The Monongahela Falcon rested in a docking bay on the Dismal Star. Victor, Scott, Foleybacca, Gertie-Wan, and the two droids had snuck out, undetected, and were now in a computer room, trying to find out how to shut off the tractor beam holding the Falcon in the station.
JF-RE plugged into the central computer, and located where the tractor beam controls were.
"Don’t mind me, I’ll just take care of it myself, you boys just sit back and relax," Gertie-Wan said, rather resignedly.
Victor started to follow her, saying, "I wish to accompany you, Gertie-Wan."
Gertie-Wan shook her head, replying, "No, Victor. Let me handle the button pressing and switch flipping. Your destiny lies upon a different path from mine."
Victor nodded, glumly, as Gertie-Wan snuck away, heading for the tractor beam controls.
JF-RE, meanwhile, had discovered something else.
"Hmph!" Hil-RE remarked ruefully. "Trust you to find the one woman on this entire station!"
Victor swung his head around quickly. "What was that?"
Hil-RE shrugged and answered, "He says he’s found the Princess."
Scott’s ears perked up. "Princess, eh?" He started to grin, just a little bit.
Victor nodded. "Yes, a beautiful woman, who hid secret plans in this robot, JF-RE here. She’s captured, you mean, JF-RE?"
JF-RE beeped anxiously.
"We’ve got to rescue Princess Bettia," Victor stated, matter-of-factly.
"That’s gonna be tricky," Scott replied. He paused, and then said, "And I’ve got a brilliant idea that just might work!"
***
A short time later, after telling the two robots to meet them at the Falcon in a little while, Scott and Victor, having stolen some Trooper outfits, led Foleybacca to the prison level, pretending to be taking Foleybacca there as a prisoner transfer. As they entered the prison area, they opened fire with their blasters, taking out the Troopers on duty.
"Let’s find out where this Princess is being held," Scott said as he checked the prison computer. "Here it is, 9366. You go and get her, I’ll think of something to hold ‘em off here."
Victor nodded, and headed for the prison cells. He approached cell #9366 cautiously, and opened it. Inside, Princess Bettia was seated on a small chair. She looked up and saw a Trooper in the doorway. Thinking it was time for more interrogation, she stood up. "OK, let’s get this over with."
Victor stopped, confused. "Pardon? Oh, you think I’m a Trooper, dressed up in this outfit. I’m afraid not. I’m Victor Skystock, and I am here to rescue you."
Bettia’s eyes widened. "You’re who?"
"I’m Victor Skystock, I’ve got your RE robots, I’m here with Gertie-Wan Kenobreece!" Victor explained quickly. "Let’s get going!"
They exited Bettia’s cell, and ran into Scott and Foleybacca, who urged them to keep running with them. "What’s up?" Victor asked, breathlessly.
"Ah, I seem to have had a bit of trouble convincing some people I wasn’t who I said I was," Scott said, rather sheepishly. "Come on!"
They ran off down the corridor...
***
Victor, Scott, Foleybacca, and Bettia met up with Hil-RE and JF-RE in the hangar across from the Monongahela Falcon. There was no sign of Gertie-Wan.
Scott looked around. "Looks like as good a time as any to make our escape."
Victor nodded. "Yes. I think Gertie-Wan’s had sufficient time to deactivate the tractor beam. Let’s get to the ship and wait for her there."
"I agree with you about the ‘getting to the ship’ part, but the ‘waiting’ part... That’s got me concerened," Scott said. "What do you think, Foley?"
Foleybacca paused, opened his mouth--
"Look!" Victor cried out.
Across the hangar they could see two figures. One was clearly Gertie-Wan. The other was dressed all in black. It could be only one person. Darth Pavla. The two figures circled each other, holding their Radio Knight microphones. Each tried to outdo the other in outrageous, over-the-top acting, but Gertie-Wan, in her old age, was no match for the spry, conniving Darth Pavla. Pavla moved in for the killing blow, as Gertie-Wan noticed Victor and the others running towards the Falcon. Gertie-Wan smiled faintly, and stood back, allowing Pavla to overact like there was no tomorrow. Helpless, Gertie-Wan crumpled to the floor. Pavla laughed, and rolled Gertie-Wan over, confirming that the old Knight was no more.
Victor was shocked. He started to say something, paused, started to say something else, paused. Then he heard an irritated woman’s voice say, "Run, for Pete’s sake, run!" He ran, boarding the Falcon after Scott and the others. The Falcon lifted off, and headed away.
***
The Monongahela Falcon had arrived at the secret Rebel base on Agitato IV. There, the secret documents hidden in JF-RE were accessed, and the Dismal Star’s weakness was discovered.
Victor decided he needed to join the cause, so he volunteered to fly a starfighter in the attack against the Dismal Star. Before he took off for his mission, he ran into Scott Solo.
"Hiya, Victor!" Scott said, grinning widely as he packed his cartons of money onto a trolley to take it to the Monongahela Falcon. "What’s up?"
"I must admit, I thought you were above all this ‘reward’ nonsense," Victor said, rather sadly.
"Hey, a guy’s gotta make a living," Scott replied. "Besides, if I don’t pay off Palermo the Hutt I’m a dead man."
Victor nodded, and said farewell to the rogue smuggler. Foleybacca waved goodbye.
***
Victor’s squad of fighters was the only one left after a fierce dogfight above the Dismal Star. Victor raced down the trench in his craft, towards the exhaust port that was the station’s weakness. A torpedo fired into the port would blow up the station completely.
Victor’s wingman, Mackie Antilles, covered Victor’s run for the port. "I’m doing the best I can, Victor," Mackie said. "But these guys are tough to beat!" Mackie dispatched all but one of the last squad of enemy fighters. The final enemy fighter shot a quick burst at Mackie, catching the wingman’s rear engines. "I’m sorry, Victor," he cried out, "I’m pretty badly damaged, I gotta get out of here."
"Get going, Mackie," Victor ordered. "Thank you for your service, you’ve been my secret weapon. It’s like there were a thousand of you flying around up here. Take care!"
Mackie’s ship zoomed off.
The last of the enemy fighters chased Victor, Darth Pavla leading the way in her own special ship. As Pavla was about to fire a killing shot at Victor, her ship was knocked off course. A loud yell could be heard over Victor’s communications circuit.
"Very exciting!" Cheered Scott, as he and Foleybacca flew the Monongahela Falcon after Pavla’s ship, chasing it away. The Falcon circled back as Pavla’s ship sped quickly away.
As he flew towards the port, he heard the woman’s voice again in his head. "One lucky shot is all you need, young man, and this’ll be over with!"
Victor paused, focused his mind, and launched his torpedoes. They shot down the exhaust port, heading for the center of the station. Victor veered away from the station, the Falcon closely behind.
The Dismal Star burst like a thousand suns exploding all at once, and Victor and Scott cheered their victory. Foleybacca started to say something--
"Great work, you two!" They heard over the communications circuit. They could hear the smile in Princess Bettia’s voice.
***
A short time later, at the Rebel headquarters on Agitato IV, a ceremony was underway. Filling a large throne room, the entire Rebel contingent on the planet lined the center walkway. At one end of the walkway, Princess Bettia stood, looking beautiful and regal. At the other end, Victor Skystock, Scott Solo, and Foleybacca started heading towards Bettia. When they reached the Princess, Bettia gave both Victor and Scott a golden ear-shape trophy as a symbol of the Rebel Alliance’s gratitude for their accomplishments.
Foleybacca looked at the two golden trophys, opened his mouth, paused, then thought better of it. He closed his mouth again, and applauded, along with everyone else in the throne room.
The Rebels had won... For now...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Betty Roberts looked up from the final page. "’For now’?" She said, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah," Scott Sherwood replied. "I got a couple a sequels in mind."
"Don’t tell me, the dashing scoundrel gets the girl, right?"
"Well, since you asked... Here’s what happens. Darth Pavla is desperate to find Victor Skystock and Scott Solo for what they did to her. She tracks them down and the heroes get separated. Gertie-Wan appears to Victor, telling him to find his old Radio Knight Master, Mr. Eldridge. Victor finds the wise old Master and begins his training. Scott and the Princess, meanwhile, are chased by Darth Pavla’s fleet. They eventually team up with an old buddy of Scott’s, Maple Calmarcheian, who first betrays them to Pavla, but turns out to be a good gal after all. Scott, however, gets frozen and sent to Palermo the Hutt. Victor has learned of Scott and Bettia in trouble, so he head to rescue them. Darth Pavla is waiting for him, however. They fight, and Victor, who hasn’t finished his training, loses the battle. He gets trapped under some debris, it’s unclear for a time whether he survives or not. Bettia and Maple rescue him, though, and get him to safety.
"Victor then takes it upon himself to rescue Scott Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster, Palermo the Hutt. They infiltrate the Hutt’s palace, unfreeze Scott, and unfortunately get captured. After a quick battle, our heroes escape. Victor heads back to see Mr. Eldridge, who tells him he must face Darth Pavla again. Then Mr. Eldridge takes a nap.
"The Empire has grown more powerful. The evil Emperor Pruittine has ordered a new, larger Dismal Star to be built. The Rebels discover Pruittine will be on the Dismal Star overseeing its construction, with Darth Pavla at his side. The Rebels, under the leadership of Mon Redmond, send the fleet, commanded by Admiral Medwickbar, to attack the Dismal Star.
"Victor, Scott, Bettia, and the rest sneak down to the planet Acton to deactivate the shield protecting the Dismal Star. Victor gets himself captured so he can face Darth Pavla.
"Long story short--"
"It’s too late for that," Betty chuckled.
"--uh-huh, well, long story short, Victor defeats Pavla and Emperor Pruittine, Scott and Bettia take out the shield, Maple, flying the Monongahela Falcon, and Mackie Antilles in his own starfighter, destroy the Dismal Star. And they all live happily ever after."
Betty arched an eyebrow. "Oh, do they now?"
"Yep, Scott and Bettia get married, have a few kids, you know, the usual happy ending."
Betty handed the pages back to Scott. "Well, I’ll give you this much, you’ve got quite an imagination."
"Thanks, Betty!" Scott took the papers, stood up, and headed towards the door. "Well, it’s about time I get on the air. Got a show to do, you know."
Betty followed after Scott. "And don’t you dare attempt to put that Saturday-morning space show on our airwaves!"
Scott looked stricken. "I wouldn’t dream of it," he replied, aghast, a twinkle in his eye.
Then, as he headed towards the studio, he called over his shoulder, "I do have an idea for a prequel, perhaps..."
THE END
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