From: boisvert@wpi.WPI.EDU (Brian Richard Boisvert)
Subject: The Jedi Storm (2/2)
Summary: part two (the final part) of an original star wars story
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 19:09:45 GMT


Luke's Return

  During long flights in Space Luke practices Ti-Chi just to keep his
  muscles in shape and in tone for anything that might confront him.
  With the Jedi control he has learned, Ti-Chi has been given a new
  meaning.  If he wanted to, he could change the orbits of planets
  within thousands of miles.  He could change the course of rivers or
  streams.  He could even cause the weather to change on any planet in
  a similar range.  The most difficult thing for Luke now is to turn
  off these powers at times of great stress or boredom.  Without
  thinking, he could cause the deaths of thousands of creatures and he
  is constantly aware of this.  Being a Jedi is a very grave
  responsibility and now his thoughts are filled with the fact that
  he would have to hand over this responsibility to thousands of his
  friends if they are to be victorious over the Empire.

  There is too much power, too many weapons, too many resources for
  the Empire to call on in this galaxy.  The Emperor has literally
  billions of planets and stars to call upon for labor, material,
  fighting men.  The rebels have only a few planets who had the nerve
  or the determination to stand up to such power.  The current Emperor
  and his grandfather have made so many examples of the rebellious
  planets and destroyed so many beautiful places in the galaxies, that
  it was getting harder and harder to convince the leadership of a
  planet to attempt to break away from the Empire.  The Empire's
  military power is so vast and so resourceful that most planetary
  systems are still frightened to death of the outcome of declaring
  independence.

  As a shining example, there will always be the beautiful and very
  peace-loving planet of Gondora, for example.  The people there were
  among the most loving and friendly in the universe, in fact, they
  were so friendly that tourists flocked here on pilgrimages from all
  parts of the galaxy to renew their Human or non-Human spirits.  On
  Gondora, it was said, a man or a woman could live in total harmony
  with Nature for as long as he wished.  So evolved were the
  Gondorans, they had no need for laws or policemen or fences or
  jails.  The Gondorans were not politically oriented, either.  When
  the Emperor's henchmen showed up on the planet, they welcomed them
  as they would any other strangers.  At first, they were so much at
  home here, the Emperor's men did not know what to do with them.

  Then they began to systematically rape and kidnap the Gondoran
  women, considered the most beautiful in the galaxy by many.  The
  Gondorans began to protest and the protesters were executed.  When
  there were no Gondorans over the age of twenty years, the youth
  began a non-violent protest and refused to co-operate with the
  Empire in any way.  They even managed to kill a few of the Empire's
  soldiers.  That's when the Emperor decided that he had no more use
  for the beautiful planet and it was destroyed by the fourth Death
  Star just before the Rebel Alliance could find and destroy it.  Luke
  lost many of his best friends at this battle.

  Sometimes it seemed as though the war would never end, that they
  would be struggling for freedom, running away, evading the evil
  forces of the Emperor forever.  Luke could feel himself become
  discouraged at times when his thoughts turned this way.  He would
  catch himself and put the negative hopelessness out of his mind
  because he knew where this would lead.  He had to be constantly in
  the state of mind that was open and free even if millions of others
  could not be.  Only in this state of mind, could he battle the evil
  force of the 'Dark Side' which the Emperor radiated in all
  directions at all times.  As long as he kept his mind clear and
  free of the negative energies, he was safe from the constant drain
  from the Emperor's mind.

  As his invisible ship sped along on its fourty-five day journey back
  to base, Luke begins to feel something else.  He knew that Leia and
  Han were having difficulty of some sort, but he couldn't tell what
  it was from here.  They were safe.  It wasn't anything serious, but
  there was a persistent nagging in the back of Luke's mind whenever
  he thought about Han and Leia.  Their marriage had seemed perfect at
  the time, ten years ago.  But now, with their two children running
  around constantly demanding their father's attention, things were
  not always perfect.  Han was not exactly an ideal father, but he
  tried very hard.  Leia was a good mother, but the demands on her
  from the rebel alliance, in which she still played a key role, often
  times made her feel as if she were neglecting her children.

  Luke could sense that the difficulty that Lando was feeling was
  coming from these domestic problems.  But the domestic problems could
  be originating from something, or somewhere else.  It was entirely
  possible that the Emperor was exerting some kind of influence on
  the two people he hated and feared the most.  If Leia and Han could
  survive all the torment and terror that he and his grandfather has
  sent against them, then it was quite possible that they could never
  be defeated by any forces in the Emperor's power.  This is what the
  Emperor feared the most.  Luke could see it all in his own mind.
  The Emperor's grasp of the 'Dark Side' was so overwhelming that
  anything outside of his grasp represented a threat that ate away at
  the very foundations of his whole being.  Han and Leia were the
  special target of this fear and paranoia.  The Emperor would hold
  Luke in a very special place in his mind and would want to divide
  and conquer.  This meant that all Luke's friends were in terrible
  danger.

  Luke pondered all these things and he realized just hours before
  reaching the rebel base that something truly stunning would have to
  take place to defeat the evil now spread all over the galaxy.  He
  felt the wonderful victory that Lando had won at the rendezvous near
  the frontier.  Luke never had the time to give Lando anything more
  than the briefest of lessons regarding the 'Force', and yet he
  seemed to have surpassed Luke's wildest dreams already.  Imagine
  what could be done when Lando had full working knowledge of the
  power of the 'Force', he thought to himself.

  Then it hit him!  And it was the thinking power of the ship that
  finally made him see the answer.  Suddenly, he could imagine a
  thousand Lando's, no, ten thousand, and someday millions of Jedi
  warriors all over the galaxy, ready and totally prepared to take on
  all the little evils and then perhaps even the greatest evil of all
  time, the Empire itself.  He could see now that he cannot possibly
  do it alone.  He had known for a long time that there would have to
  be others trained to fight as he himself now understood fighting.
  The thought had not occurred to him that this knowledge could be
  passed on in such a mass undertaking.  Not until this moment, did he
  even conceive of such a task.

  But now, when the Emperor was gathering all the powers of evil to do
  more evil in the galaxy, Luke knew that he would have to share his
  knowledge with others, lots of others. He would have to find a way
  to single out the best of the best.  He would have to devise tests
  of all kinds, like in the ancient fairy tales, to weed out the
  unworthy.  He would have to find a way to teach something that
  previously could only be handed down genetically.  He would have to
  find the Human engram, the genetic building block of the power he
  had so that it could be replicated over and over again.

  But where to begin?  It always amazed Luke at how clearly he could
  think when he was in Space on some kind of long term mission.
  Surrounded by the radiation from the stars, he really felt himself.
  It was a lonely sensation, and yet it fascinated him at how
  satisfying it was to be so completely alone and yet not feel any
  suffering.  Whenever he drifted through Space/Time, he felt closer
  to the Almighty Spirit, as he had learned to call it.  It was as if
  the stars were final proof of the hand of a Creator.  There was
  always so much distance and so little time and whenever he arrived
  at his destination, it was always so anti-climactic.

  The planets were all so beautiful when approaching from space.  Tiny
  oases in a vast ocean of complete and total silence, they pulled at
  him, called out to him, guided his ship, always closer, closer,
  never repelling him, like a mother duck with her ducklings.  From
  the ridiculously small to the sublimely infinite.  It was all the
  same from the perspective of the 'Force'.  Glue it all together.
  Bring forth all kinds of creatures.  Give them all a beginning, a
  middle, and an end.  The force of gravity owed its existence to this
  eternal glue, as did Nuclear power, magnetic travel, even the warmth
  of sunlight on your face.  It was all part of the same glue.  It was
  all a procession of mother duck and her little ducklings, evolving
  in space.

  The 'Force' seemed to be screaming at him constantly, but he was not
  equipped with the sensors to hear it and yet he knew it was there.
  It kept his heart beating.  It made the rain fall and the sky to
  contain it again as it evaporated having quenched a million thirsts.
  It made him cling to warm things.  It gave him his thoughts.  His
  consciousness was part of something much larger.  The Jedi tests he
  would administer must be good enough to attract the good while
  rejecting the evil in men.  He would have to play God, in a way.  He
  would have to try and be as clever, and even on such a small scale,
  he knew it would not be easy.

  He knew also that it would come to him in good time.  Everything
  that had happened to him so far in life was totally unexpected.  He
  never actually planned anything.  There was no way he could have
  ever predicted the events in his life, as wonderful as they were.
  Therefore, he would let the future take its course.  All he had to
  do, was allow the 'Force' to deal him the hand that was meant for
  him in his current game.  There would be many other games and they
  were all a learning experience, an elimination round before some
  great championship match.  All he had to do was to act like a
  champion and the cards of a champion would be dealt him.  It was all
  a matter of attracting the right while repelling the wrong.  This
  was the whole secret of Luke's success.


arriving

  Han & Leia are seated in a general briefing room.  General Yamamoto
  is expected to give a briefing on the recent battle at Zendor, as it
  is now called, in which Lando was able to rescue thousands of new
  rebel recruits to their cause.  The meeting room is filled with
  people in Rebel Command and the air is electrified with the buzzing
  and clicking and whispering and muttering in several dozen different
  languages, all of them speculating on what happened and how it
  happened.  They are all very pleased at the general tone of the
  information and are anxiously waiting the official word from their
  Commander of Intelligence Operations.

  Han and Leia are encircled by curious faces, since everyone knows
  that Lando is their closest friend.

        "The rumors are that the Imperial fleet had them all
        surrounded and that they were being systematically destroyed
        until Lando showed up.  Does he have this new secret weapon
        we've been hearing about?"  They were all muttering the same
        question in various forms.

        "I don't know any more than you do, let me assure you.  What I
        can tell you is that Lando is not flying any secret weapon.
        At least not unless you call the Millennium Falcon a secret
        weapon.  Flown by a good pilot, you might consider it as
        such,"  Han was obviously proud of the deeds of his friend
        Lando, as well as proud of his old ship.

  General Yamamoto calls the briefing to begin.  He motions for the
  lights to dim and soon a 3-D projection of the star system in which
  the recent battle took place is projected over the heads of the
  spectators.  He stands up on a small platform in the center of the
  room and gestures to the image of stars and ships flying around in
  miniature seemingly right in the room with them. Their own ships
  appear as tiny red and blue dots of light against the white star
  patterns.  The Imperial cruisers are much brighter and apparently
  slower.  It is very difficult to work out the meaning of all these
  'thousand points of light', but to the trained eyes of the men and
  women in the room, the battle is an awesome one in which it appears
  the Empire has achieved total surprise and superiority of weapons.
  It should have been a huge disaster and everyone in the room knows
  it.

        "Here, you see what we were up against.  There was obviously a
        leak regarding the rendezvous point and they were waiting for
        us to gather.  Computer has analyzed the action throughout the
        battle and it appears the Empire has a new kind of sonic beam,
        It literally tears apart any kind of magnetic shield and then
        renders our ships vulnerable to even a level two blaster,"
        the General begins.

  The air above their heads is filled with tiny dots in space flitting
  about the room like so many fire flies.  Everywhere the image is
  ablaze with pinpoint explosions representing another rebel ship
  destroyed.

        "Now, as you can see, the situation is desperate, but if you
        look closely at this section, you'll see General Calrissian's
        ship arriving in this sector.  He delays for a few moments and
        then attacks this group of Star Cruisers," The briefing
        continues with General Yamamoto gesturing to a cluster of tiny
        lights in the lower portion of the battle towards the front of
        the room.

        He continues. "As you will see, General Calrissian must have
        believed that his situation was desperate even though he could
        have turned and run away before they spotted him.  Instead, he
        flies directly into the bows of this cruiser group.  Instead
        of being destroyed instantly, he somehow confuses them and
        gets past their weapons.  Then, in a moment, you will see
        what's left of the rebel fleet following along behind General
        Calrissian in an organized retreat.  As you can see, none of
        the Imperial ships are able to maneuver.  We have had it
        confirmed that the Empire suddenly lost all communications and
        control. And the source of their problems seems to have
        originated on General Calrissian's ship."

  All heads in the room turn in the direction of Han and Leia who
  merely look back at them blankly and shrug their shoulders.  They
  have nothing to say.

        "General Calrissian must have found something out in the
        frontier besides fresh recruits.  Our analysis suggests that
        he found some kind of jamming device which was tuned to the
        frequencies used by the Empire to control their fleet.  If
        this is true, then they will learn how to make adjustments.
        We feel that this was a once-in-a-lifetime event,"  General
        Yamamoto says, looking at Han and Leia.

  Finally, Han speaks up.

        "Yes, well, I know this looks like a typical Lando maneuver,
        but there's something else going on here.  We've been in touch
        with Lando several times throughout his mission and he's never
        mentioned finding anything like this.  I think he would have
        told us.  Besides, he was very busy recruiting all these
        new grunts.  I don't think he would have been able to keep
        it a secret from us,"  says Han.

        "Han, there was that last message about some personal business
        just before he left, maybe that's what he was trying to tell
        us,"  Leia interjects.

        "No, I doubt it.  Personal business to Lando could only mean a
        woman or a card game,"  Han replies.

        "How right you are, 'ol buddy!

  Lando casually saunters into the room.

        "Lando, you old son of a sea cow!  We've just been discussing
        your recent victory out there.  Intelligence has it that you
        found some kind of secret weapon.  Well, now, we can get it
        from the horse's mouth, so to speak,"  Han says, shaking
        Lando's hand and maneuvering his old friend to the center
        stage.

        "Well, yes, I did find a secret weapon.  But it's not the kind
        of secret weapon that you've been speculating about.  It's the
        kind of secret weapon that Luke Skywalker can give you, any of
        you,"  Lando, takes a long pause to add emphasis to his words.

  Han and Leia look at each other with a simultaneous recognition of
  what Lando is talking about.

        "I simply used the 'Force'.  Luke and I have been working on a
        plan to give it to all our pilots and soldiers.  This mission
        of mine was a kind of test run.  Judging by the looks on your
        faces, it was a very successful test run at that!"  he says
        and then sits down next to his friend Han who merely stares at
        him gleefully.

        "And I've been on a test run of my own,"  Luke enters the room
        and all seated in the room jump to their feet and give Luke and
        Lando a Hero's welcome.

*


'the appearance'


        The celebration is cut short when suddenly a vague blue image
        begins to appear in the middle of the room where the
        visi-screen battle had been projected.  It grew in size and in
        clarity until a great gasping noise could be heard from all
        participants.  It was a very much unexpected and unwanted
        visit from their most hated and hateful enemy.  There in front
        of them, standing with arms on his hips, in a black robe, was
        the Emperor, the grandson of the old Emperor whom all gathered
        thought would be the last Emperor.

        "Well, I see all my friends have gathered together to plan
        your best shot at the Empire.  Well, I didn't want to spoil
        your fun.  I merely wanted to tell you how lucky you all are
        to be the guinea pigs for a new experiment of mine!"

  The Emperor, a much better looking man than his grandfather, almost
  seems like a country squire.  He's polished, clean, genteel, with
  the sculptured features of a great philosopher.  His demeanor is
  also very different from his grandfather.  He does not lose his
  composure.  He never gives off the sense that he is inherently evil.
  His eyes are those of a great and kind man.  His words are measured
  and his tone is assuring.  He puts out an almost hypnotic colloquy.
  Everyone in the room is put at ease but his words, everyone, that
  is, except Luke who watches the reaction of his friends to this
  invasion with great alarm.

        "Ah, my old friend Luke Skywalker.  How are things with you.
        Even though you killed my grandfather, I want you to know that
        I hold no personal animosity towards you.  You were only doing
        what you thought was right, at the time.  The offer, I'm going
        to make applies to you as well as the others,"  the emperor
        continues.

        "Don't listen to him!  It's a trick,"  Luke warns them.

        "It's no trick I assure you.  I merely wish to offer you all
        complete amnesty if you abandon your present rebellion and
        join my forces who are nearby and waiting for you answer.  I
        promise you all that you will be treated fairly and with time,
        you will even be given a command of your own,"  the Emperor
        seems rather pleased with himself.

        "And if we refuse?"  asks Luke.

        "If you refuse, you will be destroyed, and very quickly.  You
        see, I followed your thoughts to this place, Luke.  You gave
        your friends away.  Your best and most trusted warrior is no
        match for my command of the 'Force'.  Oh, you thought you had
        a great victory at Zendor.  But I was there too, and so I
        followed your great Hero, Lando, to your rendezvous point and
        then from there I picked up Luke's thoughts and traced you the
        rest of the way out here.  Oh, this is a beautiful planet, is
        it not.  It would be such a shame to turn it into a cinder!
        says the Emperor with complete confidence.

  Luke can feel the hatred rising up inside him.  He fights it with
  every ounce of the 'Force' at his command.  He knows that this
  moment will probably be his greatest battle, fighting his own
  emotions, and those of his opponents standing in front of him and
  not a battle with sword and laser or ships.

        "You don't know anything about the 'Force'!  Your very use of
        the word is an insult, a disgrace to the intelligence in the
        'Force'.  If you're not careful about how you talk, how you
        behave, you will be punished for it, in due course,"  Luke
        taunts.

        "Oh, you think not?  Then, let me demonstrate my powers,"  the
        Emperor replies, almost politely.

  Luke can feel his throat tightening.  Then, finding it difficult to
  breathe, he looks around and sees that everyone in the room is
  having the same problem.  He never realized that the power of the
  Dark Side could be so strong, could travel over such distances.
  There was no way he could be within a million light years of this
  place and yet he was exerting a force on their windpipes as if he
  were in the same room with several dozen pairs of very strong hands.

  Luke began to feel faint.  A few of the others had already collapsed
  either out of fear or total suffocation.  He pulled at his brain
  with some inner sense of survival he could always feel when he was
  in deepest trouble.  He saw himself falling into a very deep well
  and he reached upward for a hand that came out of nowhere.  He had
  to stop himself from falling and reach out for the others who were
  falling with him.  He wrapped his mind around each of them and then
  grabbed for the hand at the same time.  Then he exerted all his
  mental strength on holding onto the hand and letting it pull him
  out of the well.

  Soon, all were breathing easier and coming back to life.  Luke
  stands up and faces the Emperor.

        "You see your powers are not so strong after all," he says.

        "Oh, but they are Luke Skywalker.  It was my hand you reached
        for.  I let you all live because I have a use for you.  I
        could just as easily kill you all where you stand, but it was
        I who reached down to you and pulled you up.  I only wanted to
        demonstrate my powers.  What good is a demonstration if you
        are all dead?"  the Emperor seems very pleased with himself,
        almost kindly toward them.

  A few of the lesser wills in the room, were almost totally convinced
  by the Emperor's statement.  They were ready to join him because he
  seemed such a kindly gentlemen.  Why were they going around the
  galaxy trying to overthrow this great man?

        "And I tell you that we will never obey you.  We will never
        surrender to you.  We have no intention to stop taking your
        Empire apart,"  Luke replies.  "You might kill us all someday,
        but there will always be others to follow and millions more to
        follow them."

        "Why do you want to destroy everything that has taken so many
        centuries to build?  Are you all mad with the thought of
        destruction?"  The Emperor's kindly act continues.

        "You and your Empire is evil.  That's the only reason we
        oppose it.  Your little demonstration here proves it, that is
        if we needed more proof.  If your Empire was based on Freedom
        and democratic ideals, letting people rule themselves, then we
        would be in the vanguard of your army.  But it isn't, and it
        never will be, and so we who love freedom must oppose you and
        we will oppose you with all the power of the 'Force'.  And I
        warn you, you still know nothing of the 'Force'.  What you
        control is destructive powers.  These are no match for the
        glue that holds the universe together.  Deep down, you know
        I'm right and this makes you afraid,"  Luke scolds him.

  For the first time, Luke can feel the Emperor losing control.

        "You are such insignificant little nothings!"  The Emperor is
        like a controlled nuclear explosion.  Then, he catches himself
        and reverts to form.

        "I give you just one hour to decide whether you wish to
        continue your lives within the good graces of my Empire, or if
        you would like to die, in the arms of this 'Force' of yours.
        If you like it so much, you can be united with it, forever!
        You have one hour to decide, then I will send my fleet.  You
        will either join them or be destroyed by them,"  the Emperor
        warns them and raising his arm in the air, disappears with a
        loud 'snap'.

  Luke looks to Han and Leia first.  Han looks concerned but resolute
  and disdainful as ever.  Leia, however, appears truly distraught.
  She returns his gaze with a very frightened look on her face.  She
  has children to think about now.  Luke can feel her maternal
  instincts acting to protect her offspring.  Neither of them has to
  say anything to each other.  Luke smiles in recognition of her fear
  and she somehow finds a smile within to return to him.

        "All right.  I know that this was unexpected.  We must begin
        an evacuation, and then ..."  he's cut off in the middle
        of his sentence by someone in the back of the room.

        "Why don't we take his offer?"  the voice asks what they're
        all thinking.

        "You know the answer to that.  It's not a real offer.  He'll
        just use us to learn everything he wants to know and then
        he'll have no further use for us.  You know this.  Look, I
        realize his powers of persuasion are very great, but that's
        all they are.  He's evil.  He intends to get what whatever he
        can out of us for his own purposes.  The only reason he came
        here was to stall for time.  His fleet hasn't arrived yet, and
        he figures if he can get us to delay just long enough he'll
        have us.  Snap out of it, all of you.  You know the tactics
        they use.  The Emperor has never been able to tell the truth,
        and that is the truth!"  Luke was beginning to lose control
        again.  So, he pauses to get it back again.

        "That is the truth.  You know Luke is right,"  Lando was
        talking straight to them.

        "We're all wasting time.  Of course, Luke's right.  He's cast
        some kind of spell on us and we're standing around debating
        and it's taking time away from the only real choice we have
        now."  This time it is Han's turn to speak.

        "Begin the Evacuation procedure,"  General Yamamoto finds
        himself coming to see more clearly suddenly.

  The crowd disperses groggily at first and then gradually the area
  is filled with the blur of soldiers making plans for a quick
  getaway they had practiced many times in the past.



evacuation

  As they leave the beautiful blue planet below them, the darkness of
  space is suddenly ablaze with Imperial cruisers and Tie-fighters.
  They have just gotten their people off the ground when the Emperor's
  fleet arrives and they seem to be totally prepared to take the Rebel
  ships apart, one by one.

  Lando has volunteered to fly the point because of the greater
  maneuverability and fire power of the Millennium Falcon.  Chewie is
  very busy at the controls while Lando tries to beat off an attack
  of Tie-fighters with the Laser Cannon.

        "Chewie, give me a flight path into that group of Cruisers,"
        Lando yells.

  Obeying frantically, Chewie brings the ship into a tight spin to
  avoid the Tie-fighters on his tail and give Lando the trajectory he
  wants to fire on a group of about ten Star Cruisers leading the
  Emperor's attack.

  Lando fires all his ship's complement of lasers at once.  He figures
  it will be the last thing he ever does and he wants to take out as
  many of these enemy ships as he can before they blast him and Chewie
  into oblivion.

  His lasers tear a black jagged hole in the bow of the first ship.
  The Cruiser cannot fire back and turns to leave the scene.  The next
  ship in the path of the Falcon gets several dozen laser blasts off
  before Lando's second pattern hits it perfectly in the bow and the
  entire front section of the Cruiser goes up in a magnificent
  fireworks display.  The Cruiser immediately to the starboard of this
  one, shoots another pattern of lasers at the Falcon.  The first
  group is deflected away harmlessly by the Falcon's shields. Then
  there is a sonic blast from a ship to Lando's starboard and below.
  He and Chewie are thrown all over the cockpit.  They look at their
  instruments and they both realize simultaneously that their shields
  are gone.  The next laser blast will take them into another
  dimension... forever.

        "Lando, give me a vector 80 by 15,"  Luke's voice comes over
        their intercom.  Lando takes control of the ship before Chewie
        can react and they fly off in a vector that will put them out
        of danger.

  They look up and back at their flight path and they check their
  instruments.  There is nothing to indicate where Luke is.  But, one
  by one, the Imperial Cruisers, closing in for the kill, are being
  invaded by some unseen force.  One by one, they simply and quietly
  give up the chase and veer off like ghost ships in the night.  They
  can only guess at the kind of things that are happening on board the
  Imperial ships.

        "Luke, if you can hear me, thanks,"  Lando says through his
        com-link when all the destroyers are seen wandering aimlessly
        in Space.

        "I'm right here, Lando,"  Luke replies.  He releases his
        canopy screen and Lando and Chewie can see Luke's face
        hovering just a few yards to in front and above.  The rest of
        his ship is still cloaked and therefore invisible.

        "Lando, get Han and organize a team to go and recover the
        Imperial ships in this sector.  I have some more work to do
        and I'll see you at the rendezvous,"  Luke says, waves and
        then disappears.

  Lando does as instructed.  He and Han have the very enjoyable chore
  of taking a boarding party to each of the Imperial cruisers that
  Luke has rendered harmless.  Their crews are sitting in a fetal
  position, deathly afraid of some unseen threat.  No one is at the
  controls.  Nothing is happening, except that their ships are easily
  boarded, every single one.  There are hundreds of them drifting
  aimlessly in Space, victim to Luke's new secret weapon.

        "Han, this is incredible.  They're helpless, but there's
        nothing physically wrong with them,"  Lando reports to Han on
        another ship nearby,.

        "I agree.  It seems Luke has really become a Jedi.  They used
        to talk about things like this back in school.  I always
        thought it was a fairy tale.  Something like that's happened
        here.  Can you figure it out?"  asks Han.

        "Yes, I think I can, Han,"  Lando calls back to Han's Cruiser.
        "Luke has truly become a Jedi.  He has a power that we can
        only guess at, but we can use it too.  He gave it to me at the
        battle of Zendor.  We were desperate, and he knew about it
        somehow and lent me his powers.  I know that now.  It's a kind
        of accounting system.  Luke has it all in balance.  I don't
        know how I know that, but I do."

        "Boy, that's a pretty strange assessment, but judging by what
        I see here, I would believe anything,"  says Han.

  Everywhere Han and Threepio go in the cruisers, they see the same
  thing, Imperial soldiers curled up in little balls.  They cringe if
  anyone comes near them.  They seem to be talking baby talk.  They've
  completely reverted to an earlier stage in their development, a
  stage that appears to be the stage that all Humans go through in the
  womb.  Many of them are sucking their thumbs.  Most appear as though
  they are in a state of total brain drain.  Han tries to rouse
  several of them, but they simply cannot respond.

        "Say, Lando, how long do you think this condition will persist
        for these poor bastards?"  Han asks.

        "I don't know," replies Lando.  "Seems like it's permanent to
        me."

        "God, I hope we don't have to take care of them that long,"
        says Han.

        "I don't think that will be necessary,"  replies Lando.

  Lando has noticed that they are regressing even beyond the fetal
  state.  Their bodies are actually getting smaller and smaller.
  Soon, Han and Chewie and even Threepio remarks that the Imperial
  soldiers seem to be shrinking.

        "They're not long for this world, Han.  Do you see it?"  says
        Lando.

        "Oh yes, we see it."  This time Threepio chimes in.  "They
        appear to be in a reverse kind of existence.  Master Luke sent
        them back to where they came from."

        "Lando, did you hear that?"  asks Han.

        "Yes, I think Threepio is right.  He's reversed their life
        span somehow,"  Replies Lando

  Gradually, each Imperial soldier on board every Cruiser is rendered
  back to the original cell of his inception.  Then, this last cell
  breaks down into its constituent acids and proteins and is no more.
  Luke has performed some strange act of alchemy on these poor souls.
  Within a few moments, they are all gone and the ships are left
  perfectly intact to be used by their new masters, the Rebel
  Alliance.

        "Luke, how did you do this?"  says Han, back on his ship.

  But there's no response.  Luke is nowhere in the vicinity.  The
  Imperial fleet has been turned into a nursery.  There are still
  a few enemy soldiers crawling around the decks as infants would.
  Sometimes, they look at the Rebels with a curious quizzical look on
  their faces.  Apparently, without pain, they are just fade away.
  The Rebels take the Cruisers into their fleet and within a few days,
  they have a fleet of hundreds of Cruisers and thousands of
  Tie-Fighters.


  There is a great sense of relief and imminent victory all over the
  new Rebel base.  The planet is called 'Vitale 7'.  It's actually a
  group of planets revolving around a twin star system.  Like an
  archipelago on Earth, the planetary system is composed of hundreds
  of planets of similar size and composition.  Since there are two
  suns in their solar system, each revolving around the other, the
  planets undergo a fantastic set of seasonal changes.  The
  gravitational forces are so strong and so varied that the oceans of
  the planets rise and fall thousands of feet every solar 'semi-day'.
  A 'semi-day' is so-called because for a great portion of every year,
  each planet is deluged with sunlight from two suns.  This means that
  there is no dark side to the planet, therefore, no night, for half
  of their 'semi-year', or the period time it takes for each planet to
  revolve around one sun.

  To make it plainer, an orbit on a planet such as Earth's describes a
  nearly perfect circle, or an ellipse around the single gravitational
  source, the sun.  On binary star systems, however, such as the
  Vitale system, each planetary orbit describes a figure '8' because
  there are two opposing gravitational sources, and therefore one
  solar year is actually fused into two.

  This phenomenon is actually more common in the universe than the
  singular orbits experienced by planets like the Earth.  Twins suns
  account for more than half the star systems in the universe and so
  the seasonal changes experienced on Earth are nothing as compared to
  the dual seasons found on most other planets.  On 'Vitale 7', '8',
  '9' on through 'Vitale 79', this dual season effect has given rise
  to a kind of ecological balance that is very complex.  Half the
  animal population is in a kind of hibernation while the other half
  is in full activity.  The dual winters are extremely cold and the
  dual summers, extremely hot.

  The Rebels have chosen this spot for two reasons.  The Vitale
  system is very near the center of the galaxy where the Empire has
  its Imperial Headquarters and, because of its two suns, is very
  difficult to approach without detection.  But there is also another
  reason for their choosing this star system for what they hope will
  be their final exodus.  The Rebels believe that with half the
  Imperial fleet in their possession and with the secret weapon that
  Luke has now proven, they have the advantage and that the Emperor
  will soon be dealt a final blow.  They will use this location to
  demonstrate to other planetary systems that open rebellion will now
  go unpunished.

  Han, Leia, Lando, Threepio have gathered at a 'beach' on Vitale 7,
  now in the first of its two summers.  The beach on a planet with the
  highest tides in the galaxy is really more like a fjord.  The tides
  have carved out canyons much larger than any canyon seen on Earth
  and each day, the tide flows in and out of these canyons making for
  a highly exciting adventure sport.  The natives, when they go to the
  beach, bring their boats and life rafts and merely float along for
  hundreds of miles as the tide pushes them past some of the most
  glorious rock formations found anywhere.  Most of the cities are
  formed along these cliffs because the tourist trade flourishes here
  and the living is easy.

  But, for the Rebels, now calling this home, it is not all fun and
  games.  There is serious planning to do.  But with Luke having
  vanished completely, they don't know how long they should wait
  before launching their next campaign.  Leia is for waiting until
  Luke returns.  She knows that he's safe and that there is a very
  good reason for his disappearance, and so she assures the others.
  But Han and Lando want to launch their newly formed battle fleet at
  the heart of the Empire before they have a chance to regroup
  completely, thus take them by surprise.

        "Han, there wouldn't be any surprise.  Don't you think the
        Emperor knows that we have his ships and that the most logical
        thing to do is to use them right away?"  says Leia.

        "Yes, that could be true, but just because he knows we're
        coming doesn't necessarily mean that he would have any
        advantage.  Leia, we outnumber him now.  Don't you realize
        that?"  replies Han.

        "Yes, I do, but he is still extremely dangerous and sheer
        numbers mean nothing, especially if he's defending his home
        turf.  He has evil things planned for us that we can't even
        imagine,"  Leia retorts.

        "I think you're both right, but you're forgetting about Luke.
        Leia says he's still alive and intact.  That means he still
        has the Banta Ray and knowing Luke, he's trying to get us more
        of them,"  Lando chimes in.

        "Or preventing the Emperor from getting any!"  says Han, with
        a very serious look on his face they all understand.

        "Yes, if the Emperor found our source for that weapon, it
        would be all over for us in a heartbeat,"  Lando agrees.

        "That's why only Master Luke knows about this place!  Now, I
        understand,"  says Threepio.

        "Quiet, Threepio.  We don't even think about this and neither
        should you, got that?"  warns Han.

        "Oh, yes Master Han.  I do understand.  If the Emperor ever
        found out that these ships can only be made on Triton's moon,
        there would be hell to pay, indeed, sir,"  Threepio pipes.

  All three of the Rebellion's inner circle look at each other in
  total astonishment and concern.

        "Threepio, how do you know that Triton is the source of the
        Banta Ray's?"  asks Leia quietly.

        "Oh, Master Luke told me.  Wasn't I supposed to know?"  answers
        Threepio.

        "I don't know, Threepio.  Is he supposed to know?"  Leia asks
        the others.

        "He's never told any of us.  Why would he tell this old bucket
        of bolts?"  replies Han, gesturing to Threepio.

        "I beg your pardon, sir?"  Threepio is indignant.

        "Quiet, Threepio,"  says Leia.  "Threepio, you must never
        repeat this piece of knowledge to anyone.  You must never even
        think about it again, and if you can erase it from your
        memory, you would be very wise to do so, right now."

        "Yes, Mistress Leia,"  says Threepio.  Suddenly, there's a
        very subtle difference in Threepio's posture.  His eyes dim
        just a bit. He turns to watch the rock ledges rolling past
        their small boat and then turns back to the group.

        "What were we discussing?"  Threepio asks them.

  They look at each other and without discussing it any further, each
  tries to assess the ramifications of what has just happened.

        "Do you think the Emperor knows?"  Lando finally breaks their
        silence with the question they are all considering.

        "I don't know, but I do know that we have to act is if he does
        know,"  says Han.

        "I agree,"  says Leia.

  They are all agreed, but none of them knows what this means, just
  yet.


EXILE

  Luke wakes up from his sleep with very heavy eyes.  R2 is standing
  next to his bed and, following orders, is waking his master with a
  cooing sound which perfectly imitates the black doves of Altara.  It
  is the most beautiful sound Luke has ever heard in his many travels
  in the galaxy and he's trained R2 to use this sound to wake him
  gently each morning as they travel through empty space.

  When arising in Space, Luke always clears his head by placing a tape
  of his favorite music in his deck.  It's a luxury he made certain
  his ship would have installed before he began this mission since he
  knew that he might be alone for very extended periods of time.  He
  stumbles over to the small closet of a bathroom and takes a very
  quick sonic shower.  When he is finished, he takes a clean uniform
  from the laundry cylinder and puts it on.  Then, he opens one of the
  starboard ports and stares out at the stars drifting slowly and
  ponderously past.

        "Well, R2, it looks like another great day in space,"  he
        says, not expecting a reply.

        R2 is programmed to always reply even if it's only friendly
        nonsense.  He chirps out something about space being warped
        and several other theories of the Cosmos with which he's
        familiar, much to the dismay of Luke.

        "R2, I wasn't really expecting a lecture on the nature of the
        universe.  You're a great companion, R2, don't get me wrong.
        I just think that it's about time you learned when to reply
        and when not to.  Do you think you can do that?"  Luke asks
        his electronic friend.

        R2 says nothing, but turns his dome-shaped head toward the
        port to get a fix on where they are.  Then, he asks Luke if
        there is anything wrong.

        "No, there's nothing wrong, R2.  I'm out here because the
        Emperor can read my thoughts now.  If I rendezvous with the
        others, he'll know even before we get there, where they are,
        and it would be extremely dangerous for them.  So, I've
        decided to stay out here until I'm needed again.  I know Han
        and Lando and Leia can run things just fine without me, at
        least for the present.

        R2 chirps out a query about how he will know when he's
        needed.

        "I'll know, R2.  Don't worry, I'll know,"  He replies.

        R2 asks again, how he will know.

        "I'll just know.  You couldn't understand how I will know, R2.
        I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is.  That's the
        difference between us, old friend,"  Luke tells him.

        R2 chirps out his version of 'why don't you try me?'

  Luke turns away from the viewport to look at R2 directly.  There's
  something different about him.  He's been through so much, Luke
  thinks to himself, he now believes he's Human.

        "I would, R2, but what I have is impossible to translate to a
        machine like you, R2.  I'm sorry about that.  I really wish I
        could tell you about the 'Force'.  I know that I could trust
        you, somehow,"  says Luke.

        "You can trust him, Luke,"  a voice says.

        "Ben?  Ben, is that you?"  Luke can feel Obi-wan's presence in
        his ship.

        "Yes, Luke."  Ben Kenobi greets Luke as his image appears in
        the middle of the small ship.

        "Ben, I'm so glad to see you,"  Luke's greeting is warm and
        enthusiastic as well as affectionate.

        "I know, Luke, it's terribly lonely out here for you, isn't
        it?"  asks Ben.

        "Yes, it is.  I miss Leia and Han and Lando and all the
        others,"  He replies.

        "Well, your exile was very well advised, Luke.  The Emperor
        can indeed track your thoughts and read them no matter where
        you are.  But it's just about over now,"  says Ben.

  Luke beams with pleasure.

        "You're sure?  But how? Why?" asks Luke.

        "Because you've just stumbled on the solution, R2 can deliver
        the Jedi training to your friends and the Emperor can never
        read his thoughts because he won't have any,"  says Ben.

        "Yes, Ben, I see.  It's possible,"  says Luke, looking down at
        R2, standing patiently beside him and rocking back and forth
        as he usually does when he's 'excited'.

        "But in order to hold the knowledge, he will have to 'know'
        about it, won't he Ben?"  Luke asks.

        "Yes, but he is capable of shielding them by working on a
        series of navigational problems we will give him.  We'll loop
        it all so that, to the Emperor, R2 will seem like just another
        mechanical brain guiding a freighter somewhere.  There are
        literally billions of these in the Cosmos.  There's no way he
        will be able to tell the difference, that is, as long as R2
        can be programmed to continue this charade until instructed
        otherwise,"  says Ben.

        "Yes, I can do that,"  Luke replies.  "We've done similar
        things many times before, haven't we, old buddy?"

        R2 beeps a positive response.

        "This is great news, Ben!  When do we get started?" Luke asks.

        "There's no time like the present.  I'll even stay and help
        you, if you'd like."  says Ben.

        "If I'd like?  If I'd like?  Of course I'd like!"  Luke
        replies, bursting over with pleasure, ecstatic at the prospect
        of sharing his knowledge of the 'Force' with his old friend
        and mentor.

  Luke shuts the observation port and they both turn to R2 to begin
  his first lesson.

        R2 whistles his acceptance of the situation with a long,
        almost mournful whistle.




|END OF PART ONE


  we begin part II with a visit to the Emperor's palace, dark
  foreboding on a cliff on a planet way off the beaten path.

  thge emperor figures out where luke is and sends black holes of
  anti-grav at him, but luke shields the ship from it.  they have an
  interesting discussion about the energies confronting them.

  then there's a battle with a fleet of warriors of insect men that
  the emperor uses as his elite guard.

  luke defeats them and then converts them to his cause.



  Unfortunately, being that we live in a free enterprise system, we
  cannot afford to give you this entire book for the piddling price
  that you paid for this introduction.  There is a $10.00 fee to read
  the rest of this Star Wars saga.
  Sorry to leave you hanging here, but believe me the second half of
  this book is well worth it, and you will be contributing to the
  cause of someday bringing more books, if not all of them, to the
  computer screen.

  MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

  The publishers.

  Catalog entry:

  STAR WARS - The Jedi Storm.  Part II   by Michael Mathiesen

  This is the rest of the exciting story you are reading now.
  Unfortunately our books are distributed without any of the sales
  coming to the authors.  By buying the complete version from us, we
  can reward the authors and they can afford to write more wonderful
  adventures for you.

  The most exciting part of this story is yet to come.  Luke is going
  to be faced with some very serious challenges to his knowledge of
  the 'Force'.  He is going to have to make some very difficult
  choices, but in doing so, he will bring the knowledge of the 'Force'
  to everyone, including you.  This book is written by a man who is so
  involved with the New Quantum Physics, that everything portrayed in
  this book can happen in the very near future.  You will find out
  that the 'Force' is real.  It is the glue that holds everything
  together in the universe.  Modern physicists are now finding that
  this is actually the truth!

  They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and in this book, you
  will learn that there is very little difference today.  After
  reading this book, we promise that you will not only feel very
  entertained, you will also feel very highly educated in the ways of
  the universe.  Some of you will use this for very special purposes,
  and others may use it for the 'Dark Side' of life.  Which way will
  you go?  Order this complete book and find out.

  Now, a battle looms ahead that will either destroy the Empire once
  and for all, or it will set the Rebel Forces back for many
  centuries.  This battle will require all the strength and skill of
  the Rebels and it will take the next great leap in faith by Luke to
  bring his powers to bear on the Empire without flirting with the
  'Dark side' of 'The Force'.  Does Life imitate Art?  You will be the
  judge!  Are you a Rebel or are you part of the oppressive Empire?



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-- 
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}           WPI Students:               |            Brian R. Boisvert              Procrastination with a touch        |     Worcester Polytechnic Institute  
          of genius.                 |           boisvert@wpi.wpi.edu


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