RE: FIC: Planet Of Darkness, Episode Four

["McKay, Ashley" <ashley.mckay@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Major Feedback.

I just read this today, and it was BRILLIANT!!!

More! MORE!! MOOOOORRREE!!!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx [SMTP:Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent:	Wednesday, January 10, 2001 6:15 PM
> To:	buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:	::BuffyWantsWillow:: FIC: Planet Of Darkness, Episode Four
> 
> Summary; 
> A Jedi Knight and a Correlian scoundrel discover their shared destiny on a
> planet suffused 
> with the Dark Side of the Force. 
> 
> Words in brackets [like this] are spoken in an alien language. 
> 
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
> 
> This story is dedicated to the memory of Sir Alec Guiness. 
> "He was a man, take him for all in all. 
> I will never look upon his kind again." 
> --William Shakespeare 
> "Hamlet" 
> 
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
> 
> Planet of Darkness 
> Written by Kirayoshi 
> 
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
> 
> Episode Four 
> "Technological Terror" 
> 
> "His name is Snydaa," Buf explained to the two Jedi, displaying an image
> of the corpulent slug 
> on her holo-comm. "He's the boss of all illegal activities in this area
> of Tatooine. The Hutts 
> control most of the planet, and Snydaa's as nasty as any of them." 
> 
> "Doesn't seem like much of a threat," Willa Sunrose commented as Gy'les
> nodded silently. 
> 
> "He is not without resources, Willa. He has an army of mercenaries at his
> beck and call, and 
> he pays them well." She smirked as she continued; "He's also a devout
> coward. He never 
> goes anywhere without an entourage around him. He doesn't have the stones
> to confront 
> anyone by himself." 
> 
> "And with the power and influence he seems to exert," Gy'les mused, "he
> could afford to 
> surround himself with plenty of hired guns." 
> 
> "Yes, the best muscle money can buy," Willa agreed. "Fortunately, Buf,
> you have an ace in 
> the hole." 
> 
> "Yeah?" Buf asked, "what's that?" 
> 
> "Us." Willa looked at Gy'les, who quietly gave his agreement. "I doubt
> that Snydaa has ever 
> faced a pair of Jedi Knights." 
> 
> "The two of you against an army of mercenaries," Buf pursed her lips,
> skeptical of their 
> chances. "I saw the two of you handle those Trandoshan slavers, but we're
> dealing with 
> much larger numbers, better armed and better trained." 
> 
> "We don't plan to engage them in battle, not if we don't have to," Gy'les
> announced. "If I 
> may look at the sensor views you made of the generator?" Buf punched up
> the 
> corresponding hologram, and the image of a large, forbidding gray fortress
> filled the viewport. 
> Buf manipulated the image at her control console, spinning the
> three-dimensional view 
> around. "There," Gy'les stopped Buf suddenly, pointing out a small spot
> in the south wall. 
> "Can you magnify this area?" he asked, pointing at a section of the image.
> 
> 
> "Certainly," Buf answered. She tapped her finger on the touch pad, and a
> specific section of 
> the image grid enlarged. Another tap on the pad, and the image clarified.
> "There," Gy'les 
> pointed to a small round hatch partially obscured by erosion and debris.
> "Some sort of 
> access port?" 
> 
> "Or ventilation shaft," Buf commented. "According to the readings, the
> hatch is 
> approximately one meter in diameter. The three of us would be able to
> fit--" 
> 
> Her musings were interrupted by a belligerent bellow from her Wookiee
> companion. "Sorry, 
> big guy, but I'm not taking you along." Ossborca growled, but Buf stood
> her ground. "I'm 
> not leaving you out, Oz, I need you and Xander to pilot the Slayer and the
> Vigilance. Once 
> we disable the gravity generators, we'll have a window of opportunity of
> only a minute or so, 
> and we'll need both ships ready to pick us up fast." Oz grunted,
> reluctantly accepting Buf's 
> logic. 
> 
> "So we have a plan," Gy'les accepted. "A quick three-person strike,
> locate the well controls, 
> and get out fast." Willa and Buf agreed and the three companions left to
> prepare for the raid. 
> 
> ======== 
> 
> Twilight on Tatooine was a dangerous time. The Tusken Raiders, commonly
> known as the 
> Sand People, prowled the dunes, preying on unsuspecting travelers,
> defending their territory 
> on the backs of their bantha mounts. And the heat of the planet's twin
> suns didn't fade 
> noticeably at night, nor did the sandstorms. Fortunately the skies were
> clear that night, and 
> the heat was negligible. And no bantha was as fast as a skilled
> speeder-bike rider. 
> 
> Willa and Gy'les each rode a separate bike, while Buf rode with Willa.
> The bike was able to 
> support two riders, and neither woman was too heavy, but it was still
> close quarters for 
> sitting. Buf was forced to hold Willa tightly around her waist, an
> experience that, strangely, 
> neither woman was opposed to. Willa found herself enjoying the closeness,
> the comfortable 
> weight of her passenger behind her. Buf also found pleasure in the warm
> body of Willa, and 
> found herself leaning closer to her as they sped past Beggar's Canyon. 
> 
> Willa sensed more than Buf's nearness as they journeyed to Snydaa's base.
> She sensed a 
> power within the feisty Correlian, her sensitivity to the Force. She knew
> intuitively that Buf 
> Somars could be a very powerful Jedi Knight, if she were so inclined.
> However, she 
> doubted that Master Yoda would permit Buf to train as a Jedi. Potential
> paduwans were 
> invariably chosen at a very early age, well before adolescence, as Willa
> herself was. A young 
> adult like Buf Somars would surely be considered too old to train. But
> still, Willa was 
> uncomfortable with the idea of a potentially powerful Force wielder being
> unschooled in even 
> the basics of the Force. She resolved to speak to Gy'les once they had
> succeeded in their 
> raid on the gravity generator. 
> 
> She surveyed her surroundings, and suddenly turned the throttle on her
> speeder bike, sending 
> it even faster. Buf noticed the acceleration and asked, "What's up,
> Willa? You in a hurry?" 
> 
> "Just to get out of this neighborhood," Willa answered, as Gy'les
> accelerated his bike to keep 
> up with the young Jedi. "Those tracks below us, Buf. Sand People. Very
> dangerous." 
> 
> Buf scanned the ground below them. "Looks like just one track to me," she
> commented. 
> 
> "Sand People ride single file," Willa explained, "in order to hide their
> numbers. And in these 
> canyons near Snydaa's base, they can ambush us easily." 
> 
> "Or be ambushed," Buf said. "That's where I ordered Oz and Xander to hide
> the Vigilance 
> and the Slayer. They're behind those rocks on hover mode. Those canyons
> make a great 
> sensor shadow, so Snydaa can't detect them. And I doubt that the Sand
> People would be 
> foolhardy enough to attack a fully armed Correlian cruiser." She triggered
> her comm-link, 
> saying, "Hey, Xander. You copy?" 
> 
> "I'm at the end of the canyon, Buf," the XNDR-12 droid answered. "The
> Wookiee has the 
> Slayer, I'm on the Vigilance, and we're in standby mode. Say the word and
> we can be at 
> Snydaa's digs in three clicks." 
> 
> "Great," Buf answered. "Have Oz watch out for raiding parties of Sand
> People, Xander. 
> Willa says they can be nasty customers." 
> 
> "So can Oz from what I've seen," Xander answered. Buf nodded in
> agreement, remembering 
> how he handled himself against those Trandoshan slavers in Mos Eisley. 
> 
> Buf disengaged the comm-link. She and the two Jedi would be flying in
> radio silence from 
> now until they disabled the gravity generators. They rode in silence
> until the dark and ugly 
> spires of Snydaa's base were visible. It was bigger and uglier than the
> holoscans indicated. 
> Squat slabs of ferro-concrete for walls, no windows or visible doors, all
> painted in a hideous 
> dark reddish-green with garish goldleaf trim. Big, ugly, and reeking of
> self-importance. Just 
> like its owner. 
> 
> Having maneuvered to the rear of the citadel, Buf and Willa ditched their
> speeder bike behind 
> a dune just outside of the base. Gy'les pulled up beside them, cutting
> power to his bike as 
> well. "Ladies," he intoned quietly, "we've arrived. We go in on foot,
> and draw as little 
> attention to ourselves as possible. If our return passage is blocked, we
> head for the roof, 
> where our ships will pick us up." 
> 
> "What about the speeder-bikes?" Buf asked. 
> 
> "Speeder-bikes are expendable," Willa answered simply. "Lives are not."
> Buf nodded 
> silently, accepting her wise counsel. 
> 
> Buf approached the access hatch, fishing a portable scanner out of her
> vest pocket. She ran 
> the scanner across the surface of the hatch for a few seconds, before
> whispering to the 
> others, "No evidence of any alarms or booby traps. It's clear." Willa
> moved to the opposite 
> side of the hatch, and fired her light saber. Using it like a cutting
> torch, she slowly cut around 
> the seam between the hatch and the wall, efficiently loosening the hatch.
> Within a minute, the 
> hatch dropped, revealing a narrow passageway. A vent, they had guessed. 
> 
> "I'll go first," Buf volunteered, but Gy'les shook his heavy head. "No,
> child, I can best defend 
> us forward." Before the others could argue, he crawled into the hatch,
> quickly making his 
> way down the passageway. Willa quietly followed Gy'les' lead, and Buf
> took the rear. 
> 
> It took a few minutes, but Gy'les was able to locate a grate that would
> allow them to leave 
> the cramped confines of the ventilation shaft. Breaking the hatch open,
> he crawled out, and 
> escorted the two women behind him into the open. Willa and Buf stretched
> their limbs with 
> relief, then examined their surroundings. A broad hallway, dark and ugly.
> Gray steel walls, 
> smeared with leaking oil, studded with pipes, cables and conduits. Buf
> sniffed the air, 
> recoiling at the whiff of rancid motor oil, mingled with the familiar
> stench of Hutts. "Yeah," 
> she whispered, "Snydaa's digs all right." 
> 
> "Okay," Gy'les turned to the others. "Willa, take Buf down that corridor,
> I'll go the other 
> direction, whoever locates the generator first, signal. Move quietly, and
> no unnecessary 
> action." The two women nodded; neither of them had any desire to draw
> attention to 
> themselves. 
> 
> The three split up, as Willa and Buf walked carefully down the hallway,
> keeping close to the 
> far wall. For a few minutes, their path was unobstructed, but neither of
> them had any idea 
> where in this labyrinth of steel and concrete to locate the generator.
> Suddenly, Buf stopped 
> short, pulling Willa back. She scanned ahead, her eyes tracking on a
> figure ten meters ahead. 
> His gangly frame, long canine-like ears and stretched face identified him
> as a Gungan. 
> Probably a hired flunky of Snydaa's, evidently guarding a door. Buf
> turned to her 
> companion, saying, "My guess is that any door with a guard is worth
> looking into." 
> 
> "Be careful, Buf," Willa answered. "We don't want every guard and
> mercenary in the base 
> on our tails." 
> 
> "Hey," Buf answered, giving Willa a lopsided smile. "I'm always careful."
> She started ahead, 
> walking casually toward the guard. 
> 
> The Gungan noticed the interloper, and hoisted his blaster rifle, aiming
> it toward his target. 
> Buf looked at the guard, gaging the angle that he held his rifle; he would
> probably miss her by 
> a wide arc. They do come smarter, she thought. Still, she didn't want to
> call attention to 
> herself. She stopped and regarded the Gungan with an amused expression. 
> 
> "Yousa stop right dere!" the Gungan squeaked. "No come no further." 
> 
> Buf looked around her, feigning ignorance. "You mean this isn't the way
> out? I must have 
> gotten turned around, I'm sorry, I--" She suddenly turned, kicking the
> rifle out of the 
> Gungan's hands. She grabbed the hapless guard by the neck, and held his
> head in a 
> hammerlock. "Not one word, friend. My friend and I need some
> information. First, who 
> are you?" As she whispered her commands to the captive guard, Willa
> emerged from the 
> shadows. 
> 
> The guard trembled in fear, and stammered, "Me-meesa Ri-Ri Finn." 
> 
> "Okay, Ri-Ri," Buf smiled at the odd-sounding name. "What are you doing
> here? Aren't you 
> a little far from Naboo?" 
> 
> "Meesa exiled from Naboo," the Gungan answered sadly. "Meesa embarras Big
> Boss Walsh 
> of Gunga. Meesa come to Tatooine to work for Snydaa." 
> 
> "Great," Buf glared at Ri-Ri. "He's desperate enough to hire anyone. Now
> then, Ri-Ri, we 
> want to know where Snydaa's been keeping his gravity generators." 
> 
> "Noo," Ri-Ri wailed softly. "Snydaa hurt meesa if meesa tell yousa." 
> 
> "And meesa hurt yousa if yousa don't," Buf whispered through clenched
> teeth, pointing the tip 
> of her blaster into Ri-Ri's back. 
> 
> Ri-Ri yelped slightly, and said quickly, "Level 4, Section 16!" 
> 
> Buf released the Gungan, happily saying, "See, Willa, I told you he could
> be cooperative." 
> She then rammed her fist along the back of Ri-Ri's neck, quickly knocking
> him unconscious. 
> "Can't have you tipping off the boss, Ri." 
> 
> "Not exactly a subtle form of persuasion," Willa mused. 
> 
> "Kindness doesn't feed the bantha," Buf answered. Tripping her comm-link,
> she told Gy'les 
> to meet them at Level 4, Section 16. Buf and Willa then ran to meet
> Gy'les. 
> 
> They found their designated location fast enough. The huge bulkhead that
> housed the 
> generator room was more effectively guarded, by at least twelve security
> droids. Two 
> meters in height, they each sported heavy blasters within their arms, and
> boasted great 
> physical strength beneath their gleaming chrome exteriors. All much more
> effective deterrents 
> than the hapless Ri-Ri Finn. Shortly after they arrived, they were
> joined by Willa's mentor. 
> "Suggestions, Master Gy'les?" she asked the Mon Calamarian. 
> 
> "I fear that stealth is no longer an option," Gy'les announced, removing
> his lightsaber handle 
> from his belt. 
> 
> "You are right, Master," Willa agreed. "Time for the direct approach." 
> 
> "If that means it's time to bust heads," Buf smiled, unholstering her
> blaster, "then count me in." 
> 
> "On three, then," Gy'les announced. "One, two--THREE!" 
> 
> The three humans jumped from the corridor, their weapons charged and
> ready. Buf fired her 
> blaster efficiently, taking a droid down with her first shot. The two
> Jedi were also efficient, 
> taking down a guard droid with each sweep of a saber. 
> 
> A sudden clarion hacked through the atmosphere, causing Buf to tense up.
> "Let's wrap this 
> up soon, people, 'cause we're gonna have company!" 
> 
> The two Jedi stepped up their assault, and between their sabers and Buf's
> blaster, made short 
> work out of the remaining droids. Buf blasted through the lock controls
> of the hatch, and 
> managed to hot-wire the mechanism so that the doors slid open quickly,
> allowing the three 
> access to the gravity generators. 
> 
> The massive engine filled most of a space ten meters wide and ten meters
> tall. Buf, versed 
> with electronics(and not unfamiliar with contraband devices), started to
> look for the main 
> power couplings. "Why would Snydaa create this monstrosity?" Willa asked,
> noting how her 
> voice carried in the room. 
> 
> "It was part of his scam," Buf answered. "Draw ships into forced landings
> on Tatooine, and 
> offer to 'repair' the ships, gouging the owners out of everything they
> owned and extorting 
> them into working for him, at slave wages." 
> 
> "A repugnant arrangement," Gy'les declared. "And one which will not be
> tolerated a moment 
> longer. We're shutting down this technological terror now!" 
> 
> [I don't think so.] the hideous bass voice boomed across the chamber. Buf
> and Willa spun 
> on their heels, only to witness the author of this infernal scheme.
> Snydaa rested his massive 
> bulk on a heavily armed freight repulsor-lift, and Buf could hear the
> repulsors strain to carry 
> the Hutt aloft in the air. Snydaa stabbed at the lift's control pad with
> his stubby arm, and the 
> device hovered ungainly above Buf. [You think to end my reign over the
> businesses of 
> Tatooine, little Correlian?] 
> 
> [Something like that, Tubby.] 
> 
> The corpulent crime lord laughed mirthlessly. [The Sarlacc will feed on
> your entrails for a 
> thousand years, foolish ones.] 
> 
> [I don't think so,] Buf answered calmly, before firing her blaster with
> deadly accuracy at the 
> base of the repulsor-lift. The lift started to lose altitude, as Buf
> ducked out of the way. 
> Snydaa managed to control the attitude of his craft, but was clearly
> displeased at Buf's 
> attack. 
> 
> [You will live only long enough to regret your actions!] Snydaa shouted.
> Willa and Gy'les 
> didn't need to translate Huttese to hear the contempt in the Hutt's voice.
> The Hutt lowered 
> his lift rapidly toward Buf, but took no notice of the two others behind
> him. His fatal mistake. 
> 
> Of one accord, Gy'les and Willa charged Snydaa, their sabers flaring at
> maximum extension. 
> With one clean curving slice, they carved a large chunk out of the lift,
> including main attitude 
> control. The crippled lift suddenly lurched wildly, and Snydaa madly
> stabbed at the useless 
> control panel, desperately trying to regain control of his craft. It was
> all for naught; within 
> seconds, he was sent ricocheting against the pylons of the gravity
> generator, until the craft 
> finally crashed into the largest structure in the chamber. The craft
> exploded as it pierced the 
> exterior of the structure, causing Buf to gasp. 
> 
> "Bug out, people," she shouted, "Snydaa just collided with the main power
> supply! This 
> whole place is going to go nova real fast!" The two Jedi followed Buf's
> lead, and rushed out 
> of the generator chamber. 
> 
> Straight into a mob of guardian droids. Reinforcements for the ones that
> they had sliced 
> earlier. Buf started to fire her blaster in wide arcs at the advancing
> droids. No time for 
> subtlety, she managed to clear a path for them to pass, the two Jedi at
> either side of her, 
> guarding her flank as they rushed the droids. Buf pointed to the exit to
> the side, shouting, 
> "Stairwell!" They made their way toward the stairs, keeping the
> encroaching swarm of droids 
> barely at bay. Blaster fire grazed Willa's robe, which only drove Buf to
> further action. "Take 
> her to the roof, Gy'les," Buf commanded, "I'll guard your rears! Move!" 
> 
> "No, Buf," Willa cried, "we're not leaving you!" 
> 
> "I'll be right behind you guys," Buf assured the redhead. "I'm not going
> to die on you now. 
> Get out of here!" 
> 
> Gy'les eyed the young woman thankfully. "We'll wait for you, Buf." The
> two Jedi moved up 
> the stairs, while Buf continued to fire at the army of droids. "Come on,
> you sons of a used 
> hydraulic system! Take your best shot!" 
> 
> The army of droids slowly encroached on Buf, as she inched her way up the
> stairs. Gy'les 
> and Willa had managed to cut a hole in the locked door with their sabers,
> but Buf didn't dare 
> turn her head on the advancing wave of opponents. 
> 
> A well-aimed blaster bolt winged Buf's arm, causing her to drop her
> blaster, as a white-hot 
> bolt of pain seared up her arm. Defenseless against the droid army, she
> scrambled up the 
> stairs to catch up with her companions. Her vision misting from fatigue
> and pain, she nearly 
> missed the large hairy arm that reached out to support her. Once she felt
> the arm, she 
> relaxed visibly. "Oz?" she asked, still disoriented by the pain. A
> friendly growl confirmed her 
> suspicions. She leaned on the Wookiee's side, as he walked her over to
> the Slayer, which 
> had landed on the roof seconds earlier. She could feel herself being
> lifted up in the 
> Wookiee's arms and carried onto the Slayer. 
> 
> "Thank the Force," Willa breathed as Buf was taken to her quarters aboard
> the Slayer. Oz 
> left to pilot the ship away from the doomed crimelord's base, and Willa
> began to remove 
> Buf's tattered garment. Willa began to treat Buf's blaster wound, while
> Buf glanced out of 
> her viewport. 
> 
> She was treated to the sight of a large orange cloud, tinged with ugly
> sooty black, emerging 
> rapidly from the base, as the base's walls imploded around the cloud.
> "Looks like we'll be 
> off this rock soon, Willa," Buf smiled, wincing at the remnants of pain
> that still lingered in her 
> arm. 
> 
> "Soon, Buf," Willa answered, "but first, let me finish treating your arm.
> The droids did a 
> number on your arm, but my healing techniques should relieve the pain, and
> promote your 
> natural healing." Indeed, as Willa dabbed Buf's wound with bacta salve,
> the pain ebbed 
> away, leaving a tingling sensation. 
> 
> "You do good work, Willa," Buf said, as she examined the bandage on her
> arm. "Thanks." 
> 
> "No problem," Willa smiled at Buf, and Buf could see the sadness in the
> young Jedi's eyes. 
> "It's the least I--we could do for you." She started to turn her head
> away from Buf, but Buf 
> turned her face back with a gentle finger. 
> 
> "Hey, Willa," Buf consoled her newfound friend, "I'm the one who owes you.
> Snydaa would 
> have made me, and any other traveler to Tatooine, his property. Extorting
> us with his slave-
> wage employment, forcing us to tithe him, stranding us on that hellhole.
> I owe you guys." 
> She stopped, and took in the sight of Willa's beautiful green eyes.
> "Could you guys use some 
> added help on Suun'dyl?" 
> 
> Willa looked up, her eyes a question. "You volunteering to help us?" 
> 
> "Well, volunteer's such a strong word," Buf grimaced. "But I can be
> reasonable, and I still 
> owe you guys for two lost speeder-bikes." 
> 
> "I am certain that the Jedi Council would be more than glad to reimburse
> you for your time 
> and effort," Willa said gladly. "And I'd be glad of your companionship." 
> 
> "I'd like that too," Buf answered. The two women just looked at each
> other for a few 
> seconds, simply happy to be together, happy for the chance to further the
> bond that the 
> Force had forged between them. 
> 
> ======== 
> 
> Darth Ang'lus threw his metal goblet hard at his protege, spilling vile
> red liquid over the floor. 
> "My intelligence tells me that Buf Somars and the two Jedi escaped from
> Tatooine, killing that 
> fat fool Snydaa! I am not happy to hear this!" 
> 
> "Be at ease, my lord," Darth Spyk answered, his feral eyes glowing in the
> inky darkness of 
> his master's throne room. "I have contacted someone who may bring your
> errant love back 
> to you." He clapped his hands, and a statuesque woman strode into the
> throne room. Her 
> dark hair was barely tamed by her barrette, and flew wildly around her
> face. Her eyes were 
> hard as stones, her mouth pursed and unsmiling, her whole attitude
> professional and deadly. 
> 
> "Darth Ang'lus, I understand?" the woman asked. 
> 
> "Approach me," the Sith lord commanded quietly. The guest walked toward
> the throne, 
> feigning supplication, but making it sure that she bowed to no one. 
> 
> "She is the most successful bounty hunter in this quadrant, my liege,"
> Spyk introduced her. 
> "She is also the most expensive." 
> 
> "You needn't impress me with her resume, Spyk," Ang'lus interrupted his
> student. "I know of 
> her." Standing up from his throne, he descended the dais and met her on
> the floor. "Your 
> reputation is widespread. Whether it's deserved, we shall see." 
> 
> "Whoever you need dead," she said coldly, "I can kill." 
> 
> "I need two Jedi dead," Ang'lus announced. 
> 
> She raised her eyebrows at the statement. "You have powerful enemies,
> Darth Ang'lus. And 
> expensive enemies." 
> 
> "I assure you that money is no object. The tricky part is that the two
> Jedi are in the company 
> of a Correlian woman. Her I want alive and unhurt." 
> 
> The woman knitted her brow in concentration. "I can do that," she
> answered. "We can 
> arrange a pay schedule as soon as I bring you the heads of the Jedi." 
> 
> Ang'lus and Spyk grinned ominously. "It is a pleasure doing business with
> you, Feyth Jade." 
> 
> ======== 
> 
> "Don't be too impressed with this technological terror you have created.
> The ability to 
> destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force." 
> --Darth Vader, "Star Wars, Episode 4; A New Hope" 
> 
>