on the narrow boardwalk. The moment Leia started towards Cottage 2, he whipped out a huge wireless phone, pulled out the receiver, and pushed some buttons.

“Boss? We found out where the plans are...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“This is messed up.” Leia was sitting on the couch in Jyn and Cassian's living room. “I can't believe they're really going to do this.”

The dry, perfectly enunciated voice of Peter Tarkin droned on from the tape recorder on the crab-trap coffee table. “I just received word from Mr. Simon Palapatine himself. The brand-new, state-of-the-art Empire Star Resort and Theme Park will provide thousands of jobs for the community. The building will be a 40-story hotel, with a gym, two pools, three bars, and four gourmet restaurants. This will also include a mall and amusement pier that will double the size of any of the current offerings in Ocean View.”

“What about the people who own those buildings, boss?” One male voice – Leia recognized it as belonging to a member of the Imperial Gang – whined. “We've gotten a couple of folks to give up, but most of them won't budge. And then, there's the plans for the hotel. You shouldn't have let someone swipe them. If anyone finds out about how the boss is buyin' up properties...”

“The plans you refer to are gonna be back in our hands in a few hours.” Vader's sibilant hiss nearly blended with the static on the recording. “Just don't be too proud of this great big thing you haven't built yet. It doesn't mean nothing next to the waves, man.”

“Still a surfer at heart?” She could almost hear the sneer. “You're a dumbass. I don't see some shitty surfing talk getting us the plans back, or getting all those dicks off their land, or...”

A gasp suddenly filled the room. The only other sound was Vader's hissing. “I find your lack of faith disturbing, dude.”

“Enough!” Tarkin's clipped British accent overrode Vader's rasp. “Vader, release him.”

“As you wish, Mr. T.” Chip winced at the sound of something being thrown hard into a wall.

“This bickering is pointless.” Tarkin's voice continued. “The moment we get the plans back, we'll deal with the hold-outs. Including Benjamin Kenobi and Mazina Kantana.”

Cassian groaned. “I don't want to hear anymore.” Arturro nodded and switched the machine off. “This is shit. It sounds like they're gonna try to buy everything out from under us anyway.”

Leia was studying the plans. “I'm no architecture student...but this hotel is HUGE. It would probably take up at least ten city blocks alone. And then there's the mall, the amusement park...”

Jyn leaned over her shoulder. “They'd need to tear down everything from the Lighthouse to about two blocks after Maz's. That's half of this part of the island!”

“What about the Cottages?” Cassian was pacing now. “Jyn and I live here! Kes and his kid and Hera and Kanan and their family and Mr. Kenobi live here! It would create even more traffic jams than we already get, too. And there's all those small businesses on the boardwalk and down by the hotels, including Kes'.”

Leia refolded the blueprints. “Beyond that, it would just about destroy all those small businesses and the smaller hotels downtown and on the south side of the boardwalk. Not to mention, most of the tourists here are families, young adults like us, foreigners like Chip and Arturro, and older people like Uncle Ben and Maz. Those aren't the kind of people who can afford a huge Vegas-style hotel.”

“They're not the kind of people they want, I think,” Chip began. Arturro spoke quickly, cutting his friend off. “He's right,” Chip translated. “They want those who are in a higher income bracket. Wealthy and influential citizens would be far more likely to pour money into a project such as this one than lower-class families, the middle-class elderly, or young people just starting out in life.”

“Great.” Jyn kicked an old varnished side table. “So they're driving out most of town. There has to be something we can do about it.”

“I can do something.” Leia folded the plans and slid them into a manila folder. “I can get this to the City Council. They're meeting next week. I'll bet they have no idea what Palapatine's real plans are.”

Arturro had been looking out the window. His big brown eyes nearly popped out as he dashed over to Chip and grabbed the sleeve of his red and gold t-shirt. “What is it?” The taller British boy stepped over to the window...just as the sound of wood smashing and raspy breathing diverted everyone's attention. Chip jumped away from the door. “Oh my! The Imperial Gang! They've found us!”

Jyn grabbed a heavy old green and white lamp as Cassian ducked into the kitchen for a pan. “Leia, get out of here!” she hissed. “Go get help! Get to the Rogues' party!” Noisy talk and the radio playing Twisted Sister's “The Kids are Back” drowned out the Imperials' entrance. “Ben's there. You have to get the plans to him!”

“Oh no, you don't.” Vader was the last guy to smash through the door. “We want those plans, baby doll. We heard from a reliable source that you guys have them in your possession.”

“Oh yeah?” Jyn dropped the lamp on a table and put her hands on her hips. “What 'reliable source? Your mother?”

Vader let out a growl and grabbed Jyn by the arm. “Don't you ever talk about my mother that way.”

“Hey, get off her!” Cassian leaned in for a punch, but he barely made Vader's arm. Arturro opted to leap onto Vader's back instead. Chip ducked into a closet, whimpering about not wanting to get killed and how his best friend was completely and utterly crackers. Jyn brought the lamp down on the back of another Imperial. Cassian tripped a guy out the front window.

In the midst of the confusion, Leia dove between two Imperials and out the front door, the manila envelope and cassette snuggled under her arm. “After her!” Vader shoved Arturro aside and waved at two of the white-clad gang members. “You two, come with me. The rest of you, deal with these two.”

Arturro yanked the closet open. Chip was on his knees. “I surrender! Please don't hurt me!” Arturro let out a stream of exasperated words as he helped his friend to his feet. “They're going after Leia? She has the plans and the tapes? Well, why on Earth didn't you tell me sooner?” The smaller boy pushed him towards the back door. “You couldn't find me? I was right there!” The back screen door slammed, cutting off the rest of Chip's fussing.

Leia had never run so fast in her life. She looked over her shoulder as three men pursued her. The backyard. They didn't know their way around here like she did. She could lose them in the backyards. She leaped over the first fence, the one she and Luke whitewashed a few weeks ago, and felt the wind fly through her short white pleated skirt. Why did she have to wear that? They probably saw her underwear.

The Rogue's barbecue was the next cottage over. She just had to get past Cottage 5. It was one of the empty ones. She tried to stay in the shadows, stay hidden. If they found her...well, she didn't want to think of what they'd do. Her fingers managed to reach for a good, sharp rock under a pine tree in Cottage 5's backyard area, just as she saw a short, stocky figure behind her.

“Arturro?” The outline of the barrel-chested boy could just be made out in the rapidly-growing darkness. Sharp yellow lights and the sounds of smashing and hissing bled into the shadows. She threw the folder and cassette into his arms. “You and Chip have to get this to Uncle Ben.”

Bright yellow lights inched closer. Leia felt like she was in Friday the 13^th. She half-expected Jason Voorhees to leap out of the bushes with a bloody chainsaw. “Go!” She shoved Arturro ahead. “This is our most desperate hour. The plans have to get to the city council. Uncle Ben and my goofy brother are our only hope!”

Arturro stumbled out of the bush just in time. A thick arm reached for hers seconds after he took off. “Hey there, baby cakes.” The gang member's breath reeked of cheap whiskey and nicotine. “Where do you think you're goin'?”

His fingers were leaving bruises on her elbow. She glared at him. “Not where I can smell you, geek wad.”

“Sorry, baby.” He rubbed her elbow gently. She could almost see the sex in his eyes. “You know, you're pretty damn beautiful. I think it might be fun to do it in the moonlight...”

She whacked him over the head with the rock she had behind her back before he could contemplate the moonlight further. Sprinting for the Rogues' backyard really made her regret having worn her white sandals. They were slippery and not really made for marathon runs in the grass, but she didn't have the time to take them off.

Soft outdoor floodlights and the scent of burning coal and citronella came into her senses. She was almost there...so close...

She had no idea what she ran into. It was too dark to see. Leather and plastic blended with the blackness around her. She started to move back when her eyes roamed upwards, recognizing a familiar helmet. Unfortunately, she backed into two more Imperials in white.

“Vader,” she snapped. “Only you could be so bold. My uncle and brother, not to mention the local police force, aren't going to let you get away with this. When the cops hear you've attacked people in their homes...”

“Don't even, babe.” Vader waved a finger in her face. “You're not entirely innocent in this. I wanna know where the plans your buddies stole are.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Leia turned her killer glare on him. “I'm on my way to my brother's friends' barbecue.”

“You're a liar and a thief.” He pulled Leia into his arms, holding his beefy leather-gloved hand over her mouth and turned to the remaining goons behind him. “Two of you, keeping looking for the other guys. I know I saw the nerds from the boardwalk. Everyone else, help me with her.” He stroked Leia's cheek. “This little girlie is going to go for a nice, soothing boat ride to Organa Island. Our boss wants to have a chat with her.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hank, I'm going to Jyn and Cassian's place.” Luke tossed his plastic cup into the overflowing wax-covered box being used as a trash can, yelling over Hobbie's portable radio blaring “The Best of Times” by Styx. “They should have been here by now.”

“Relax, kid.” Hank ground out his cigarette in the weed-choked grass. “She's not that late. I know your buddies. This party will probably be going on until 3 in the morning, if not later.”

Ben was sitting at the table, holding his hand on his stomach. “I don't know. It might be heartburn from the extra-spicy grilled chicken legs, but I feel that something is wrong.”

“I'll get the Alka-Seltzer.” Luke had just started into the house when a short figure in a blue plaid polo shirt barreled right into him. “Arturro?” The short, squat boy with the dark curls was pale and scared in the dark night. His brown eyes were two wide marbles. “What's wrong?” He made a face as Arturro spoke rapidly in his language. “Slow down! I can't understand a word you're saying. Where's Chip?”

“We're doomed!” Chip rushed in, nearly passing him. He skidded on a pale yellow rag rug, then made an almost robot-like turn. “There you are, Luke! Leia and the others are in considerable danger. There will be no escape for your sister this time.”

“Both of you, calm down!” Luke grabbed the nearest bottle of Coke and two plastic cups. “Drink this. Now, tell me, what's going on? Where's Leia?”

“The Imperial Gang was here.” Chip sipped his cup. “They did frightful things to the inside of Jennifer and Cassian's cottage. I'm afraid Mr. Kenobi may want to charge them extra for the damage.”

“We'll talk about the damage to the cottage later.” Luke ducked into the bathroom, ignoring the wooden sign on the door that said “Beware – toxic waste.” He riffled through the stacks of expired drugs in their medicine cabinet. “What happened to Leia?”

Arturro started, a little slower this time. “The Imperials abducted her,” Chip translated. “Or so Arturro claims.” The shorter boy held out the manila envelope. “He also says he has a private message for Mr. Kenobi. Quite frankly, I don't know what he's talking about. I thought Jennifer had the envelope.”

“Abducted?” Luke dropped the Alka-Seltzer on the side of the sink. Suddenly, he wondered if he was going to need it, too. “You mean, someone kidnapped her? Do you know where they took her?”

Arturro gulped his Coke and continued, a little faster now. Chip nodded. “Organa Island. Evidently, it's where their employer is currently residing.”

“We have to get out there.” Luke threw the tablet into water and hurried outside. “Someone has to stop these guys, before they hurt anyone else...including my sister!”

All three guys lunged for the phone at once the moment it started ringing. Luke got there first. “Hello, Rogues residence. Luke Walker speaking.”

“Hi, Luke.” Jyn sounded weary. “I'm at Bernadette Tomlinson Memorial Hospital in Ocean View Court House. Cassian's here, too. I drove.”

“What are you doing there?” Luke couldn't help his voice rising. “Are you all right? Chip and Arturro are here. They have the plans. They told me the Imperials grabbed Leia!”

There was a pause. Then, Jyn's voice dropped to a monotone. “The Imperials beat the shit out of Cassian. I'm not doing so hot, either. My head looks like a fucking ripe plum right now, but Cass...Vader kicked him in the ribs...broke his arm in two places...”

“Oh god.” Luke's stomach dropped as Jyn's voice broke into a sob. “Sounds like what he did to Biggs on the beach, too. I'll see if I can send someone over. Wedge and Hobbie might be at least a little sober.”

“We're ok, Luke. Really.” Jyn pushed another sob back down her throat. “Just find Leia and keep those plans safe. If the Imperials get those plans, half the town's going to be dead meat.”

“I will, Jyn.” Luke nodded. “I'll get them to Uncle Ben. I swear it.” He turned to Arturro and Chip as soon as he placed the phone in its cradle. “We're going to need to talk to Uncle Ben. He might know someone who'll get us to Organa Island.”

Ben was leaning over a slice of store-bought blueberry pie while talking to Kes Dameron. Kes' 4-year-old son Poe was using his pie filling as finger paint. Gluey indigo juice was smeared all over his plate, part of the picnic table, both of his plump hands, and most of his cherubic tan face.

“Look, Daddy!” He held up his hands proudly. “I'm all messy!”

“Yes you are, son.” Kes grabbed a wet wipe from a green quilted bag at his side. “You're very messy. You know that pie is for eating, not to play with.”

Hank laughed. “Aw, let the kid alone.” He had a chocolate pudding pop and was slurping the last of it. More than half of it seemed to have dripped down his knuckles. “He's having fun.”

“You're a worse tyke than he is.” Charlie came up behind him with a vanilla pudding pop of his own. “You couldn't keep yourself clean at meals if someone paid ya to.”

Ben sighed and rubbed his chest again. “Have either of you seen Luke? He went in the house for Alka-Seltzer twenty minutes ago. It shouldn't take twenty minutes to get heartburn medicine.”

“No, I ain't seen the kid.” Hank tossed his Popsicle stick in the wax-coated box as the radio switched to “What a Fool Believes” by the Doobie Brothers. “I did see Chip an' Arturro runnin' into the house like bats outta hell. Don't know what got into those two idiots. Probably thought they saw ghosts or somethin'.”

Charlie managed to swallow half of his pudding pop in one gulp. “I dunno, Hank. Chip looked pretty damn scared, even for 'im. Either there's a bloody horror movie monster back there, or somethin' bad happened.”

“Uncle Ben!” Luke took the back steps two at a time, his loose cream-colored hooded sweater flying in the small breeze. “We have to do something! They have Leia! She's been kidnapped! They're going to hurt my sister! We...”

Ben put up his hand as Chip and Arturro followed Luke in a more orderly fashion. “Luke, please, slow down. Now, from the top. What happened to Leia?”

Chip opened his mouth before Luke could. “She's been forcibly abducted, sir. The Imperial Gang broke into Jennifer and Cassian's cottage while they, Leia, and the two of us were going over the plans for the Empire Star Hotel. Jennifer is with Cassian at the hospital in Ocean View Court House on the mainland. The cottage was considerably damaged in the fight.”

Arturro added some narrative in his own language. Chip nodded. “I didn't witness Leia's abduction, but Arturro did. He said he heard them silence her and drag her to the car. They stated that they were going to bring her to Organa Island to be questioned by their employer.”

“Oooh!” Poe gulped the last of his pie. “Is Leia gonna be ok, Papa? Will those bad guys hurt her? Like Skeletor on TV hurts He-Man?”

Kes shook his head. “Don't worry, son. You know how He-Man always gets Skeltor and rescues all the good people in the end. That's what will happen here. It'll be ok.”

“I like Leia.” Poe's lip quivered. “Leia is nice. She plays with me. She likes He-Man, too.”

Ben ruffled the little boy's glossy black curls. “We'll get her back.”

“How do you plan on doin' that?” Hank wiped his hands on a paper napkin. “I don't know if you've noticed, but the Imperials don't exactly mess around. Plus, there's Organa Island. You can't drive out there. You can't even take a ferry. And it's getting dark.”

“No, but we can take a boat.” Ben turned his piercing cerulean eyes on Hank. “You have a boat, and I haven't seen you drink much tonight.”

Hank shrugged. “Charlie n' me were going to head out early tomorrow. We need to get another trip in before we can leave.”

“Would you have enough time to take us to Organa Island?” Ben pulled out his wallet. “The only other person here who runs a boat is Hera, and I'm afraid she and her crew won't be back from their fishing trip until the end of the week.” He gave Hank a thin smile. “If it's a fast ship, of course.”

“Fast ship?” Hank glared at him. “She's the boat that did the Kessel Scallop Run in twelve minutes. She's fast enough for you, old man.” He leaned against the thick trunk of a willow tree, his eyes rolling upwards thoughtfully. “I want eight thousand dollars. In advance.”

“Eight thousand!” Luke's jaw dropped. “We could almost buy our own boat for that!”

“But who's gonna drive it, kid?” Hank's sneer dripped with contempt. “You?”

“How hard could it be?” Luke glared at him. “We could find another driver, Uncle Ben. We don't have to listen to this!”

“No, Luke.” Ben waved the boy away. “There isn't time.” He pulled a wad of bills out of his ancient leather wallet, the one that was now being held together with a rubber band. “This will be enough for a retainer. We'll give you more after we've found Leia and the plans.”

Hank counted the bills, then tucked the money in the back pocket of his jean shorts. “I'll meet you two at our cottage in twenty minutes.”

“What about me?” Kes took Poe on his hip.

“Yeah!” Poe yawned a bit. “I wanna be He-Man!”

Ben leaned over the little boy. “You and your father can help by waiting for us to come home. If we're not back by the time the sun is up, your father will need to call the police and tell them what's happening.”

“I don't like this.” Kes gave his sleepy son a squeeze. “It's too late to be on the water. Not to mention, Kanan told me what happened the last time anyone went near that island.”

“We'll be all right.” Ben patted Kes' shoulder. “Tell the others what's going on. I'll call from Ackbar's as soon as we have her.”

Luke groaned as they crossed the yard to Cottage 7. “I'll have to sell the car I share with Leia to afford this!”

“We'll figure something out.” Ben followed Luke to the faded red truck parked on the street. “If the boat's as fast as he's boasting, we ought to do well.”

Luke swore as he looked up that he saw a man in green and red with a green helmet on a motorcycle across the street. He watched as Hank and Charlie joined them, climbing into the front cab as Luke and Ben got in the bed in back. There was something really freaky about the way he just looked at them. Luke thought he saw him whipping out a phone...but when he turned his head back as Hank was pulling out, the man was already on his motorcycle and half-way down the street.