Date: Fri, 30 Jun 1995 15:08:17 -0400
From: Jmedinadk@aol.com
Subject: DFCH1PT3.TXT for dir.stories

This is a work of fan fiction.  But if you like what you read,
gimme a buzz at jmedinadk@aol.com and pass the text around.

This continues my account of the first adventure of my Second
Edition Star Wars RPG campaign, featuring characters created by my players
Frank Shaw, Marc Ford, Holly Jones, Alan Polcen, and my wife Jamie Lawson.

A special tip of the stormtrooper helmet to the authors of WEG's
1st Edition module "Tatooine Manhunt," Bill Slavicsek and Daniel
Greenberg.  The freighter _Alabak's Gold_ from that module figures
prominently in my campaign, and the players used it here.

Punch up the opening music for _Jedi_ and...

                         STAR WARS:  DARK FALL
               Chapter 1--Stars Crossed At Ensakura, Part 3
                        Written by Joseph Medina


     Her earth-toned cloak flapping around her, Dorian led Telia,
Artoo, and Redbeard through the round, smoothly dug caverns of the
Rebel base.  The colorful pirate took long pulls from a mug of
spice beer he got from the celebrations throughout the base.  Telia
frowned at him, doing her best to walk far ahead of him.  Her
astrodroid blatted digital raspberries at him.  Dorian only smiled
at Redbeard's amusing efforts to sing songs originally meant for
non-human mouths.

     When they reached the base commander's door, they announced
themselves at the door intercom and went inside as soon as the door
slid open.  Inside, a Mon Calamari in dull grey fatigues sat at a
desk, rising as they entered.  Telia stood at attention and
remained at parade rest only after the Mon Calamari told her to be
at ease.  Dorian smiled at her pupil, the model of Alliance
military discipline in her pale pilot's fatigues.  Redbeard gave
the Mon Calamari's long flipper-shaped hand a hearty pumping.

     "Welcome to Rho Agnor and Black Box Base.  I am Base Commander
Ennor."

     "Field Commander Dorian Sailbourne reporting as ordered.  This
is Telia Vend, her astromech R2-D4, and Redbeard."

     Ennor rubbed his hand back to life.  "I'm afraid your stay
here will be more eventful than we planned.  No sooner than you
arrive, we send you off on a rescue mission.  Now that you're back,
I'll have to send you away again.

     "The name of our outpost here is something of a joke.  Our A-
Wing squadron is designated 'Blackguard Flight' or 'Black Flight'
for short.  Rambunctious, but good pilots.  Apparently one of them
is more 'rambunctious' than the rest.  Lieutenant Kyle TiCable, the
third pilot of Black Flight, has gone AWOL.  Took his A-Wing on an
unauthorized patrol flight and left the system.

     "I understand your people have experience in field operations,
and since you have a fast ship of your own--the _Alabak's Gold_, I
believe--I need you to find him and bring him back.  Field
Commander Sailbourne, you're in charge of the mission."

     "Black Three?"  Telia gasped.  "He got that TIE Bomber off my
tail a few hours ago!"

     "No idea where he went?" Dorian said.

     Ennor shrugged.  "I have a team working on it, but so far
we're stumped.  He didn't use any standard hyperspace vectors."

     "I think I'll talk tah the oth'r pilots," Redbeard said.

     Dorian nodded, thinking.  "I'll try his commanding officer. 
Telia, fuel up the ship and see if you and Artoo can figure out
where he's going."

     When Dorian and the others rose to leave, Ennor got out of his
chair, standing with his hands before him on the desk.  They
stopped and waited for Ennor to speak, but when he did, he sounded
unusually annoyed for a member of the generally even-tempered Mon
Calamari.

     "One...more thing, Commander Sailbourne.  I understand you
found a stowaway aboard the _Sunn-Childe._"

     "Yes, I think he calls himself an Ewok."

     "Well, whatever it is, it's begun to disrupt base operations
almost as much as this missing pilot.  Harmless incidents so far,
but disruptions nevertheless.  I want to maintain some order here,
so I want you to look after it from now on."

     "Sir?"

     "I'm led to believe that you have some kind of rapport with
it, so I'm leaving it in your care.  Besides, this 'Ewok' might be
useful.  According to reports coming in, it just might be
responsible for destroying the hangar bay of that Imperial
frigate."  Ennor watched the stunned expressions on their faces,
and tried to conceal a grin on his salmon-colored lips.  "That's
all for now.  Dismissed."

                                 *          *          *

     Hours later, Dorian and her three comrades collected their
data and the Ewok before they prepared the _Alabak's Gold_ for
launch.  Leaving the Ewok with Redbeard for a few minutes, Dorian
went to the sloping cone-shaped control room where Telia and her
astromech droid R2-D4 were completing pre-flight preparation. 
Artoo beeped a welcome at Dorian as she stepped through the
hatchway of the control room.

     "So, do you have any idea where we're going?" Dorian said.

     Keeping her eyes on the controls and indicators, Telia
grinned.  "Sure do, thanks to Artoo Dye-For over there.  We went
over all the recordings of the battle we could get."  She stopped
her work and sat in the pilot's seat, turning it around to face
Dorian.  "If Artoo's right, that A-Wing and that Imperial frigate
we fought earlier are going to the same star system.  The
Ensakura system."

     "That's an Imperial system, just a few parsecs away."

     "Yup.  I thought maybe Black Three was an Imperial spy,
but...why would he go out of his way to save my life?"

     Redbeard walked into the hatchway with the Ewok in tow.  "Ah
think she's got sumthin' there.  Ah looked at sum flight
recordings too.  Black Three tore through five klicks' worth o'
dogfights t' reach Telia.  Then he rammed that TIE Bomb'r on
purpose.  On top o' that, roasted his shields.  Those shield
generators still gotta be fixed.

     "And it ain't th' first time he did sumthin' like that to
pull another pilot's fat outta th' fire, either.  His record's
got commendations from CO's, a Medal of Valor from someplace, and
the damn Kalidor Crescent!  If he's a spy, ah'm uh Grand Moff. 
And the other pilots feel the same way."

     "So does his commanding officer.  He was even up for a
promotion before this happened," Dorian said.

     "Okay, so why did he take off like that?" Telia said.  "Why
now?  And why Ensakura?"

     Artoo whistled frantically as she activated a computer
screen on one of the control boards.

     "Artoo says Black Three scanned the Imperial frigate during
the fight.  Maybe he wanted to follow it."

     Dorian considered this, looking away for a moment.  "It
might explain a few things.  But not much."

     "Well, whatev'r we're doin', we'll need a cov'r story if
we're ridin' in this Mon Cal bucket to a planet run by the
Empire."

     Telia shrugged.  "You're a pirate, aren't you, Redbeard? 
Maybe we swiped it from the Mon Calamari or something."

     Redbeard gave her a toothy, beard-shifting grin and an
enthusiastic nod.  "Ha har!  Piracy it is!"

     The Ewok jumped up and down beside him.  "Me Fuzzballs! 
Want eats!"

     A stunned silence permeated the control room.  As Artoo
swivelled its head to examine the situation, Telia and Dorian
glared at Redbeard.  He looked at all of them, confused.  "What?"

     "Did you teach him that?!" Dorian said.

     "Me?!  Naw, I only just met 'im!"  A salacious smirk played
across Redbeard's face.  "Still...it kinda fits 'im."

     Telia sighed.  "The base personnel must've taught him."

     "Now we'd better find out his real name," Dorian said.  "And
fast!"

     "Let's just call him Fuzzball instead."

     Dorian wearily nodded her greying head.  "All right.  We've
got enough to worry about as it is.  Let's finish the pre-flights
and raise ship."

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