[IC] Star Wars: Alt History

[TheUnknowable]

A ship seemed to compress its way into reality as the Tantive IV came out of hyperspace near the planet of Tatooine. Captain Antilles activated the comm unit, sending a message directly to the Princess's comm link. "Princess Leia, we have arrived at the planet, and there are no signs of the Star Destroyer that followed us. I'll have a shuttle prepared with a pilot and your escort. The Imp presence on this world is too high to not send an escort."

He inputed a few commands into a console, informing the shuttle to prepare for the Princess's journey to the planet. He also ordered two droids to go with her in case they were needed, an blue astromech and a gold protocol droid.

[BrokenWashing]

The Hulking Sand Crawler was still for the night. The morning's sales had been profitable and now that the cool air of night had fallen it was time for Chukizi and the other Jawas to begin scavenging for new wares in the dunes.

Something, a feeling, made his cloaked face look up to the skies. The faint dot of a ship leaving hyperspace glowed white and then burned out. Smugglers often used the planet to lay low from the law but Chukizi could sense it. This ship was somehow different.

[Sirkaithethird]

Abiel was just ending his encoded call with his commander as he felt the ship jump from hyperspace. Looking out his small window he could make out a sandy planet below. Tatooine, or so it seemed, why they were here Abiel had no idea.

Abiel threw his A280 checked that it was loaded and put it on his shoulder, he glanced down at his leg holster and made sure the knife was tight, then holdstered his pistol, walked out of the cramped quarters and into the main hallway. He posted up leaning just outside of the bridge. Waiting for orders or any information.

[Burning Kitty]

Leia a Princess of Alderaan, an Imperial Senator, and also a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. She was beginning to have a hard time keeping up with them. She would have gladly given up her Imperial Senate seat but it bought the rebellion certain access within the Empire and allowed her to carry out 'diplomatic' missions.

Her latest 'diplomatic' mission was only possible because the high cost paid by the rebellion at Scarif. She was on her way to the hangar when she bumped into R2-D2 and C-3PO. "I hear the captain ordered you to accompany me, good. I was going to do that myself. My father tells me you know General Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Clone Wars. What can you tell me about him?" She wanted to know why they needed an old man that retired 19 years ago and hasn't seen any real combat since then. She knew he was a Jedi but age surely still affected him just as much as everyone else. She seen athletes capable of amazing feats of athleticism incapable of basic movement solely because of old age. The droids tales of the Clone Wars while thrilling and exciting didn't really answer her unasked question. She would have to just see for herself.

They boarded the shuttle and launched for the planet. She had her trusty blaster hidden in her dress.

[Shadow Daedalus]

Zeros was meditating in his quarters when his comm link sounded. It was a habit he had picked up a year or two before he had joined the Alliance, and it help to calm himself when he was stressed or angry. The narrow escape over Scarif was enough to make him both, the sheathed Vibrosword in his lap was a decent indicator of this. He confirmed his orders and rose to his feet, his robes fluttering slightly from the movement. He clipped his blade onto his belt and began to hide the rest of his weapons in their respective places on his person: the vibroknives were hidden parallel on his lower back, his blaster at his hip, 3 throwing knives on each thigh and 2 more on either side of his chest beneath his robes. His armament secured, he left his quarters without a word and began to make his way towards the hangar where Leia's shuttle was waiting.

He reached the waiting craft in fairly short time, enough to board the craft and lean against the interior about half a minute or so before the aforementioned Princess arrived. He made no effort to speak to her, important figure or not, and simply went about his assigned task of keeping her safe. Once the shuttle was on the ground, the princess's orders took priority, but his underlying task remained to be ensuring her safety. He smirked at the thought. Miraluka were rare even in the core worlds, so the inhabitants of a back-water sandpit like this would assume he was just a blind human and he could use that to his advantage; after all, one of the best defences are the ones you don't expect.

[Apollosarcher]

Dropping out of Hyperspace, silver leader had just arrived from Naboo where he'd been told to hold until Scarif was confirmed a success. Sorus had arrived at the Tantive IV's location with no issue. "Come in Tantive IV, this is Sorus Faihe. If your receiving I'll be coming alongside shortly, I'll be escorting our diplomate down to the planet and then your vessel to its destination." The pilot spoke as moved to fly beside the Corvette, checking his systems.

"Should be fun a day..." The force sensitive pilot laughed and stopped transmitting as he waited for the princess's orders. He kept his S-foils locked and keeping a steady speed. "Buzz you ready to get sand in your wheels?" The droid whirred an answered and he laughed. "Yeah, I figured."

[Inkwell]

Sitting in a local cantina Zenobia was on a stool right by the bar so she could get easy refills. In fact she couldn’t remember how many she had today thinking to herself that it must be a good day then. Whenever Zenobia didn’t have a job this is what the former CIS officer would do to make herself feel better. She was about to have another when one of her informants came in which made her groan a bit wishing he had come earlier in the day. Whispering into her ear “there is a CR-90 in orbit and it’s sending down a shuttle”. After he had given Zenobia the information she slipped credit chips into his pocket always finding bribing someone from the spaceport worth it. It was especially good info as that kind of ship was expensive so maybe she could get some good pay. After getting paid he slipped her a note of where she should wait.

Waiting by the spaceport she took a seat on some cargo containers waiting for the shuttle to land. After which she would make sure that whoever they were they would hire her for a guide or bodyguard. Someone that could afford a ship like that she was certain would need it. Hell maybe she could finally make a dent in the money she needed to leave scum hole.

[Reflection]

Delays... Always the delays. One could argue that had these delays not happened the rebels would have been defeated in a matter of minutes. The delays though came from one particular source of agitation. The battle on Scarif... Less than half an hour ago, Lord Vader had stood there, watching as the rebel ship escaped with what he could only expect to be the Death Star plans. A moment later, due to the ineptitude of his crew, or worse, the ineptitude of the officers, a rebel ship had crashed full force into the side of the only vessel capable of pursuit. The repair took over an hour to the engine, not a significant time but far more than preferred when one was in hot pursuit of a rebel vessel. In the rest of the time, Vader had made work of the other rebels on the ship, passing time by torture, or through lightsaber. As another rebel, by this point having surrendered completely to the dark lord of the sith, fell to the floor in two halves, Vader had grown... Bored.

Bored is the right word for all this. In the years since his transformation, everything had become so tiresome. A pattern. Rebellions started, and soon they ended. But Vader all this time had nothing. No true goal in his life. There was nothing ahead of him but another rebellion to crush... "How... Tiresome." In truth, the only entertainment he had these days was the politics. The aspirations of imperial soldiers or generals. Like Director Krennic. A man with so many lofty goals that he'd choked to death on them. Shame to be honest. He fought enemies far more powerful, and when he should have bowed, he barked. Vader would have enjoyed seeing more of him, but some things... Just can't be fixed.

"Is the ship finally ready to begin pursuit?" Vader said, turning to one of the officers who stood besides him. The way he spoke made it clear anything other than a yes would be punished with death.
"Well, just a few more calculations. Over 98% of the repairs are done but we still have to calculate their jump route." The officer said, speaking even faster when he saw the dark lord's hand grip down onto his saber. "BUT, we suspect they took a route that would place them easily on the course of Tatooi-" The blade passed through his neck before even Vader realized what he had done. He turned, looking down to the body without even a hint of sorrow. "Troopers, dispose of the body. We shall make our way to Tatooine as soon as preparations are done."

Another day... Another rebellion.

[TheUnknowable]

@Sirkaithethird
Captain Antilles left the bridge, having decided to personally see the Princess's shuttle off, and saw a man standing there. "Abiel? I thought you would be in your quarters, since you were off duty. No matter. If you want to help out the Princess is about to head down to the planet to meet her contact. If you want you can join her. I trust her contact not to harm her, I met him during the Clone Wars, but I don't trust the Hutts, Tuskens, or half the people on this planet. I've seen moisture farmers mug people when they got desperate for money."

With that he motioned for Abiel to follow him and walked to the docking bay.

---

@Burning Kitty
"I understand that I interacted with him quite a bit," said 3PO, "but, unfortunately Captain Antilles order that I receive a memory wipe shortly after the war ended, likely because I had developed behavioral glitches. R2, however, worked with him during multiple missions." R2 whistled for a few seconds. "He says he was a great pilot and a wise General, and from what he could tell, well respected by both the politicians and his troops." He continued to speak until she shut him up or they made planet fall, whichever came first.

---

@Apollosarcher
"The Princess's shuttle will launch in a few minutes." the Tantive IV responded on an encrypted channel. "Stand by."

A few minutes later the shuttle left the hanger and made its way to Mos Eisly Spaceport, the nearest starport to Obi-wan's house. The ship's crew had loaded speeder bikes into the shuttle before they launched. It wasn't normal diplomatic protocol, but with no transport waiting to take them to Kenobi and no reliable high-end taxi service on this world, it was the best they could do. At least the bikes were clean and polished.

"Docking bay 93," traffic control, or what passed for it here, had told them when they asked for docking instructions. It wasn't a fancy 'port, judging by the junky-looking YT-1300 in the bay beside them, but it was large enough to land both ships if the X-wing pilot was good enough to pull off a vertical landing.

When they landed the pilot lowered the ramp only to find a blaster-carrying rodian standing there informing them that docking fees were 100 credits a day. That's another thing the port has going for it, thought the pilot, it's far cheaper that the nicer ones we've been to. Standard docking fees on Alderaan were around 200-300 per day, and on Corellia it could be as high as 500. Not that the Princess's ship had to pay on Alderaan, but the pilot had a private ship docked there too.

[Sirkaithethird]

Abiel followed the captain to the docking bay, he had not yet met the princess but when he walked into the bay, he shook her hand and introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you princess, I'm going to be your escort down on the planet. I've not been briefed on the situation yet. But I'll do you proud"
He then boarded the shuttle and waited.

[Shadow Daedalus]

Khyrr was on edge, finger lightly tapping the armrest of the pilot's seat as he overlooked the consoles and readouts in front of him. He had received a contract from the Alliance to make an emergency supply run to a Corvette somewhere over Tatooine, but that wasn't the problem. The reason that the pilot-for-hire was on edge was that the Corvette in question had narrowly clawed its way out of an Imperial hotspot and was stopped less than a parsec away from Geonosis, a known ex-Imperial system. He wasn't sure why they'd abandoned the system, probably due to it having no strategic or economic value, but he still had a bad feeling about it. For that reason, Khyrr had stopped his ship, the Fury-class Interceptor dubbed 'Revenant', in the nearby Andooweel system as he attempted to scope out the space around the desert planet before he got any closer.

Taking a deep breath, holding it for a second and then slowly exhaling, he turned his head to the occupant of the other pilot's seat.

"HK, Prepare for the hyperspace jump to Tatooine but be ready on the sensors the moment we enter the system. I really don't want a repeat of what happened over Ryloth."

The Assassin/Protocol Droid said nothing but nodded at the order, metallic fingers flying across the console until the stars in the view-port warped and stretched into burning lines before giving way to the smoky blue light of hyperspace. A few minutes passed until the ageing Interceptor suddenly shunted back into normal space. HK-51 was instantly working the sensor controls as Khyrr hovered above the Comms.

"Observation: Zero Imperial signatures detected on any frequency. We're in the clear, as far as I can deduce."

The human nodded to his robotic partner and quickly opened a comm channel to the idle Corvette, simultaneously transmitting the relevant IFF and authorisation codes. Double-checking that the channel was secure, he contacted the Alliance vessel.

"This is Alliance Interceptor/Transport 'Revenant' to the Tantive IV. I have emergency relief supplies courtesy of Command, including medical and maintence supplies. How copy?"

---

Zeros kept an eye on the occupants of the shuttle (metaphorically) throughout the flight, particularly Abiel, but didn't speak up to make his presence known. He wasn't sure if the rebel had ignored him deliberately or simply hadn't noticed him but it worked slightly in his favour. He wasn't sure why but he had a bad feeling about the rebel soldier, something instinctual that he couldn't shake, but he didn't want to make a move lest he seemed paranoid. After several minutes of subtly observing him, he ultimately pushed his concerns to the back of his mind to focus on his more immediate task.

As the shuttle touched down and the docking arrangements made, the Miraluka stepped from the shadows to help prepare the speeder bikes for travel, the shadow of his hood hiding his eye-wraps from the casual observer. It would look strange for a 'blind' man to be able to do so after all. Once the transport was ready, he turned to the VIP of the group and spoke up.

"We should get on the move as quickly as possible. The sooner we are finished here, the sooner we can distance ourselves from the Imperials."

[Burning Kitty]

Once the shuttle touched down Leia helped R2-D2 and C-3PO get in the back seat of the hover car then got in the driver's seat. That left room for one more beside her. She drove the hover car off the shuttle. Leia drove up to the dock worker demanding fees. She handed him the 100 credits. "There is another 100 in it for you if you can tell me where to find Obi-Wan Kenobi." The dock worker took the 200 credits. "You can find an Old Ben Kenobi roughly 130 some kilometers from the Lars homestead, the last moisture farm before the Dune Sea." He then pointed in the direction of the Lars homestead. Leia noticed a blue skinned female eying her. "C-3PO what species is that?" C-3PO informed her the woman was a Squamatan. "Keep the fact I am a Imperial Senator quite. You know the whole enslavement thing."

[BrokenWashing]

The little Jawa's mind went over the plan in his head. He did not know why, but he had to get to Mos Eisley. Being 200km away from the city was just a minor setback. Chukizi had always had a knack for persuasion. The Jawa maps in the Sand Crawler would tell him and the pack the locations of most high paying moisture farmers north of the dunes. The closest being one, "ObbyAn" as the Jawas called him. An old hermit, not a frequent customer but a rich one. There he would find a ride into town.

The scavenging quest had came to an end and once again the roaring engines of the Sand Crawler came alive. The sound of welding and electrical work could be heard from the cargo bay below as members of Chukizi's family worked tirelessly to make their wares look in working condition. The massive machine pulled off in a straight line North.

[Inkwell]

Looking over she saw a dock worker demanding the customary fee however she expected the Hutt’s would want to take their own fee. It was hard to hear what she was saying to the dock worker so Zenobia was able only able to hear was the dock worker saying something about Old Ben Kenobi. He was a hermit who Zenobia knew of. She wondered if he had any relation to Obi-Wan Kenobi who Zenobia had thought against during the Clone Wars. In any case it didn’t matter at all as all Zenobia had to do was get the woman to hire her and Zenobia was sure she could be of use helping the woman avoid the more dangerous parts of Tatooine. It was at this point the lady said something to her about her being an Imperial Senator and wanting to keep a low profile due to the Empire’s enslavement policy for aliens. Stepping closer so no one could overhear “don’t worry I and most others with brain know you Senators have little say in what happens. However you could probably use some extra protection anyway, also I can help you avoid most of the dangerous parts of Tatooine if your heading out to Old Ben. All I ask is maybe you give me a lift on your ship?”.

@Burning Kitty

[Burning Kitty]

"Never can be too careful." She exposed a scar on her arm. "Escaped slave or something. Between the crowd screaming, not speaking basic, and drowning in his own blood after being shot by a Stormtrooper it was kind of hard to understand the dying man. If you can get me to this Old Ben Kenobi, faster and all you want is a ride off the planet, your welcome to come along."

[TheUnknowable]

As the Princess Leia's motorcade neared Kenobi's house it noticed a @BrokenWashing jawa sand crawler pulling in from the opposite direction. An older man came out of the house, wiping his hands with a greasy cloth, and looked at both groups. He had dealt with the Jawas before so he knew that they would be willing to wait a few minutes. He wasn't sure about the woman in the speeder. "Hello there," he said, walking over to the speeder. "I wasn't expecting to entertain royalty. The Princess of Alderaan is always welcome, though. I assume Bail sent you?"

[Burning Kitty]

"My father is the only reason I am here on this backwater dustball. The people here have absolutely no interest in helping in Empire vs Rebellion fight. He sent me to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Everyone told me where I could find Old Ben Kenobi. I got the feeling from the dock worker that we spoke to you are not well liked. From what my father told me you haven't been active since the end of the Clone Wars. My father said you could help. What we hope to accomplish has never been done before, and will take a miracle the likes never seen before. So how are you supposed to help?" She was keeping her cards close to her vest with this new girl and the Jawas no telling who might report it to the Empire.

[Reflection]

@Shadow Daedalus@Burning Kitty@Inkwell@BrokenWashing

The force was a buzz. Kenobi had long felt the force at work around him, but it had been silent for so long as well. At times he would step out of his hut, and his eyes would drift to the sky. The twin suns of tatoonine could burn his eyes out, but so often, he wished he would just stare at them till his whole body burned away. In truth, he lived only for the sake of living... A fault of his own. He'd done so little when the empire took over, and now he was dealing with the consequence of that mistake. He should have done more. He should have made sure Vader was dead. He should have saved Padame. He should have... So many shoulds. Guess that's what they mean when they talk about hindsight. Somethings are just so obvious.

In the distance he saw a Sand Crawler. Well, at least he had the benefit of having somebody to talk to today. But... The force told him there was more. In the future he'd know for sure whether this was for the best or not, but he could see a collection of sand speeders heading his way. Even with his old eyes, he could see the collection of souls. Some in particular sparkled with the force, and others, where merely droids. There was a blind man amongst the group who seemed to attract the force, but alongside such dignified company as one of the strange lifeforms now stuck on Tatoonine. Then, there was Leia. She was the most important.

"Hello there!" He didn't move from his spot by the door of his hut for a moment or two. Before as the crafts slowed down he approached. "I assume Bail sent you. But... I was not expecting an army. Are you so afraid of an old man that you'd have to carry an entourage of mercenaries and rebels to my door?" Old Ben smiled, eyes drifting to each, and then pausing on the droid. "Oh, I see that one is an HK model, and... Well well, I feel like I'm seeing some ghosts." His eyes focused on C3P0 and R2-D2, and he moved on almost instantly. "Does the blind man need any help? I know it's rather rocky, and well, my house is small."

[Inkwell]

Zenobia was very pleased when she heard the senator was more than willing to give her a lift in exchange for her services. Turning around she motioned for the senator to follow her grabbing her speeder she parked round the corner. It took her a few times to get the old speeder to fire up but once she got it started she gave a big smile and thanked it for starting. Leading the senator to her destination Zenobia could feel the unbearable heat which was made worse because Zenobia’s minor intoxication.

As they approached their destination Zenobia noticed some old guy standing around who Zenobia assumed was old Ben. Getting off her bike she was shocked to see he just wasn’t related to Obi-Wan Kenobi but was in fact the Jedi himself in the flesh. Even if the flesh in question was old and wrinkled. This was the same man she had fought against during the Clone Wars. Walking up to the old Jedi, “You probably don’t know me but I was Captain Zenobia of the CIS. May I just say you were a genius and I’m sorry for the war went bad for both of us. Also don’t say I’m not old enough because I was in carbonite for a good while.” Zenobia was a bit sore about not looking her age and waking up to a whole new galaxy had been difficult.

[Shadow Daedalus]

Zeros had been quiet since the squamatan had arrived, silently watching as he decided to forgo the 'diplomat' persona. The disguise was only really to deflect attention for a few minutes at most, and if the blue-skinned female was going join them on this mission then he was unsure how long he could maintain it before he ran out of patience and/or she began to see through it. Wordlessly, he piloted one of the speeder-bikes alongside Leia's landspeeder, his attention split between Abiel and the squamatan when not on the path ahead, the latter of whom had yet to introduce herself. She had either forget to do so, decided it wasn't important or, more worryingly, she had something to hide.

He saw the hut long before the others had, 'watching' as the Force seemed to flow in and around it. He could vaguely made out the shape of a man as he stepped from the hut, and he could feel the Force within him even from such a distance. As the motorcade pulled to a stop and they dismounted, Zeros felt strangely... at ease. As if gently bathed in light amidst a darkened galaxy. His primary weapon hung freely at his side as he stood, waiting for the old man to speak. When he addressed Zeros, the Miraluka smirked a tiny amount, slightly amused that the man seemed to had mistaken him for a blind human as many had done before. He could feel the man's connection to the force, so it could only be assumed that he could as well.

"You needn't worry about me, I am capable enough."

With that, he gripped the sheath of his vibrosword to stop it bouncing around as he began to hop across the uneven ground with a grace belying his perceived inability to see, stopping to look back at the woman he was assigned to protect and her two droids, before turning his head a little more and watched the two other members of the group for a few more seconds. The Squamatan finally introduced herself as an officer of the now defunct Confederacy, not that he really cared too much, but more importantly provided a name, or at least half of one. Provided it meant nothing to him, but at least he had something to call her other than 'the blue skinned woman'.

"I am Zeros, I am part of the Princess's Protective detail."