The Adventures of the Crimson Hawk, Part 31

Luke was climbing to his feet when he saw the Falcon swoop beneath the Death Star. He couldn't help his smirk at Palpatine, whom his father was helping to the deck. “You were too confident, Prime Minister. Not only would I never be your apprentice if you were the last teacher on Earth, but my friends, the people you put down and ignored and treated like the dirt under your fingernails, are about to destroy this floating death trap once and for all!”

Palpatine's growl was nearly as noisy as Charles'. He wasn't used to failure. Every plan of his for the past thirty years had worked out exactly as he'd designed. “You will pay for your defiance, royal brat.” He threw off the ermine cape and lifted his pasty-white fingers. “If you will not turn, you will be destroyed!”

Hot purple lightning exploded from his fingertips! It struck at Luke with the force of twenty Death Stars, knocking the boy half-way across the bridge. Vader watched as the youth's screams were nearly drowned out by his teacher's incessant cackling and the snapping purple fire.

“Father,” Luke begged through the violet haze, “please!”

He couldn't lose the boy. Not like he lost his mother, or the respect of his closest friend and beloved ward. He couldn't stand seeing another part of him lowered into the cold ground or a stone tomb. He'd had nightmares about seeing Padme on the hot dusty floor at the Mufasar Iron Works, throttled nearly to death by his own hand. He had lost Padme, lost Ben and Ahsoka. He would not lose his son.

Even with one hand, he easily lifted Palpatine over his head. The prime minister was so shocked at his pupil's betrayal, he wasn't able to concentrate fast enough to stop the lightning. It continued to strike Vader and rocket around the room as the hulking half-mechanical man hurled him into the glowing khyber crystal globe. He managed to shove Luke into a corner as the crystal liquid bubbled over, giving off a deafening explosion.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Henry, Leia, Charles, Wicket, and the servants watched the explosion from on-board the Aurora Belle. As the Ewoks cheered and celebrated behind them, Henry put his arms around Her Grace. “I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew. Probably not Wedge or the boys, either.”

“He wasn't.” Leia's lovely face was thoughtful. “I can feel it.”

“So,” he started, “I guess you're going back to Alderaan after this. After all, the Diamond Jubilee is over. Luke will be crowned king, and you'll be Queen, and Wedge will be the kid's...uh, His Majesty's regent.” He shrugged, trying not to show how left out he felt. “Maybe it's time Charles and I finally headed out. Haven't been home to Chicago in years, and Charlie's got family on Kashyyak he wants to visit. I still want to expand Solo Shipping...”

Leia put a finger on his lips. “How about expanding it to Alderaan?”

Henry's eyes widened. “Huh?” he mumbled under her ring finger.

She reached up, giving him the most passionate, romantic kiss she could manage on her tip-toes. “I'll be the Grand Duchess of Alderaan when Aunt Breha retires. I have no desire to become Queen. I'm already running a country.” She grinned. “But I could use a good Grand Duke, and the new Grand Duke and Duchess could use a devoted native bodyguard.” She kissed him again for good measure. “What do you say?”

Henry handsome face was slack-jawed and dreamy-eyed. “Uhhh...what was the question?”

Leia laughed as Wicket hurried over, hugging both their legs. He loved seeing his two new favorite humans get together and mate! Maybe they'd even create cubs that he could teach to hunt and fight predators. He squeezed their limbs as they hugged each other.

“Oh, you two are so beautiful!” Charles threw his wide, hairy arms around all three of them. “I love happy endings!”

Henry chuckled. “Me too, buddy.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luke was doing his best to drag his father down a hall, having had to abandon the bridge when most of it was blasted out from under them. He didn't realize how damn heavy all that armor was! It was like moving three tons of bricks, or trying to carry Charles around when he got knocked on the noggin. He finally settled down at the end of the hall to rest, leaning his father gently against the wall.

“Luke,” Vader coughed, “help me take this mask off.”

“No, Father, you need it!” Luke frowned. “You'll die!”

“Then I'll die.” He gently ran a gloved finger over the boy's tanned cheeks. “Just for once...let me look on you with my own eyes.”

It took a minute to unlatch the helmet and breathing apparatus. When Luke finally pulled off the helmet, he was surprised to be staring into sapphire eyes very much like his own. The rest of his skin was dead white and was plastered with deep, jagged scars, where it wasn't burned off entirely. “Father...how did this happen?” the boy gasped.

“Kenton and I...Mufasar Iron Works...confronted me...about killing Jedi children...” Vader hacked so hard, his son was surprised an iron lung didn't land on the floor. “Palpatine told me...give me power if I killed Jedi...we fought...” He managed to let out a strangled bleat that might have been a growl. “Cut off my legs...let me fall into a vat...master found...stitched into suit. Thought I killed your mother...”

“No,” Luke assured him. “Leia and Rusty told me she got away.”

“Rusty...Richard...he's still around?” A smile played on the scarred lips of the man who was once Baron Anakin Skywalker. “Tell him...I miss him.” He took his son's hand. “Luke, you were right...about me. Tell your sister...you were right.”

“Father? Father!” Even as Luke pleaded, Baron Anakin Skywalker's eyes closed. The benevolent Baron Skywalker and corrupt Baron Vader died peacefully in the lap of his grieving son.

“Luke?” Another explosion rocked the hall, sending Luke flying into his late father's metal lap. “What the hell are you doing here?” Wedge and five other silhoettes were nearly thrown into the hall, falling into each other.

“Wedge!” The future king of Naboo stumbled to his feet. “I've never been so glad to see you in my life!”

His lover grinned. “It's nice to be appreciated.”

The rest of the League of the Crimson Hawk gathered around Vader's armor. Wes poked at it with his gun. “Is he dead?”

Corran held up the breathing mask, its many tubes now hanging loose over his hand. “Where's the rest of him?”

Luke sighed. “I'm not sure, but I think he became one with the Force.”

“Wait!” Gavin grabbed the mask from Corran. “I always wanted to do this.” He held the mask over his face, then wailed in a higher-pitched, raspy voice, “I am Baron Vader! I am the terror that leaps in the night! I...hey!”

“Stop that!” Luke snatched the mask back. “That's my father you're making fun of!”

Wedge took a step away, his blue eyes wide. “Your father? I thought he killed your father!”

“It's a long story.” The young king handed the mask and helmet to Corran. “I'm going to need help getting his armor out of here. Do you have the Rogue?”

Wedge nodded. “It's attached to the back docking area. I just hope Calarissian didn't blast it to bits along with the rest of this death machine.”

“That's a chance we'll have to take.” Luke took Vader's arm. “Wedge, you get his other wrist. Gavin, Wes, you take his legs.”

Wes wrinkled his nose as more explosions nearly sent them right into Vader's rear end. “No offense, Baron, but that's a little closer than I ever wanted to be to you.”

Gavin yanked at a heavy boot. “I hope half-robots don't have smelly feet.”

Tycho smacked his arm. “Would you guys just get going?”

“Yeah, we don't have a lot of time.” Corran tucked the mask and helmet under his arm as another explosion nearly bounced him off a wall. “I'd like to get out of this in one piece!”

Gavin barely lifted a leg before he was panting. “Whoa, this jerk is heavy! Did he subside on a steady diet of lead pellets?”

“Make jokes about his size later.” Luke winced as the ship lurched starboard. “Get to the Rogue now!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Rogue and the Falcon were the last ships out before the Death Star II saw its final demise in a fiery conflagration that could be seen for thousands of miles across three Alliance countries. The two airships met the Aurora Belle, the Ghost, and the remaining Naboo and Coruscant ships in the harbor at Lothal.

“Lelita!” Bail was the first one off the Alderaan steam cruiser Tiana Ariel. His adored niece hurried into his arms. “I'm so glad to see you again! I've missed my girl.”

“Uncle Bail!” She gave him the biggest hug she could manage. “You don't know how happy I am to see you!” She grinned, giving his arm a playful slug. “You just had to get that dramatic last-minute entrance!”

Bail rubbed his arm, but he was laughing. “Your aunt always did say I was a drama queen.”

“Leia!” Breha and Mon Mothma followed him onto the deck. “Thank heavens you're all right!”

“I'm fine, Auntie.” She gave them both hugs, then turned to Henry and Charles. The duo stood behind her on the dock, shuffling from foot to foot, looking a little sheepish. “Aunt Breha, Uncle Bail, meet the Crimson Hawk, and one of his men, Chewbacca of Kashyyak.”

Bail smirked. “I knew it. I knew all along it had to be you. A pirate can never hide his swagger. You swaggered even when you were walking with a cane.”

His wife nodded. “I'd suspected it as well.”

“Looks like intelligence runs in the family.” Henry put an arm around Leia. “Your Graces, I'd like permission to court your niece. I think I've sort-of gotten used to having her around. I could use a new manager for Solo Shipping, since Junior's going to be busy with Naboo.”

“Sort of?” Leia glared at him. “You were very close to violently making love with me ten minutes ago!”

“Hey, that was your idea, Your Grace.” He put his hands on his hips. “I have half a mind to take back that job offer.”

Leia stepped right up to his face. “Don't start giving away half your mind. You won't have anything left!”

“Oh, yeah?” Henry was going to start into another retort when Charles finally nudged him into Leia's arms. “I think I have enough for this.” He pulled her into another kiss. This time, she did not protest.

Laughter erupted around the docks when they finally came up for air. Luke, Wedge, the Rogues, Langdon, Niem, Admiral Ackbar, Rusty, Charles, and the crew of the Ghost were all watching on the dock or the deck of the Admiral's ship.

“Damn, boy.” Langdon let loose with a long wolf whistle. “That was some impressive love-making right there.”

“You'll like courting a sailor, Leia.” Kanan gave Hera a squeeze. “I know I love mine.” Ezra and Sabine snickered as they, too, pulled into an embrace.

The Admiral bowed deeply for Luke as he and Wedge pushed through the crowd. “Your Majesty,” he began. “My men have secured the remaining Coruscant boats. The survivors will likely be sent back to Coruscant City under an armed escort tomorrow.”

Bail put his arms around Luke. “Leia wrote me and told me everything. I'm proud of you, my boy...and Padme would have been proud of you, too.” He frowned at the haunted look in the youth's eyes. “What happened? Where's Vader and Palpatine? Went down with the ship?”

“Palpatine did. Vader died killing him.” Luke pulled away. “I...there's something I have to do. Wedge, I need to borrow the Rogue. I'll see you at Corellia Manor later.”

Wedge frowned. “All right, Luke.” He gave him a kiss of his own, ignoring the grins and kissy noises from the rest of the Rogue League. “But we'll get some alone time later?”

“Of course.” Luke kissed his brow. “After the party's over, we'll have all the time in the world.”

Henry grinned. “Good idea, Junior. Everyone's invited to Corellia Manor for the biggest celebration in the history of Naboo!” He rubbed the top of Wicket's bear head covering. “You too, pipsqueak. Bring your whole clan.” The little Ewok chattered with joy.

Langdon put an arm around him. “I'll bring the champagne, directly from the finest wine-growers in Bespin.”

Leia smiled at the two men in her arms. “Let's go, League of the Crimson Hawk. We deserve a real ball..for all the people of Naboo.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Alone in the woods in near Theed Town, Luke burned what remained of Vader's armor. A part of him wished his father had survived. He would never meet Leia or Henry under more pleasant circumstances, never get a chance to truly redeem himself. He could have done so much more.

There would also never have to be a trial, nor jail time. He was all too aware of how Naboo's laws worked. Regardless of his actions in the end, Vader had murdered dozens of people, including a whole school of children, and had ordered scores of others killed. He also wasn't entirely sure Leia could ever forgive him for his treatment of her and Henry.

After there was nothing left but metal and ashes, he had the remains buried in Padme's tomb with his beloved wife. Many protested this, claiming he was not royalty, nor was deserving of the title. Luke insisted on it. He needed to be with Padme. He missed her. The boy never knew what became of the melted helmet and mask; they were lost in the remains when he took the ashes away.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luke was crowned king of Naboo in a ceremony two weeks later. Leia, Bail, and Breha remained at Chalindria Court for the coronation. Wedge married Luke the week afterwards, becoming Crown Regent. The two kept Corellia Manor as their summer home and the Aurora Belle as the royal family's official yacht. The Rogues remained on as the King and Regent's personal bodyguards. The Admiral was made head of the Royal Naboo Navy.

The new king offered Rusty a position as an adviser, but he declined. “That's ok, kid.” He adjusted his tool belt. “I'm just happy I can fix the furnace at Nabarrie Palace again. I have my tools, my work, and my friends. A man doesn't need much else in this world.”

Cedric was relieved to return to Chalindria Court, where he continued on as the secretary to Mon Mothma for many years. After the Senator retired, Leia offered him a position as her secretary. He proudly and delightedly accepted.

Captain Hera Sylendulla also turned down a commission, preferring to remain on the Ghost. Kanan and Luke began a school for new young Jedi guards, hoping to increase their ranks. Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren did attend school, thanks to the new scholarships given to “youths of outstanding character” by the Royal Family. Sabine attended art school in Paris; upon her return to Naboo, she became a well-known painter and commercial artist. Ezra opened a small, radical newspaper in Lothal, widely read by many extreme thinkers.

Hux and Boba Fettson were both charged with crimes against the crown and arrested. While Hux was eventually released, he was exiled from Naboo and never allowed in the country again. Boba Fettson died in a shootout in jail a few months after his arrest.

Luke and Leia visited Ahsoka in the hospital. She made a full recovery, enough to join Cassian and Jyn in covering the coronation and the wedding. Her wild cheers were louder than anyone's when the bishop placed the crown on Luke's golden brow. She eventually took over as editor of the Theed Daily Star from Rex Fettson on his retirement. Cassian married Jyn after two noisy years of courtship. They were the Daily Star's top husband-wife reporter team for years, exposing corruption not only in Naboo, but throughout Europe.

Langdon Croydon used the money from selling Bella Vista and his share in the Bespin mining facilities to buy Jenkins' Casino and holdings in Tatoonie. As the Tropicale del Coronado, the casino flourished, becoming one of the most beloved gambling spots and extravagant resorts in the entire Alliance. Even the King and Regent of Naboo and Duke and Grand Duchess of Alderaan could occasionally be seen playing a game of baccarat with its elegant owner and host.

The party at Corellia Manor lasted for three days, most of which Henry Solo insists he still doesn't remember. He flew Leia and her parents back to Alderaan on the Falcon the day after the coronation. He and Charles briefly returned to Naboo to settle their remaining debts there. The second Solo Shipping offices opened in Alderaan three months later.

Henry never made it to America. He was too busy dating his beloved Duchess. It took three years of courtship, but they were finally married in a simple ceremony attended only by Leia's aunt and uncle, Rusty, Charles, Cedric, Luke, Wedge, and Ahsoka. Charles did remain their devoted bodyguard, becoming even more protective when it was discovered Leia was with child.

“Some summer, huh?” Henry and Leia stood on the balcony of Aldra House, less than a month after their wedding. “Amazing what can happen on vacation.”

“That trip was the best vacation I ever had.” Leia leaned on his shoulder. “Even with the Death Stars.” She grinned up at him. “You know, I sometimes miss the Crimson Hawk. I wonder what happened to him? To him, and the Golden Eagle, and the White Swan.”

He smiled as he rubbed his wife's round stomach. The dreamy glow that she exuded wasn't entirely due to the rosy sunset going on behind the castle. The father to be gave his wife a kiss. “What happened to them? Why, they lived happily ever after.”

The End

Upcoming Stories and Story Ideas

This is a list of stories I'm working on, hope to work on soon, and am developing ideas for. Keep in mind that this list can and will change depending on what I'm interested in at any given time and what else is going on in my life.

Currently Working On:

Star Wars Original Trilogy

Novel/Novella-Length Stories

The Summer Strikes Back (Alternative Universe 1980's Comedy/Action) - Leia and Luke Walker are just out of high school and are celebrating their last two months of freedom before she goes to college for political science and he joins the Coast Guard. Uncle Ben, a local beach bum, owns a series of dilapidated cottages on the beach at the edge of town. He'll let them rent a cottage and keep an eye on them, and they'll run chores and help him with the cottages' upkeep. 

Things go south very quickly when Leia discovers that a nasty corporation wants to buy the cottages, tear them down, force out the permanent residents, and build an elaborate hotel and mall in their place. The Imperial Gang, a motorcycle group, has been threatening the residents and Uncle Ben for months. She and Luke rally the residents, including shady fisherman Hank Solokowski, his British buddy Charlie Bachman, Luke's Coast Guard friend Walter "Wedge" Antilles, and foreign nerds Chip and Arturro, to help fight back.

Coming Up Next:

Star Wars Original Trilogy

Tales of the Gold Wookie (Alternative Universe 1930's Adventure) - It's 1939. Layla and Luke Skylark are fresh out of the University of Arizona and ready to change the world. She's an archaeologist; he's a reporter. While Luke is content to be an intern for world-weary veteran crime reporter Benton Kennally, Layla is far more ambitious. She wants to find lost treasures for her idol, museum owner Marta Mothma. Her current obsession is rescuing the (reportedly magical) lost royal jewels of the Kingdom of Alderaan from nasty General Tarkin and the Empire.

Luke convinces her to hire Harry Solomon, a pilot with a dilapidated plane who runs his own charter service, to take them to where the treasures were last seen. Layla's not happy with the idea at first. Harry is rude, arrogant, and only cares about getting his share of the treasure. Not to mention, some of his former bosses make Tarkin look like a kitten. Tarkin has his own formidable underling, the corrupt industrialist Derek Vader. After Kennally gets into trouble with Vader, Luke insists on bringing along venerable old Asian archaeology professor Takamashi Yoda as their guide.

Original Snow Queen-Inspired Action/Fantasy - Set in the three years between New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, and my first story set within the regular Star Wars universe. Han, Chewie, Leia, and Luke are on a diplomatic mission to buy supplies from a snow planet that's remained neutral in the battle between the Empire and Rebellion. Leia's hoping to sway them to the Alliance's side. Unlike Hoth, this planet is inhabited, mainly by criminals and nasty goblins. It's queen is a shrewd magician with her own ice-based powers. The goblins, determined to make mischief, get slivers of a Force-sensitive crystal in Luke's eyes and heart. It turns him into the opposite of his usual self...making him cold and distant to his two best friends. Leia, Han, and Chewie have to dodge the planet's shadier citizens and a summer witch with her own plans in order to free Luke from the goblins' spell and find out just what the Snow Queen is up to.

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Novels/Novellas

Babes In Toyland (Alternative Universe - 1980's/Fantasy) - 8-year-old Barbara Beatrix "BB" Dameron (never call her Babs!) loves visiting her brother Poe where he works at Skywalker's Department Store. He's worried that the store may shut down if Leia Walker-Solo, it's owner, is pressured by nasty Alexander Snoke, who owns the First Order Mall. After meeting her brother's friends Rose, Finn, and Rey, Henry the security officer and his big dog Chewbacca, and the kindly old man who manages the toy department, she falls asleep and dreams that she's in Toyland, where nursery rhyme characters come to life. Leia Hubbard may be thrown out of her shoe by mean old Barnaby Snoke unless BB and all her new fairy tale friends can bring the tin soldiers to life to stop him!

Fairy Tales

Beauty and the Frogs - Leia Organa and her brother Luke were driven from their fine mansion in Alderaan by a wicked magician and her own son. Believing her husband dead, Leia and Luke raise three orphan girls - Rose, Rey, and Kaydel - in a cottage in the country.

On his way home from buying gifts for his womenfolk, Luke stops by a misty old mansion surrounded by an overgrown garden and a deep well. Luke is inspecting the golden ball he bought Rey, his favorite of the girls, when he drops the ball down the well. An old frog agrees to retrieve the ball, if his sister will come to the castle and eat and sleep with him and his three frog sons.

Her brother refuses at first, but Leia is determined to go...and the girls won't let her go alone. All four women are eventually detained at the mansion. Turns out there's four frogs here, for the wrinkly old toad is accompanied by three younger amphibians, all of whom are far more positive that one day things will get better. The youths are the toad's apprentices, changed spitefully by the wicked magician Snoke and Leia's own son Ben.

Leia and the girls have mysterious dreams their first night there. They imagine themselves in stunning gowns in the garden, accompanied by four handsome men. The eldest, rugged and silver-haired, is familiar to Leia...but he can't tell her the truth, for in the dream world, he's mute. His three wards speak for him. They're all taken away by a shadowy figure who seems to hold a terrible power over them all. Leia and her three adopted daughters become determined to solve the mystery of the decaying mansion and find out who's the real monster...and who's the prince.

The Water of Life - Queen Leia, in mourning for her lost brother and her husband, who was kidnapped by a wicked wizard, is dying. She tells her son Prince Ben and her adopted children Hux and Rey that whichever of them finds Luke, who alone has the water that can restore her, will rule her lands when she passes on. Hux and Ben are determined to find the water first...but it's kind Rey who proves that a gentle heart and good nature can triumph over the strongest evil.

Remember WENN

Once Upon a Time In the Land of WENN (Alternative Universe Fantasy/Fairy Tale) - Even when Elizabeth and the others leave Port Harbor, looking for the Emerald Talisman, trouble follows. Lady Gloria Redmond has no desire to even discuss the magic that caused her so much grief. There's also the evil candy witch Pavla Nemcova, who has both Jeff Singer and Sir Victor Comstock in her grasp, to contend with.

In Development: 

Star Wars Original Trilogy

Dark Medieval Fantasy (Han/Leia based fantasy) - Inspired by this Tumblr post. Leia is in search of her missing brother Luke, who was in training to be a wizard before their parents were killed and he was kidnapped. He's not the only one who has disappeared. The queen is dying. Her greedy, power-hungry adviser Palapatine is taking over the throne. The queen once had a son, Prince Hannel, but he vanished and is presumed dead. It's rumored that Palapatine is really a dark sorcerer who worked some terrible enchantment on the missing prince.

Leia finds a man imprisoned in a dungeon in a remote corner of the kingdom. The bedraggled man with the auburn hair had once worn fine robes, but now has no idea who he is. All Leia knows is he's insufferably stubborn, an excellent shot with a bow and arrow, and is always accompanied by an enormous Wookie wolf. The two are eventually joined by an eccentric old wizard and a mysterious unicorn with sad blue eyes as they try to find out who the silent man is and avenge Leia's family. 

Superhero Story (Alternative Universe 1970's Superhero/Action Fantasy) - Leah O'Malley is an intern in corrupt Coruscant City by day in 1977. By night, she's Force Girl, a superheroine who is a member of the Rebel League, a society of superheroes and vigilantes who fight the regime of the evil Mayor Palapatine and the devious Chief of Police/super villain Derek Veder. Lucas Weston is a geeky college kid and major comics fan who discovers that the owner of a local book store/comics shop was once The Negotiator, a great World War II/Golden Era superhero...and that Lucas is the inheritor of a superheroic dynasty. Lucas seeks help from Harris Arietta, a carpenter and handyman whose dog Chewbacca always rides with him and acts as a Team Pet.

Fairy Tales

Thumbelina

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Resistance Kids: The Last Good Cop (Alternative Universe - 1950's) - Rey is the first student at Luke's new police school, but he's wondering if he should give up teaching after the destruction of his previous school. Meanwhile, the First Order Gang is back on the street, including Ben Solo, and they're gunning for blood...and for Finn to rejoin them. Then Poe's beloved sports car blows to bits in front of his eyes, and Hank vanishes and his business is ransacked.

Hello Leia! (Alternative Universe - Musical-Inspired) - Leia Solo-Levi is the best-known matchmaker in New York City in 1907.  She's hired by her ex-husband Harold Solo to find a match for their son Benjamin, who can't make up his mind between the severe police chief's daughter and anarchic son of one of New York's richest men. What she wants is to re-marry her husband, but he has his eyes on a woman in town. Meanwhile, she engineers a meeting between Harold's clerks Poe and Finn and two cute girls in Manhattan, Rey and Rose. They all come together at Harmonia Gardens, the restaurant owned by Leia's brother Luke, for a most memorable evening. 

Remember WENN 

Captain Victor, Man of Power (Alternative Universe Superhero/Action) - Set directly after the first season episode "There But Before Grace." Tired of dealing with (and being run all over by) sponsors and confused about his feelings for Betty and Grace Cavendish, Victor Comstock imagines himself as one of those new superheroes that have become popular with the kids, Jeff as his sidekick, Betty as the new girl reporter on the block, C.J as a scientist, Ceila as the daughter of a missing scientist and Victor's other sidekick, Hilary as a snooty actress-turned-society-reporter, Mackie as their boss, and Grace as a Dragon Lady-type villaness.

The Best Radio Christmas Pageant Ever - A kind of "missing scene" story set during the early first season. Victor wants to present the story of the Nativity on the airwaves, but the kids starring in the show are unruly, Hilary wants a bigger role, the sponsor is turning the show into a commercial, and Ceila will have nothing to do with it. And there's reports of a major snowstorm heading for Pittsburgh...

On the Edge of the Precipice Series

The Fox and the Falcon - Betty finds herself head over heels involved in espionage when the true leader of the spy ring becomes known...and Victor Comstock returns with startling news...

Remember WENN Fairy Tale Series

Hilary's Story: Beauty and the Beast - Wrap-around segments set day after fourth-season episode "You've Met Your Match." Story based around third and fourth season. Angry at Scott and Jeff for their behavior the night before and in the past few months in general, Betty and Hilary concoct the story of two sisters who discover that the beastly owner and manager of a dilapidated theater may not be what they appear on the outside...or even inside...

Mr. Eldridge and Gertie's Story: The Man Who Minded the House - Set after and based around the fourth season episode "Work Shift." Mr. Eldridge recalls the story of how a man and a woman (him and Gertie) learn that the grass isn't always greener in someone else's work area when he takes over her household duties and she works in the fields.

Story Ideas: 

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

The Road to Coruscant (Mid 20th Century Alternative Universe) - Ben Kenobi and Anakin Walker are singers taking their vaudeville act on the road. Anakin is forever coming up with moneymaking schemes that get them into a few little problems with the law, to the annoyance of Martin Windu, their long-suffering manager. They have no problems romancing the ladies, either...until they encounter beautiful, elegant dancer Patricia Amidala. Patricia, a genuine noblewoman, is in a heap of trouble with the nasty Count Dooku and Lord Palpatine. Anakin says it's up to them to get her out of it. Ben...wishes they could just go home to Los Angeles, but Anakin is his best friend, so he does it anyway.

Fairy Tales

Swan Lake

Star Wars Original Trilogy

Han Solo, Galactic Private Eye (Alternative Universe) - Han is a laid-back private eye in his dilapidated ship, with his wookie partner Chewbacca by his side. Old Ben Kenobi, who sometimes gives him work, finds him a doozy - help his friend Luke Skywalker find Leia Organa, the daughter of a prince, who was carrying some very vital information to Alderaan when she was kidnapped by a nasty war lord. (Haven't decided if this one is going to stay in the Star Wars universe, or be moved elsewhere.)

Western (Alternative Universe Western Adventure) - It's 1867 in the untamed plains of Coruscant, Kansas. Former homesteader Luke Walters longs to be a sheriff, like his late daddy Anthony was before him. He may get his chance at an apprenticeship when the current sheriff, Ol' Ben MacKenner, deputizes him to help rescue rancher's daughter Leia Ortez from the bandits who have raided and burned her home. They also get more dubious assistance from Harry Solo, a shady gunrunner, and his partner, Native American warrior Chewbacca.

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

The Wizard of Oz (Alternative Universe Fantasy-Wizard of Oz-inspired) - Rachel "Rey" Gale lives with her Aunt Leah and Uncle Harry and their two farmhands on a farm outside of Jakkuson, Kansas in 1939. She feels like her life is as gray as the world around her, especially after the nasty man who runs the First Order Manor near-by threatens to take her beloved Westie Terrier BeeBee to the pound and her grouchy cousin demands his share of the farm. A tornado whisks Rey and BeeBee over the rainbow and into the land of Oz. Oz is under the tyrannical rule of the Warlock of the West and his apprentice. Queen Leia was imprisoned in her own magic bubble and banished to the lands of the South, where she amasses an army to stop him. She once ruled with her husband and her wizard brother, but her husband vanished after he was attacked by her son, and her brother is hiding in the Emerald City. Rey has to go to the Emerald City to find the Wizard Skywalker, with the help of a cowardly lion-soldier, a scarecrow who had once worked for the queen, and the Tin Smuggler, who seems to know a lot more about the queen and the Warlock of the West and his apprentice than he'll let on...

Fairy Tales

Rumpelstiltskin
Little Red Riding Hood

Remember WENN

Maltese Falcon Film Noir Spoof II (Alternative Universe Film Noir/Mystery) - Wrap-around set during the late third or early fourth seasons. Hilary and Scott give two different sides of the tale of a dame who may or may not have gotten a private eye involved with smuggling and murder.

Ceila Short Story - Missing scene set during the first season episode "A Capitol Idea." Ceila says good-bye to the station after she's hired by the guy who wanted her to promote Blondie cartoons.

Fairy Tale Series

Jeff's Story - Aladdin and His Magic Lamp
C.J's Story - Jack and the Beanstalk
Victor's Story - King Arthur
Ceila's Story - Goldielocks and the Three Bears
Mackie's Story
Eugenia and Mr. Foley's Story

Original Children's Short Stories

Stories based after childhood memories, including:

Painting someone else's fence.
Little kids running through other people's yards when Mom and Dad aren't looking.
Beach frolics - walking home from the beach.

The Resistance Kids Go Camping - A Star Wars Short Story

After much delay, here's the second "Resistance Kids" story, a short inspired by the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain" (with a very different ending). Don't look for any more for a while. I'm going to try to concentrate on stories that focus on the Original and Prequel films until publicity for the second sequel film starts to emerge and we learn more about it.

The Resistance Kids Go Camping

Rating: PG (violence)

Pairings: Background Han/Leia

Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company.

Notes: The ghost story Leia tells is fictional. It was actually inspired by the Tiny Toons Adventures episode “The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain”...with a very different ending.

“Here we are!” The door to the old cabin swung open. Leia Organa-Solo dropped her suitcase on the rustic wooden floor. “I am so glad we were able to borrow the family cabin from my brother. I think we need this trip.” The movement caused a cloud of dust to drift up into her round face, making her sneeze violently. “Luke spent three years up here, and he couldn't clean this place?”

“It's not very big, Leia.” Rey Rider left her old, cracked leather suitcase on the couch. “I'm sure it won't take long to do if we all work together.”

“I think it's cute.” Kaydel Ko Connix bounced in next, carrying a tote bag. “It's not like we're going to be living here. We're just here for the weekend.”

Jessica Pava was last, carting a bag of food in one arm and an army-issue duffel bag she'd borrowed from fellow Resistance Kid Poe in the other. “Could you guys help me here? Unless you want to spend the weekend foraging for nuts and berries.”

“Let me get that.” Leia took the bag over to the tiny kitchen. “It's nearly winter. Most of the wild nuts and berries are done for the season, if the birds and small animals didn't get to them first.”

“I could hunt.” Rey pulled her Swiss Army Knife out of a pocket in her suitcase. “I could kill a quail or a rabbit if we really needed it.”

“Oh no!” Kaydel's blue eyes widened in horror. “Oh Rey, you wouldn't hurt a poor innocent bunny! It didn't do anything!”

“No one is hunting anything, except the occasional stray marshmallow.” Leia lit the fireplace. “At least Luke had the sense to clean out the chimney.”

Rey had already gone back outside on the wide front porch, with its split log railings and triangular wooden chairs. “What a view!” A dusting of snow frosted gray-stone peaks and windswept valleys. It looked like the cakes Maz sometimes made for the kids during the winter, all thick and craggy with fruit, nuts, and glaze. “I feel like I'm in Lord of the Rings. There's no mountains like this in southern England.”

“It's so beautiful here.” Kaydel shivered in her wasp-waisted blue coat. “But so cold! I can't believe how cold it already is. It hasn't even snowed in New York yet.”

Leia and Jess joined them, sitting on the steps on the porch. “I love this place. Mama Breha and Papa Bail used to take me here. I thought it was a fairy land, with how the light used to spill through the trees in the evening, and all the little nooks and crannies where little creatures lived.”

Kaydel pulled her blue coat further around her arms. “They were your parents, right?”

“Technically adopted parents. They took me in when I was just a baby.” She sighed. “To me, they'll always be my real parents. They came up here from Mexico with nothing in the late 1800's. Faced a lot of prejudice, but Papa Bail eventually went through law school.” She shook her head, then smiled. “Why don't we go tackle that dusting? I'll see if I can find pictures of them while we clean.”

They did clean. They dusted and polished and scrubbed until the tiny cabin sparkled. Leia found a framed photograph of Bail and Breha Organa to show the girls. “This is them, right after they were married.”

“They remind me a little of Poe.” Rey ran her finger over the man with the goatee and the gentle, strong eyes. “Especially him.”

Kaydel grinned over her shoulder. “Your mom was lucky. Mr. Organa was really handsome.”

Leia hung the photo back on the wall. “You know, Papa Bail used to tell me the most wonderful ghost stories about these mountains and the surrounding towns. Maybe I could share a few of them tonight.”

“Oooh, ghost stories!” Jess grinned. “I love scary stuff.”

“Over an open fire,” Rey added. “Like we were camping in a tent.”

“With marshmallows!” Kaydel finished. “And all of us burrowed under every blanket in the cabin.”

“What else would you do on a camp-out?” The woman detective put her dust rag in a small cloth bag by her bed. “But first, we all need to eat real food, or no one will be getting marshmallows or anything else.”

As Rey went to sweep the front porch, she swore she heard rustling in the bushes, even though there was no wind tonight. A gruff voice said “guys, hush!” before all went quiet. Rey stopped and listened for more sounds. When none were forthcoming, she shrugged and continued sweeping.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The four women enjoyed a lovely dinner of canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, then pulled out the s'mores. Leia made sure the grate was around the fire and admonished them not to sit too close, or let the blankets get too close. She gathered blankets while the other girls changed into their nightgowns and pajamas.

They all gathered around the fire as Leia pulled out the bag of marshmallows she'd picked up before leaving New York. Rey revealed sticks she'd gathered outside. They all put their candy as far into the fire as they dared. “Hey Leia,” Jess started, “how do you like yours?”

“Oh, just a little brown on the sides.” She pulled hers out to see if it was done. “Luke likes his char-broiled. He'd stick it right into the fire and let it burn. Please don't do that here. I don't want to burn this place down.”

“Blech!” Rey stuck out her tongue. “I'd rather have it a little burned. They don't taste good covered in ashes.”

Kaydel frowned as something smacked against the side of the house. “Did you guys hear that?”

Rey made a face. “Heard what?” Her eyes widened when her marshmallow caught fire. “Whoa! I don't want it that black!”

“Blow on it!” Jess blew quickly on hers as Rey did the same.

Leia shook her head, pulling out a perfectly golden-brown marshmallow. “Maybe that's enough sugar. I'll never get you girls to bed if you eat the whole bag.”

“Leia, we're not five-year-olds.” Rey peeled off the blackened outer shell. “We go to bed when we want to.”

“Yes,” Leia pointed out, “but if we don't stop now, we'll never get to telling those ghost stories.”

Kaydel shivered as the wind pounded on the door. She looked over her shoulder...and nearly screamed. “Eeeek! Leia, I saw a face in the window! A hideous face! Really!”

All four raced onto the porch. “Kay,” Leia began slowly, “there's nothing here. It's just the shadows from the trees playing tricks on your eyes.”

“No, Leia.” Rey was already checking under the porch and around the sides of the cabin. “I heard something earlier, too.”

Jess was checking around the wood pile. “All I see is wood and dried grass.”

Leia shivered. “We'll figure it out later. Let's go inside, before we freeze to death.”

That killed anyone's appetite for sugar. Leia took the marshmallows and sticks back to the kitchen while the girls reorganized the blankets and pillows in front of the fire. “This is so cozy.” Rey flopped down on the pile when they were done. “It beats the heck out of that corrugated tin shack I used to live in when I first came to America.”

“Well,” Jess flopped next to her, “you don't have to do that now. I'm glad we were able to get the weekend off at work. Han only looked slightly disappointed when we told him we wouldn't be around on Friday afternoon and Saturday.”

“He'll get over it.” Leia dropped the marshmallows in the cupboard. “It's not like he doesn't have Finn and Snap there.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Poe was such a baby. He said you never give him assignments that involve cabins in the wilderness.”

“He never asks for them.” She put water in a tea kettle for hot chocolate.

Kaydel giggled. “Baby tried to go. She kept jumping in my suitcase. I told her we didn't want her getting lost.”

“She's a city dog.” Rey pulled a thick knitted blanket around her. “She wouldn't know what to do in a green place with no fence or buildings around.”

Leia brought them all steaming hot chocolate on an old tray. “Here's to a relaxing weekend, ladies.” They all clinked mugs together.

“Amen.” Rey sipped hers, then put it aside. “Ok, who wants to tell the first ghost story?”

“I have one.” Leia slowly drank her cocoa, savoring it. “Papa Bail used to tell it to me all the time when I was little.”

The other three girls gathered around her. As she began, Leia swore she heard a soft snickering and a cough outside, but she ignored it. “There used to be, in a huge old stone house in the valley, a chemist who fled here from New York when his ideas were rejected by society.”

“What, you mean Snoke?” Rey smirked as the other two snickered. “This isn't his kind of place. Too sane and peaceful.”

“May I continue?” Leia waited until the giggling died down. “This man had been experimenting on animals in the woods, hoping to create the perfect specimen to put him back at the top of the scientific community. One great creation, and he'd go down in scientific history!”

The fire crackled and popped as her voiced dropped. The girls leaned in to catch every word. “It was a snowy night in winter, not unlike this one. Most animals were in hibernation, but one lone deer was separated from the herd.” Her voice became a near whisper. “This dear wasn't a cute Bambi-like fawn. It was a great, hulking buck, an old-timer who had been driven out by a younger leader. He was so in despair, he didn't look where he was going. He never knew what happened until he saw the headlights...and then, it was too late.”

Rey shivered. Leia's small smile almost seemed sinister in the light. “The scientist had been busy that night. He'd offered a ride to a younger man, an immigrant hitchhiker looking for work. He didn't know what hit him when the scientist drugged him and bound him. He had plans for that buck and the youth.”

If blankets had edges, the girls would have been on the edge of them. “He managed to drag them both into his laboratory. The young man was strapped onto a table, the buck alongside him. 'Don't be afraid,' he told him. 'You're going to be a part of a new species. You will have the intelligence of a human with the strength and stamina of a buck in its prime.' The young man screamed and screamed, but he was drowned out by the ancient machinery as it crackled and sparked.”

The fire cast ghoulish shadows on Leia's face, giving it a nearly evil cast. “The youth awoke to discover he was neither human nor a deer, but a hideous monster that walked upright, with horns sprouting out of his head, dark eyes too large for his long face, with hooves for hands, long, sinewy arms and legs, and fur covering his body.” Her grim look was nearly frightening. “Something went wrong. His mind couldn't handle what had been done to him. He now had a deer's mind and a human's mind, and the two did not mix.”

“Well,” whispered Rey, “what happened?”

“He turned on the scientist. Some say he killed him with the same scalpel he'd used on him. Others say in his horror and confusion, he shoved the man into the wires from his machine, accidentally electrocuting him. The entire building burned to the ground that night, either from the wires catching fire, or the deer-man burning it himself.” She nodded at the windows, with their views of mountainsides drenched in soft indigo and pale blue-white. “They say the deer-man still wanders these hills. He went mad from the shock and horror, continuing to seek out those who use nature and innocent wanderers for their own gain.”

“Wow.” Kaydel's eyes were wide. The three girls barely breathed. “Is all that true?”

“No one knows.” Leia shrugged. “I thought it sounded crazy, too, but Papa Bail insisted he'd heard the story from someone who had lived near the laboratory and saw the fire.”

The other three told their stories next. Jess told of a white ghost of a woman and two children who haunted a certain road in the Philippines, where her parents were from, and caused many accidents. Rey related tales of the many ghosts in the Tower of London, which she'd passed every day on her way home to school from the orphanage. Kaydel loved going to the movies. One of her favorite theaters, the New Amsterdam in Manhattan, had its own ghost, a beloved Ziegfeld showgirl who died tragically and was said to still be haunting the dressing rooms.

Leia settled back after the last one. “I think it's time we started considering bed. I wanted to get you girls up early for a nice, long hike tomorrow. There's a really beautiful lake down in the valley that has some amazing fishing...”

That was when they heard it. It was the eeriest, creepiest howl Rey had ever heard. It was like a banshee, wailing through the pine trees. The howl was followed by a series of moans, each one louder than the next, and then something thumping on the porch.

“L...Leia....” Jess jumped up from her blanket. “Now I know I see something! I saw a face! A deer...person...thing!”

Leia shook her head. “Jess, you're just spooked. It was only a story.”

The moaning continued. Kaydel screamed next. “I saw antlers scraping against the side of the cabin! Really, I did!”

Rey went into the bedroom she and the other girls were sharing and came out with her knife. “We may need this.”

“Really, girls. It's just the wind.” Leia sighed. “All right. Go get your coats, and there's flashlights in the left drawer in the cupboard in the kitchen. We're going to catch ourselves some intruders.”

They all grabbed their coats and heavy rubber boots. Leia handed out flashlights, while Rey tucked her knife in her pocket. Kaydel grabbed a pan. Jess settled for a pillow. Leia pulled her gun out of her purse.

“Are you sure that's a good idea, Leia?” Jess asked nervously. “We're not in the city.”

“I always carry this with me.” She swung the door open. “You can never be too careful.”

Rey shivered as she stepped onto the porch. Sometime in the last few hours, it had started snowing. It was a light, graceful shower, with snowflakes dancing gently around her nose. It would have been very pretty if she wasn't so nervous.

“Look!” Kaydel shined her light on the porch floor. “Footprints!”

Leia knelt beside them. “They're about the size of an ordinary snow boot. Much larger than any of ours. Either a man, or a very big woman.”

Jess raised an eyebrow. “Why would a half-man, half-deer-thing wear snow boots?”

“To keep his hoof-feet warm?” Kaydel shrugged when the others turned to stare at her. “What?”

“It's not a half-man, half-deer-thing. That's just an urban legend.” Leia followed the prints into the snow, the girls trailing after her. “Looks like we're out of tracks. The snow just keeps covering them.”

Kaydel had been looking behind the woodpile when she stopped. “L...l...le...”

The older woman turned towards her, noticing the fear in her voice. “What is it, Kay?”

She pointed at the lumbering creature coming up behind them. The long, gray shadow had horns on its head...and quite human feet. “Um, would now be a good time to get out of here? I think it found us.”

Rey gasped as a tall...thing....trundled out. The shadows partially obscured the mask-like deer head and towering, fur-covered body. Another shadow, this one sporting a long coat like doctors wore and a scalpel, stalked behind them.

“I have come for you.” The creature kept walking, even as it moaned. “I will feast upon your brains! I will gnaw your knee bones! I will make all of you into half-animals, so you know the horror I once faced! I will...owww!”

One thing Rey had not expected to see sticking out of the back of a deer-man was a familiar brown winter coat with orange trim. She knew that coat. She jabbed the back of the monster in mid-stream, then cut the badly-sewn cords holding the fuzzy brown cloth together. Emboldened, Kaydel smacked the creature in the rear with her frying pan. Jess leaped onto the man in the white coat, hitting him hard with her pillow.

Leia turned her gun to the woods. “You can come out now, boys. Joke's over.”

Finn dropped the man in the deer mask into the rapidly deepening snow. “Ow! Kay, what was that for?”

“For tricking us!” Kaydel held her frying pan. “We thought you were a real monster!”

“Hey fellas,” said Poe's voice under the deer mask, “I'm stuck! I can't get this off!”

“Let me help you.” Rey put her knee into his stomach and pulled with all her might. It came off with one great whoosh. She studied the head in her hands. “Where did you get this?” Her fingers traced the hairs down the nose and across the chin. “It looks like a real deer.”

Snap came out of the woods. “My dad knows a guy who makes really authentic animal heads for decorations in cabins and lake houses. We borrowed it from him.”

Leia smirked as she dropped her firearm back in her purse. “You can let your prisoner go now, Jess. I think my husband has been thoroughly humbled.”

Jess and Snap helped Hank Solo to his feet. He rubbed his arms and chest where she'd smacked him. “Sheesh Jess, what's in that pillow? Lead pellets?”

“Well, you scared me!” Jess shrugged. “I thought I was defending my honor!”

“The way you smacked me around,” Hank moaned, “I think I should have been worried about defending mine!”

“All right.” Leia glared at her husband and the three sheepish young men behind him. “Would one of you like to tell me just what you're doing here?”

Poe made a face. “We wanted to go on a vacation to the mountains, too.”

Finn nodded. “It wasn't fair you girls went on some big trip and left us in New York.”

“I was going to borrow my buddy Lance's RV for the weekend anyway,” Hank admitted. “So when the boys started complaining about not getting to go anywhere, I bundled them in and took them to the campground down in the valley.”

“Hank told us the story about the deer-man and the scientist.” Poe held up the deer head. “He said you told him that old wives' tale, and it was one of your favorites. That's when we came up with the idea of scaring you.”

“We didn't mean any harm,” Snap added. “Just wanted to get you back for not bringing us.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Please. You're all a bunch of babies. Can't we do anything without dragging the lot of you along?”

“And you, Hank Solo, should know better.” Leia crossed her arms. “Really, did you have to encourage them?”

Hank was pulling the old, red-spattered doctor's coat off his shoulders. His “scalpel” was a sharp stick. “Hey, I thought it might be a nice way to liven up the weekend.”

“Well,” Kay began with a smile, “it was kind of funny when Jess jumped on you.”

“And you know, that deer head did have me fooled.” Rey smirked. “For a minute or two.”

“Oh please.” Finn chuckled. “You were all scared to death!”

Leia rubbed her arms. Han pulled her into his warm embrace. “We're all going to catch our death of cold if we don't get inside. I think you boys are going to have to stay with us tonight. We'll send you back to the RV in the morning, after the snow ends.”

That was when they heard a long, low moan. It rattled the trees and shook the snow loose from branches. It was followed by an ear-splitting, heart-rendering deer call. Finn's eyes widened as a long shadow, with antlers ten feet tall, crept across the forest floor.

“Uh...” He gulped as they all stared at the shadow. “Last one at the cabin is a really melted marshmallow!”

“Hey!” Rey started after him. “Wait for us!” They'd never run so fast in their entire lives. Hank grabbed Leia's hand and pulled her along after them.

The little deer stumbled into the clearing a minute later. “Ow!” His mother rubbed his tiny hoof. “I'm sorry, Mommy! I didn't see that rock! It bit me!”

“You're all right, sweetie.” She pulled the rock out of his hoof. “There.” The doe looked up just in time to see Hank and Leia's retreating backs. “I wonder what that's all about?”

Her son giggled. “Maybe it's some human game!”

The mother doe sighed. “Humans can be so strange.” She nudged her little one back. “Let's go home, before the white frost becomes worse.”

“Ok, Mommy!” The deer just giggled again as he heard the door slam and saw all the humans tumble into their caves. Human ways were very strange, indeed.

The End