Tales From The Empire Read online

  TALES FROM THE EMPIRE

  By: Peter Schweighofer

  fiction star wars

  Synopsis:

  Culled from the pages of the Star Wars Adventure Journal one of the

  most popular Star Wars magazines in the field today, comes this

  exciting new short-story collection. Here are stories from such

  award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors as Timothy Zahn,

  Michael A, Stackpole, and Kathy Tyers as well as exciting newcomers,

  including Erin Endom, Laurie Burns, and Patricia A. Jackson. From the

  desperate flight of a civilian mail courier carrying vital Rebel

  intelligence through an Imperial blockade, to a suicidal commando raid

  on an impregnable Imperial prison, to a Corellian smuggler mysteriously

  hired by an actor turned Jedi Knight turned Imperial assassin for one

  final transformation, these tales capture all the high adventure,

  imaginative genius, and nonstop action that are the hallmarks of the

  Star Wars saga.

  What's more, the centerpiece of this magnificent collection is the

  short novel Side Trip, the first-ever collaboration between Timothy

  Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole, in which a freighter smuggling arms for

  the Rebels is commandeered by an Imperial Star Destroyer led by a

  mysterious helmeted figure who claims to be the notorious bounty hunter

  Jodo Kast. It is all part of a devious plan that includes Hal and

  Corran Horn, who are working undercover to nail the infamous Ceilian

  warlord Zekka Thyne. But one slipup can get them all killed.

  BANTAM

  New York Toronto London Sydney Auckland

  For Mom, Dad, and David, who caught me when I stumbled, encouraged me

  when I struggled, and smiled when I succeeded.

  Contents

  Introduction: A Galaxy Filled with Stories Peter Schweighofer

  First Contact

  Timothy Zahn

  Tinian on Trial

  Kathy Tyers

  The Final Exit

  Patricia A. Jackson

  Missed Chance

  Michael A. Stackpole

  Retreat from Coruscant

  Laurie Burns

  A Certain Point of View

  Charlene Newcomb Blaze of Glory

  Tony Russo

  Slaying Dragons

  Angela Phillips

  Do No Harm

  Erin Endom

  Side Trip Part One

  Timothy Zahn

  Side Trip Part Two

  Michael A. Stackpole

  Side Trip Part Three

  Michael A. Stackpole

  Side Trip Part Four

  Timothy Zahn

  About the Authors

  INTRODUCTION

  A Galaxy Filled with Stories by Peter Schweighofer Behind every book

  there is a story--one contained not in the words on the pages but in

  the events that occurred as an imaginative spark grew to become a pub

  lished work of fiction.

  The cast of characters include writers, editors, original ideas, and a

  lot of work. This anthology is no exception, but the real story has

  much deeper origins.

  Not so long ago, a blockbuster film brought a new generation back to

  the silver screen. George Lucas combined

  cutting-edge special effects with exciting characters and themes, capturing the collective mythic

  consciousness of movie-goers. Once again viewers were treated to the

  Saturday-matinee experience: swashbuckling chapters, edge-of-your-seat

  cliffhangers, spaceship dogfights, the forces of good battling the

  minions of evil. The film was Star Wars: A New Hope, and nobody had

  seen anything quite like it before.

  In homes across America, the Star Wars universe became real.

  Children of every age returned from movie theaters with dreams of

  becoming Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, or Princess Leia. They bought

  action figures that allowed them to invent their own stories,

  continuing the war against the evil Empire. Kids dreamed of what they

  would find in Mos Eisley and wondered what the spice mines of Kessel

  were like, or what creatures lurked in the Massassi temples on Yavin

  4.

  They pretended to be brave Rebel pilots flying X-wing starfighters or

  dashing smugglers blasting through Imperial blockades in the Millennium

  Falcon.

  The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi continued to fuel

  America's imagination. Novels and comic books explored events that

  occurred before and between the films.

  In their imaginations, kids turned their basements into the Death Star,

  where they battled with lightsabers like Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader.

  They built fortresses in the snow and refought the Battle of Hoth with

  snowballs.

  Children romped through the park with toy blasters, pretending they

  were fighting scout troopers on Endor.

  Nobody was sure whether Star Wars was just another fad or something

  truly original. Despite their popularity, the films drifted off into

  the haze of American society's collective memory in the mid to late

  1980s. The Kenner action figures of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader

  were stored away in closets, basements, and attics. Sound tracks,

  scratched from numerous hours of play, were packed away with other old

  records. Novelizations were shelved with other science-fiction

  paperbacks and forgotten.

  Other pursuits soon took the place of playing with action figures,

  reading comic books, and visiting the imaginary Star Wars galaxy. Fans

  grew up, went off to college, and entered the "real world" of career

  and family. The kids inside them were still there, but they were

  hidden in the deep closets, basements, and attics of the spirit. Sure,

  fans were glued to their television sets when the Star Wars films were

  broadcast on cable or the networks; for the most part, though, the

  wonder and excitement that had been Star Wars passed into little more

  than a fond recollection.

  Then something amazing began.

  New Star Wars stories appeared.

  Timothy Zahn led the charge with Heir to the Empire. He enthralled

  fans in a tale packed with powerful villains, new worlds, mysterious

  aliens, massive starship battles, and, of course, everyone's favorite

  heroes from the movies.

  He brought back the magic that was Star Wars.

  Timothy Zahn's popular books were followed by Dark Horse Comics series

  and more novels. Suddenly Star Wars was again on everyone's lips.

  Fans stormed book and comic stores looking for the latest releases.

  There were rumors of new action figures. Star Wars trading cards

  returned with vivid original artwork. People realized there was even a

  role-playing game that would allow them to return to the days when they

  pretended to be Rebels battling stormtroopers and bounty hunters.

  This new vision of Star Wars attracted new fans and reawakened that old

  Star Wars spirit--that kid who played with the action figures and

  wanted to become a Jedi Knight reemerged. Suddenly all the memorabilia

 
was pulled out of storage, resurrecting the fond memories and dreams of

  a galaxy far, far away. Adults gazed longingly at the Magic Marker

  sketches of the Death Star battle they had drawn when they were

  children. They proudly displayed their collection of action figures.

  People reminisced about the first time they saw Star Wars and

  speculated about the fascinating territory a new trilogy would

  explore.

  For twenty years, the fans kept the dream alive in their

  hearts---without a new trilogy or numerous reruns of television

  episodes. Star Wars is larger than the movies, greater than the

  fans.

  Star Wars is proof that spirited individuals can make a difference

  against seemingly insurmountable odds.

  We are all part of this phenomenon.

  The example of West End Games illustrates the nature of the Star Wars

  phenomenon. During the lull in Star Wars interest, this small game

  company decided that the ultimate space fantasy offered the perfect

  subject for a role-playing game. At the time West End Games---then

  based in New York City--had produced a fair share of war games and

  role-playing games. The company had only tested the waters of licensed

  properties with Star Trek: The Adventure Game and a Ghostbusters

  role-playing game. West End contacted Lucasfilm Ltd. and a licensing

  agreement was arranged.

  Trying to create a successful game based on a ten-year-old film was a

  major risk. But the West End design team went to work, and soon

  produced a rule book and sourcebook packed with information on

  characters, star-ships, weapons, aliens, and droids. The Star Wars

  Role-playing Game was born.

  At first, West End produced several game products, which the Star Wars

  role-playing market gobbled UP' There were plenty of obstacles to

  overcome. Deadlines were missed and production schedules were

  lengthened by authors who delivered projects late and editors who were

  forced to rewrite manuscripts. Working with the Lucasfilm approvals

  staff, West End quickly learned what subjects were off-limits: for

  instance, the Old Republic, Clone Wars, and how the Emperor and Vader

  rose to power.

  Since then, West End has helped expand the Star Wars galaxy and

  maintain continuity through the release of more than seventy-five

  sourcebooks, adventures, and supplements, including twelve Galaxy

  Guides, fourteen Star Wars Adventure Journals, and ten sourcebooks

  based on best-selling novels and comics.

  The company's hard work and perseverance has paid off. Thanks to Star

  Wars, West End established itself as a leader in the role-playing-game

  industry, acquiring other popular media licenses; it has since produced

  role-playing games based on the Indiana Jones films, Tank Girl, Tales

  from the Crypt, and Men in Black. Today it continues to be the most

  successful licensing role-playing company in the world.

  But West End's work with Star Wars hasn't been confined to the

  role-playing-game field. The company has coordinated its efforts with

  Lucasfilm and other Star Wars licensees to guarantee the continuity and

  retain the spirit of Star Wars in its products. West End editors have

  offered assistance to authors, answering questions, providing game

  books for reference, and even reading over rough drafts of novels.

  Game sourcebooks have provided technical data used in creating toys and

  other products based on starships and vehicles. West End staffers

  helped guide the creation of Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card

  Game and Parker Brothers' Star Wars Monopoly. When the information

  contained in different products all fits together seamlessly, the Star

  Wars universe seems much more real.

  Several West End designers have even moved into the greater Star Wars

  publishing universe. Bill Slavicsek updated Raymond Velasco's Guide to

  the Star Wars Universe, incorporating many new additions that maintain

  continuity with Timothy Zahn's novels, the new comic books, and West

  End Games sourcebooks. Bill Smith wrote the Essential Guide to

  Vehicles and Vessels. Other West End editors have contributed articles

  to Topps's Star Wars Galaxy Magazine and other periodicals.

  Like the movie heroes,

  these dedicated fans rose from humble

  beginnings to help shape the Star Wars galaxy.

  Although the role-playing game might not be as popular or well-known as

  other Star Wars licensed products, a dedicated team of writers still

  works diligently to guide the role-playing adventures of fans as they

  explore the galaxy. · Some of you might be wondering exactly what a

  role-playing game is, and why Star Wars is so well suited to its

  purposes.

  Simply, a role-playing game is just a more sophisticated version of the

  children's game "Let's Pretend." Most fans remember when they used to

  create their own Star Wars adventures, using action figures, a few

  vehicles, and the living-room furniture. Role-playing games are based

  on those same creative and imaginative processes.

  Role-playing games involve interactive storytelling. A group of

  friends assumes the various roles of characters in the story, and their

  choices and actions affect the tale's outcome.

  One of these players, the "gamemaster," tells the others what their

  characters see and hear, and portrays any "supporting cast members" the

  heroes encounter. Sometimes maps, game pieces, props, and miniature

  vehicles are used, but most of the action takes place in the

  participants' imaginations. The outcomes of blaster fights, speeder

  chases, and other conflicts are decided by simple rules involving the

  rolling of dice: the better the player rolls, the more successfully his

  character completes a particular task. Whether a character succeeds or

  fails at these challenges can dramatically change the story's

  outcome.

  Since the participants are creating their own Star Wars stories, they

  don't play the actual characters from the films--instead, they create

  someone like them. Players might choose to be smugglers and Wookiees

  like Han Solo and Chewbacca. They can be starfighter pilots like Biggs

  or Dutch, or they can pretend to be aliens like Admiral Ackbar and Bib

  Fortuna. Since they're not using the

  movie characters, players may visit places and do things "offscreen." The Star Wars Roleplaying Game

  allows fans to explore fascinating areas only hinted at in the films:

  those other back alleys in Mos Eisley, the white corridors of Cloud

  City, the Forest Moon of Endor. It lets people create their own Star

  Wars adventures, complete with heroes and villains, planets, starships,

  and aliens.

  The aim of the Star Wars Adventure Journal is the same: to explore the

  offscreen characters, planets, conflicts, and stories that fill the

  Star Wars universe.

  When West End started publishing the Journal in 1994, the goal was to

  create a periodical to support the role-playing game with exciting new

  stories, game adventures, and Star Wars source material. Under the

  careful supervision of Lucy Wilson, Sue Rostoni, and Allan Kausch in

&n
bsp; Lucasfilm's licensing department, the Journal quickly grew into a forum

  for both established and up-and-coming authors to continue visiting the

  fascinating Star Wars universe.

  Before the Journal, Star Wars publishing was very exclusive.

  Only established authors were invited to contribute to a Bantam novel

  or anthology. Most had solid contacts in the publishing industry.

  Writers who had never published a science-fiction novel or two were not

  considered.

  Novels focused on the major heroes, though the anthologies developed

  some of the background characters from the films more fully.

  Everyone wanted stories about Luke, Han, and Leia, but the concept of

  basing a novel on new characters without the main Star Wars heroes in

  the spotlight was risky. Would readers buy it?

  Authors were permitted to introduce original characters to interact

  with the major heroes, but once their works were published, the events

  they narrated became a part of Star Wars continuity.

  Writers who created new characters had no other opportunities to

  develop them unless they were specifically assigned to write future

  novels. Some authors longed to return to play in the fascinating Star