Synopsis:
Collected for the first time, Star Wars: Tales from the
Empire includes stories that were originally published in Star
Wars Adventure Journal:
THEREFORE I AM: THE TALE OF IG-88
(1996) by Kevin J. Anderson
In a Halowan Laboratories lab, IG-88 comes online for the first
time, and the sentient programming he was given rushes through his
system like a brushfire, making him even more sentient than planned.
After killing all of the technicians when they try to shut him down,
IG-88 dubs himself IG-88A and loads his sentient program into the
three other IG-88 droids in the room, creating duplicates of himself
(IG-88B, IG-88C, and IG-88D). IG-72, an inferior model, is activated
but retains its programming. The five assassin droids, after
downloading all information in the lab’s computers, escape the
base, and the IG-88s go one direction while IG-72 goes another.
Imperial Supervisor Gurdun arrives at the lab and learns that the
most dangerous droids in the galaxy are now running loose. The
IG-88s head for the droid factory world Mechis III and load their
program onto the planet, effectively making the droids revolt and
murder the workers and administrator (Hekis Thul), before landing on
the world and taking it over, using fake transmissions to make it
appear that all is normal. From here IG-88 wishes to prepare an army
of droids with sentient programming buried inside them to be
activated at an appropriate time and take over the Empire. In order
to make sure that IG-88 remains visible and thus no one comes to
Mechis III looking for them, IG-88B is sent out into the galaxy to
perform as a bounty hunter (but also to use that cover to track 484
down anyone involved in the IG-88 creation project and murder them
so as not to have any loose ends). The first mission takes IG-88B to
Peridon’s Folly, where his secondary target is Bolton Kek. One
down, a very short list to go.
Darth Vader and Gurdun arrive on Mechis III to check on the progress
of probot production, unknowing that the facility is under the
control of IG-88. After being assured by a false hologram of Hekis
Thul, Vader leaves, satisfied. Shortly thereafter, IG-88 checks in
with his various droids in the Empire and learns of the existence of
the Executor. He begins scheming to make the Super Star Destroyer
his own.
As the probe droid on Hoth discovers the existence of the Rebel
base, it transmits its data to the Empire, but also to Mechis III,
where IG-88 takes it as a prime opportunity to see the Executor in
action.
IG-88B, after observing the Battle of Hoth but not interfering,
decides to lurk around until Darth Vader issues a call for bounty
hunters to chase Han Solo, which is only logical.
IG-88 B attends the bounty hunter “meeting” aboard the Executor
and then digs into the ship’s files, where he learns of the
construction of the Death Star II. He transmits details back to
Mechis III, where IG-88A and the other two confer, deciding that
they should make a duplicate computer core for the Death Star II
with IG-88’s sentience inside, which could then take over the
station at a later time. At the same time, Gurdun is assigned to go
with the real core to the battle station.
IG-88 learns that Boba Fett has located Han Solo, so IG-88B goes to
Cloud City. There, he wants to ambush Fett and take Solo, but Fett
destroys IG-88B instead. On Mechis III, IG-88A sends IG-88C and
IG-88D after Fett.
IG-88A’s fake Imperial ships destroy the convoy bearing the real
Death Star II computer core, along with Gurdun. The fake Imperial
ship and the duplicate core (with IG-88’s sentience in it) is
shipped the rest of the way to the Death Star II.
IG-88 happily witnesses the Battle of Endor from inside the Death
Star II’s computer core. He decides that it is no longer time to
wait for sending the order to begin his droid revolution, unknowing
that the station (and IG-88’s sentience) is to be destroyed by the
Rebels before the order can be sent.
This story occurs approximately 2 years after the Battle of Yavin.
Synopsis taken from Nathan
Butler's Star Wars Timeline Gold, http://www.starwarz.com/timeline.
PAYBACK: THE TALE OF DENGAR (1996)
by Dave Wolverton
On Aruza, Dengar carries out a hit on COMPNOR’s General Sinick
Kritkeen, whom he has been paid to kill by the locals Kritkeen has
been subjugating and turning over to Imperial Redesign. One local,
Abano, pleads for the life of his daughter, Manaroo, and Kritkeen
orders her brought to him. Before she can arrive, Dengar kills
Kritkeen. Manaroo arrives and he agrees to take her off of the
planet. He drops her off on a backwater planet before continuing on
to Toola, where he makes a contact and joins the Rebellion. He knows
that this could lead him to the object of his hatred, Han Solo,
which is why he’s been killing COMPNOR officers—to prove his
anti-Imperial sentiment so the Rebels would take him in. He receives
nav-coordinates to Hoth.
Dengar arrives at Hoth to join the Rebels just as the Battle of Hoth
rages. He sits out the battle and is taken aboard a Star Destroyer,
where he is presumed to be a Rebel and subjected to interrogation.
Dengar is visited in his cell by Darth Vader, who makes him a deal—he
will hunt Han Solo for Vader, and Vader might let him live. At the
moment, Solo and the Millennium Falcon are in the Hoth asteroid
belt, but Vader isn’t confident in his imminent capture. Taking a
lead from his “hiring” of Dengar, Vader decides to call other
bounty hunters to join in the search.
Dengar attends the bounty hunter “meeting” aboard the Executor
and promptly leaves to chase Han Solo, though before he can go after
Solo, Boba Fett disables his ship.
Dengar finally makes it to Cloud City to find Boba Fett and Han
Solo, but instead of tracking Fett, he runs into Manaroo dancing in
a bar. They take time out to talk, and she tells him she wishes to
bond with him through the Attanni procedure/device used by her
culture. As they continue to talk, Lando Calrissian warns the
populace to evacuate before more Imperials arrive. They escape and
intend to chase down Fett and Solo, who are on their way to Tatooine.
Dengar and Manaroo finally perform the Attanni, cementing love
between them. Dengar realizes how important it is to save Manaroo’s
people from COMPNOR, so he uses his Rebel contacts to free them, as
he should have two years before.
Dengar and Manaroo arrive on Tatooine. Dengar leaves Manaroo in Mos
Eisley when he goes to Jabba’s Palace, but she is captured and
taken there to be a dancer. Dengar learns this and, through the
Attanni, knows he loves her and cannot leave her. He decides that
Jabba must die. He begins helping Tessek with bomb parts, which he
will get to him through Barada.
Dengar is afraid of being caught when he sees Tessek begging for
mercy at Jabba’s feet. Dengar’s part in the bomb plot is known,
but instead of ordering Dengar’s death overtly, Jabba has Boba
Fett take him to the “Teeth of Tatooine.”
After being saved from the “Teeth of Tatooine” by Tusken
Raiders, Dengar walks blindly through a sandstorm before being found
by Manaroo, who has escaped in a skiff. They decide to head to the
Sarlacc to see if they can salvage anything from the wreckage. There
they find the Sarlacc dead and Boba Fett, without his armor and
badly burned, in need of help. They save him and decide to partner
up, at least sometimes. Fett also agrees to be best man at Dengar’s
wedding to Manaroo.
This story occurs approximately 3 years after the Battle of Yavin.
Synopsis taken from Nathan
Butler's Star Wars Timeline Gold, http://www.starwarz.com/timeline.
THE PRIZE PELT: THE TALE OF BOSSK
(1996) by Kathy Tyers
On the Executor, Bossk is introduced to the Wookiee bounty hunter
Chenlambec and his human apprentice Tinian I’att. The two promise
the Trandoshan inside information on where Han and Chewbacca are
heading for the Lomabu system. Problem is, they do not know exactly
where that is. After some haggling, Bossk agrees to try it and bring
them along. What he does not know is Chenlambec is on a mission for
Kashyyyk - not only to help Chewbacca escape, but humiliate and
shame this infamous Wookiee - killer. They take off in Bossk’s
brand new ship, the Hound’s Tooth, and the two hunters having
brought aboard some huge crates. They try hacking into the Hound’s
Tooth computer with the help of a mini-droid named Flirt - only they
are on a mattress rigged with hidden syringes of sedatives. Bossk
takes the opportunity to drain their weapons, then sets course for
their first stop - a Wookiee outpost in the Aida system.
Three and a half days later, they wake up as the ship arrives at the
outpost. Chenlambec learns from a transmission that Wookiees are
being held prisoner at Lomabu (the coordinates are provided) as a
trap for the Rebels. The Hound’s Tooth heads there. With Flirt’s
help, Tinian makes her way into the cargo bay for some recon work.
After Chen does his own spy work, it’s decided to pit Bossk
against Imperial Governor Io Desnand of Lomabu. They arrive, where
Bossk picks up what appears to be the Millennium Falcon. Tinian and
Chen are sent out on the scout ship Nashtah Pup to find Solo’s
likely avenues of escape. Once launched, Tinian contacts Desnand and
warns her that Bossk is coming to scalp the prisoners. Chen calls
the prisoners themselves, then lands the Pup and races to the prison
camp, helping to stage a firefight. They return to the Hound bearing
two freshly dead Wookiee corpses. Bossk cheerfully skins the
corpses, then plans to attack the prison and doublecross his “partners.”
He tricks them into flying the Pup, rigged with gas that will
cripple them and a weapon that will torch the whole place. They
barely discover the deception in time and fires the weapon at the
sun. The Wookiee slaves revolt at the camp, Flirt manages to take
control of the Tooth, and the two hunters return to find Bossk
locked up in his own meat locker. They proudly deliver Bossk to
Desnand. They then take the Tooth, carrying the freed Wookiees to
Aida while Bossk finds himself a short distance away from being
skinned himself.
This story occurs approximately 2 years after the Battle of Yavin.
Synopsis taken from Christopher
G. McElroy's Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales.
OF POSSIBLE FUTURES: THE TALE OF ZUCKUSS
AND 4-LOM (1996) by M. Shayne Bell
Toryn Farr is the last Rebel to escape Echo Base, flying out on the
Gallofree transport Bright Hope with hundreds of wounded (including
her sister Samoc). At which point Zuckuss and 4-LOM arrive with
their ship Mist Hunter at the battle, having been hired by Vader
(they need the money to get Zuckuss cloned lungs). The two bounty
hunters chase the Bright Hope and disable it, then joins the
rendezvous outside the asteroid belt. Zuckuss guesses the Rebels
will be heading outside of the galaxy, while his droid 4-LOM decides
to try using intuition itself. They want to infiltrate the Rebellion
- and the best way to do that, they decide, would be to get the
Bright Hope’s survivors to them. On that ruined ship, Toryn
struggles with which 18 of the 108 survivors will try to reach Hoth
via escape pod. The pods make it, and Farr waits aboard for the
inevitable Imperial attack. The Mist Hunter gets there first.
Zuckuss will only take 26 Rebels, the ones with the highest price on
their heads; Farr wants to take them all. Furious, 4-LOM takes Farr
and a few Rebels hostage. However, Zuckuss talks their way out of
trouble and picks up 90 to take to Darlyn Boda. In return for their
help, 2-1B offers Zuckuss a chance to regenerate his lungs, healing
his old injury. After stopping at Darlyn Boda (where 4-LOM buys a
jewel that could help heal Zuckuss), they make their way to the
Rebel rendezvous at the galactic rim. 4-LOM decides, to stop the
Empire coming after them, to take Luke and Leia prisoner. Zuckuss,
to his surprise, refuses to go along. They later attend Toryn Farr’s
promotion to commander. Over the next few days, the Mist Hunter is
refitted, as the two bounty hunters become full-time Rebels. Zuckuss
is now fully healed, and 4-LOM does seem to be getting better at
intuition.
This story occurs approximately 2 years
after the Battle of Yavin.
Synopsis taken from Christopher
G. McElroy's Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales.
THE LAST ONE STANDING: THE TALE OF BOBA
FETT (1996) by Daniel Keys Moran
Old age and old injuries are finally starting to catch up with Boba
Fett - as boredom and an uncertain future are catching up to Han
Solo. While the latter leaves Coruscant to joyride in the Millennium
Falcon, Fett accepts a bounty on the infamous “Butcher of
Montellian Serat” - Labria the Devaronian. He drags him in the
Slave IV, where the old criminal offers him something very valuable
to let him go - old music that was banned by the Empire. Fett
refuses, but Labria begs him to at least sell the music to a certain
person after he is gone. Fett delivers Labria to Devaron for the
unheard - of reward of 5 million credits - just enough to get Fett a
new leg, and to afford cancer treatment. As he mulls over this, he
receives a message: Han Solo is on Jubilar. It is time to finally
settle an old score, once and for all.
On the way, Fett listens to Labria’s precious music, and finds
himself unusually touched by it. He arrives on Jubilar, and goes on
the hunt for Solo. The hunt ends with Han and Fett in a faceoff,
both sticking a blaster in the other’s face. Only two things will
happen - they either both walk away, or they both die. They can not
trust each other to drop their guns.... but strangely, they find
they do not hate each other anymore, either. They finally give it
up, each going back to their own lives.
This story occurs approximately 2 years
after the Battle of Yavin.
Synopsis taken from Christopher
G. McElroy's Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales. |