VADER115                   Subject: As the Cantina Turns

Hello everyone, I'll take the time right now to tell you a little bit about this message board. In the

"As the Cantina Turns" series, this board will be dedicated to fans and others who will write

some short stories about a little soap opera in the Star Wars Universe. You can e-mail me at my

screenname if you'd like and I'll write back to you. So let us begin: A long time ago, in a galaxy

far, far away.....

 [ MIP]

  I'm a little confused. You want someone to start a story set in the Star Wars Universe in this

topic, and then have any posters who want to continue it? All right, I'll start it off:

 

                   "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far a young Twi'lek woman walked cautiously

down away, the streets of Mos Eisley. Every sound was new to her, every sight, foreign. She had

never before walked the surface of any world besides Ryloth...and she had never before felt so

alive! So many different races, so many different animals, and so many different machines! The

wind whipped down the street of sand, and with it soared her spirit. She was free!...

[Flynn Taggart]    As she rounded a corner lost in the new wonders around her she ran head long

into  a young imperial officer.

      "Oh I am terribly sorry sir" she said as she helped him pick up the items he had dropped

on the ground.

      With a slight accent he took his items back from her as she helped him pick them up off

the ground, "It is quit all right."

       As he started to head about his way she stopped him. "I do not suppose you could tell

me where the Roul'is' Inn is by chance?"

      He began to answer her question with a rather lengthy and descriptive set of directions.

Upon completing his directions he could see the utter lost look on her face  and looked down at

his chrono, "How about if I show you the way?

     " She gave him a large smile 'I am new here and would very much so appreciate it.'..."

Name: Jedi Turner                    Date: 10-04-1998 13:03

                  : ...the young Imperial Officer said "No need to thank me, Roul'is Inn is on my way to

the Imperial Garrison. By the way my name is Lt. Nelson Jackbur, from Corellia."

      "Nice to meet you, Lt. Jackbur from Corellia, I am Ro'lana from Ryloth."

      "It is nice to make your acquaintance Ms. 'Lana of Ryloth," said Lt. Jackbur. They

walked along the streets of  Tatooine in silence for a while until Lt. Jackbur said, "Aw, here we

are. This is the Roul'is' Inn. I hope to see you around Ms. Ro'lana."

     "Thank you for showing me to the Inn Lt. and I to hope to see you around," said Ro'lana

as she entered the inn.

Name: Dux                    Date: 10-04-1998 13:30

      Ro'lana was temporarily blinded as she passed from the brightness of the twin suns

outside to the dim interior of the Inn. When her eyesight finally returns she sees the usual mix of

scum and villainy associated with Mos Eisley all across the known universe. "What do you

want?" a gruffgravelly voice growled at her from behind....

  Name: Neelah                    Date: 10-04-1998 13:47

        Ro'lana turned around and swas the tallest man she had ever seen and gasped. "Oh I'm

sorry,you startled me," she exclaimed to the tall man. "I would like a room please. I am new

here."

                   Name: Neelah                    Date: 10-04-1998 13:48

         The man stepped out from the darkness. His face was pale and gloomy. The right side was

slightly droopier than the other. He barely even looked human.

  Name: Khabarakh                    Date: 10-04-1998 19:46

:    "Money first," he growled in a mechanical sounding voice.

      "How much?" Ro'lana asked.

      "150 creds per night. Tonight's fee right now"

     She payed it out and asked, "Which room?"

      "Pick an empty one. I don't care which one. They're all up the stairs, if you need help

finding your way around a room with only one exit other than the door." Laughter greeted this

statement. Ro'lana wents up the indicated steps and opened the first door. She gasped in horror.

The room was covered in dirt and dust and there was a constant sound like small animals. There

was no temperature control and a hole in the floor with a faucet near the ceiling was the

refresher. The room smelled like some form of ryll, a smell she was used to. The furniture was

broken, most likely from brawls. Blood stains were all over and blaster burns charred the walls.

But worst of all, there was a half-rotted body of some creature she was unfamiliar with.

                   Name: Khabarakh                    Date: 10-04-1998 19:59

Ro'lana walked out of the first room and checked the other rooms. They all looked as bad, if not

worse. She decided to take her chances with the first room when a creature she tentatively

recognized as a Gamorrean barged in. It snuffled, then squealed something in its native

language.It switched to some form of Basic and Ro'lana managed to make out the words, "I want

sleephere. You leave." Ro'lana left in a hurry and moveed onto the best room she'd seen so far

and collapsed  onto the bed, which immediately gave way. Insects scurryed out of the mattress

and the bed. Ro'lana pusheed as much dust from the floor into the hall and fell asleep despite her

surroundings. As she slept uneasily, she dreamed of the events that brought her to Tantooine.

                Name: JediCallista                    Date: 10-04-1998 23:28

  ..The sound of the piercing alarm sounded through Ro'lana's head as she ran toward the

cockpit, snapping commands at her crew. The crackle from the comm told her all

communications were still off. Cursing, she slid into the pilot's seat just as an even louder boom

 sounded through her ship, the Shadow of Ryloth. Just as she opened her mouth to give the

command to prepare  for hyperspace, the crackle of the comm unit cleared as an all-too-familiar

voice issued a cold greeting

                 Name: Flynn Taggart                    Date: 10-05-1998 01:11

                   ...abruptly she was brought back to the small smelly room with the echo of blaster

fire. More shots went off, she could tell by the sound that they were just down the hall from her

room, and fastly approaching. Her door burst open and a tall man stood there with long hair,

ragged pants, and a vest without a shirt underneath. Even from across the room she could smell

the spice on him.  Suddenly his spice glazed eyes saw her and with a brutish look on his face he

brought the blaster that was in his hand level with her head. With a whine of blaster fire she

shut her eyes tightly only to find the pain she thought was coming not to be there. She opened

her eyes to the long haired man lying face down on the floor with a blaster burn in his back and

another, just as scraggly man, digging through the long haired man's pockets. She saw him pull

out a few credit coins and what appeared to be a data card as more blaster shots were heard from

down the hall. The new man stood up and looked down the hall then abruptly turned toward her

and with a snarl he said "Yas didn't seez nathin'!" and started off down the hall....

                Name: MIP                    Date: 10-05-1998 02:23

 "...'That's it,' Ro'lana thought angrily, 'I can't stay here any longer...and there's no way I'm even

going to TRY and get my credits back!' She noticed a small window across the room, and

walked over to it. 'Perfect!'  In a matter of minutes, she had climbed out the window, leapt to the

nearby spherical rooftop of a one-story durocrete hut, and slid to the ground....landing directly on

top of a hapless passerby!..."

                   Name: Jedi Turner                    Date: 10-05-1998 02:32

: as Ro'lana helped up the hapless passerby she noticed that the person is actually Lt. Jackbur,

thenice young Imperial Officer that showed her to the inn earlier that afternoon. "Lt. Jackbur I

am sorry for landing on top of you like that. There was a shooting at the inn and I was trying to

get away. I didn't do the shooting but I was threatened not to say anything. I am on my way to

Mos Eisley Cantina to find transport off this big ball of dirt."

       "As a matter of fact Ms. Lana I, too, am on my way to the  cantina for the same reason. I

just resigned from Imperial Service. I am hoping to find and join the Rebellion." The two friends

head off to Mos Eisley Cantina and the future.

                   Name: Flynn Taggart                    Date: 10-05-1998 02:34

 : ...with a loud thud she knocked the man to the ground. Upon picking herself up and dusting off

she started to apologize "I am terribly sorry sir!"

        "that is quite all right, seems to be happing to me quit often lately." the  man she fell on said

as he started to stand up with his back towards her. as he dusted himself off he turned around

and she instantly recognized him

     "Lt. Jackbur I am deeply sorry!"

      "It is quit all right Lady Ro'lana" he said looking up at the hut she had come off of.

With a warm smile he turned back to her, "It seems you be having a wee bit of trouble getting

about." The sound of marching troops grew closer as they both turned to see a squad of

stormtroopers heading their way "Best we step out of the  way now" he said helping her up

against the side of the hut as the stormtroopers hustled by towards the Roul'is' Inn...

                   Name: MIP                    Date: 10-05-1998 02:38

        Subject: re. JT & Fly's previous parts

                  Message: Uh-oh!!!! Overlapping posts! And..LOL...they  both have the passerby as

Jackbur! (sp?) Well, they actually overlap quite nicely.....let's pretend BOTH

happened.....Jackbur resigned from the Imps & a squad of troops heads for the Inn......so,

whoever writes next, continue from there.....

[editor's note: Not quite sure what to do here.  Maybe, someday, some one will re-write this last

scene]

           Name: MIP                    Date: 10-05-1998 03:08

    ....."Ro'lana sighed as she followed Lt.,make that former Lt., Jackbur, to the Cantina. 'I

was told all the best pilots hang out in this Cantina,' she told Jackbur, 'I'm really tired & had

hoped to get some sleep before leaving, but I don't think I'll be able to find a decent place.'

Jackbur just nodded. 'Hmmm...he's sure not talkative,' Ro'lana thought to herself. Her thoughts

wandered back to the dream that had been so rudely interrupted by blaster fire. She smiled at the

memory of her ship, the Shadow of Ryloth. Then she laughed out loud. No one who didn't know

her would believe all the experiences she had had on that ship without ever truly being free,

without ever even setting foot on a world besides her own...This thought brought Bortes to her

mind...and made her shiver. She would never forget his cold, cruel voice...or the torture he had

put her through. It was HIS voice that had crackled over the Com system on that fateful day... "

 

  Name: Jedi Turner                    Date: 10-05-1998 03:29

.. As Ro'lana and Nelson Jackbur turned the corner  and left the allyway they were in, Jackbur

pointed out the cantina. "There it is."

     "What are your plans Ro'lana? Are you going to return to Ryloth or find somewhere else

to go?" asked Jackbur as they approached the Cantina.

     "Well I thought I would try and join the Rebellion myself"said Ro'lana.

      "I have an old friend that knows where we can find the rebels so when we get in here let

me do the talking," said Jackbur as they entered the Cantina.

     "Alright, Nelson you do the talking," Ro'lana said with a hint of indifference in her

voice.

     "Jackbur, over here you old scoundrel," called one of the Cantina's patrons. "Nelson

Jackbur, I never thought I would see the day when you weren't in an Imperial Uniform. And who

is this beautiful young woman with you?" asked the man that yelled out to Jackbur.

      "Ro'lana, may I introduce Captain Nilks Passfer, of the Cargo Freighter Corellian Star,"

said Nelson as he and Ro'lana joined Passfer at his table

     ."Ro'lana is my pleasure," said Captain Passfer.

     "Likewise Captain," said Ro'lana.

      "Nilks we need you to put us in contact with the Rebellion if it is possible," said Nelson

Jackbur as he cut right to the chase...

  Name: MIP                    Date: 10-05-1998 03:55

  "...Ro'lana couldn't help it. The sound of these men's voices was putting her to sleep. She

heard words as she struggled to stay awake: 'Rebellion','Empire', 'Ship', 'Crazy', 'Secret', 'Rodian',

Ro'lana'....Hey! That was her name! Ro'lana jerked up her head.

     'Hey, you falling asleep on us?' the gruff voice  of Nilks asked. She nodded sheepishly.

     'I'm sorry. I haven't slept in days.."

     Nilks nodded and continued talking.

     'What am I doing here?' Ro'lana silently wondered. 'What was I thinking?' Ro'lana sensed

someone come up behind her, and quickly looked back.

      'I HAVE ARRIVED!' boomed a loud voice...

                   Name: Wild Bill                    Date: 10-05-1998 04:52

: ...coming from a speaker attached to a thermodetonator. "so you thought that you could escape

 me! Foolish...

Name: Leia18                    Date: 10-05-1998 13:12

                   "Look out," she yelled, as she jumped away from the speaker, dragging the other two

with her, just as it exploded into a ball of flame. The heat caught her back as she was hurled into

oblivion...

                   Name: Flynn Taggart                    Date: 10-05-1998 13:41

: ...all at once she could feel the dizziness and pain in her head. she slowly opened her eyes to

find herself laying on a couch in a small well cleaned and organized apartment. Compounded by

the aching in her head and utter dismay of not remembering were she was or how she got there

she sat up with the intent of standing."OOO!" she moaned as she tried to stand and fell back

upon the couch. That is when she noticed a man walking towards her carrying a tray. Though she

could not yet see what was on the tray she could smell the aroma of something on it

     . "Ahh I see you are awake now." the man said setting the tray down on the small table in

front of the couch.  She could see on the tray now two glasses filled with some kind of liquid and

a bowl of what appeared to be some kind of soup, the source of the aroma. He picked up the

bowl and handed it to her "Here eat some of this, it will help."

       Some things were starting to slowly, but surely, come back to her. She recognized the

man as the Mr. Jackbur that she had met on the streets of Tatooine. Taking a few spoonfulls of

the soup she looked up at him "Where am I and how did I get here?"

       "We were in the cantina, do you remember that?"

     She shook her head "A little, but not much, and nothing after."

      "Anyway we were sitting their talking when you stood up and screamed and then slipped

and fell to the floor hitting your head on the way down." he said as she listened in between

spoons of soup. "As for the where" he said unfolding his arms to encompass the whole apartment

"that would be my humble dwelling."....

                   Name: Jedi Turner                    Date: 10-05-1998 18:11

... As Ro'lana finished the soup that Nelson gave her, She asked "When are we getting off this

 miserable dirt ball of a planet anyway?"

     "Well Nilks said that we could leave as soon as you regained consciousness. So as soon

as you are ready we will head over to docking bay 87 to meet him at his ship, and he will take us

to one of the Rebel Outpost that he makes supply runs to," said young Mr. Jackbur as he

accepted the outstretched bowl from Ro'lana.

     "I am ready. Lets get of this big ball of dirt," Ro'lana said as she got to her feet...

                   Name: Neelah                    Date: 10-05-1998 18:25

: ... and fell back off her feet

      "Well I guess you are weaker than we thought,"said Jackbur, "You must have been hit

harder. We may have some bacta on the ship though, it looks bad but the inside is a dream

           ."Whatever you say," said Ro'lana as Jackbur picked her  up and carried her as

though she weighed nothing...

                 Name: Khabarakh                    Date: 10-05-1998 19:39

: ...to a banged up ship in parking bay 51.Inside, as he had said, it was a lot better looking. He

carried her to a room that looked like a hospital room. The droid there took her and lowered her

into the tank of  bacta in the corner. Eventually Ro'lana fell asleep and  dreamed some more...

                   Name: Neelah                    Date: 10-05-1998 21:05

  This time she dreamed of pleasant thoughts; her childhood friends were there, her long

gone parents, even her pet Braka. She dreamed of her home planet and her old adventures of

childhood. Suddenly, she was abruptly awoken in a strange room. It took her a while to

remember where she was. The ship shook again. She slipped on the bathrobe placed next to her

and ran out to the hall. Jackbur ran towards her.

     "What's wrong?"she asked.

     " Uhh, well, you see, um we're under attack. But it's a mistake, we'll clear it up. Go back

to bed and shut yourself in your quarters." stuttered Jackbur.

      "But, I..."said Ro'lana.

     "No time for questions, GO!" ...

  Name: Flynn Taggart                    Date: 10-05-1998 21:32

: ...the ship shook again "would you PLEASE go!?"

      "Right" she said and returned to the room she had found herself in and locked the door.

Jackbur ran back to the quarters he had been assigned and pulled out from under the bed, a case

he had brought on board  . He pushed a sequence of numbers into the small keyboard that was

attached to the side of the case and it popped open. He pulled two different holsters from the

case, each containing a blaster. One he strapped around his waist and right thigh, the second one

was a smaller shoulder holster which he also proceeded to put on. He checked both blasters and

made sure they were charged and the safeties were off. Before closing the case and putting it

back under the bed, he withdrew a number of power packs and put them in their appropriate

spots on his belt. He pulled out a small comm unit from one of his pockets and keyed in the

ships frequency "Captain what is the current status?"

      "Mains are off line along with the hyperdrive and defensive systems. the pirates are

coming around to the stern-port docking hatch. ETA three minutes."

     He then left his quarters and ran down the halls of the ship as fast as his legs would carry

him. He arrived at the hatch just in time to see the outer lock cycling open and 3 pirates heading

towards the inner one. He did one more quick check of his blasters as he drew them and flicked

the setting from stun to kill. The inner hatch cycled open with a hydraulic hiss as the pirates

entered the ship.  Jackbur took the 2 pirates in front down before they even saw him. However,

the third pirate was saved by one of his companions hitting him as his lifeless body hit the deck

The third pirate got one shot off, it went wide hitting in of the wall light shattering it. As the

sparks from the light bounced off the deck in the dimmly lit corridor the pirate only had enough

time to make out a shadow of a man standing on the deck a mere 2 meters away before the

blaster bolt hit him square in the chest. With a loud clank the pirate's blaster fell to the deck and

bounced once to land just in front of Jackbur's boots...

Name: Jedi Turner

                   Staying to the shadows Jackbur retrieveed the blasters of the pirates that he killed

in self-defense. After retrieving the blasters,  he heard a comm link beep from one of the pirates'

pockets.

      "Bolix, give me a report have you got the Twi'lek female?"

     "I am sorry but your boarding party or should I say your kidnaping party has meet with

some resistance. I am afraid to say that  they are all dead," said Jackbur gloatingly over the

comm link channel.

      "I don't know who you are, but you are a dead man," said the pirate boss.

      "Well I tell you what, you just come on over and try to take Ro'lana, and I will personally

see to it that you have a burial at space," said Jackbur switching off the comm link and cycling

the outer and inner doors shut. ..

   Flynn Taggart                    Date: 10-06-1998 10:34

 ...Just before the doors being to cycle shut he could hear the foot steps echoing from the pirates'

ship. A  LOT of them, getting closer. He abruptly stopped the doors half way through there cycle

and ran over to were the three dead pirates lay sprawled out on the deck and feverishly searched

their bodies till he found what he was looking for, two small spheres approximately 12cm in

diameter. These thermodetonators were just what he was looking for, he was also fortunate that

they had variable timers on them. As he squeezed his way past the two half way closed doors

into the pirates' ship he set each thermodetonator for five minutes then tossed them down the

hallway of the pirate ship as hard and as far as he could. He abruptly spun on his heels and ran

back into  his ship keying the doors to finish cycling close as he pulled out his com link "Captain

prepare to close all emergency space doors and brace for possible impact." There was no

response on his comlink, it was quiet, too quiet "I got a bad feeling about this"...

    Khabarakh                    Date: 10-06-1998 22:00

        In the medical ward, Ro'lana was getting more and more frustrated. 'There's absolutely no

reason for me to stay in here,' she thought angrily, as she paced back and forth. 'I can use a

blaster or fly a ship just as well as either of them! I did plenty of runs on the Shadow of Ryloth!'

She unlocked the door, and was about to leave when the medical 'droid said, "What are you

doing?  You were told to stay in here!"

      "Shut up, droid. I don't care." She walked out and around several corners when she ran

into Jackbur. He looked nervous and he had one of two blasters out and pointed ahead. Ro'lana

could see that it was turned to 'kill'. She walked out of the shadows she had been standing in and

said, "Where are you going? Is the attack over?" Jackbur turned and tensed, then relaxed.

      "What are you doing here, Ro'lana? I told you to stay in the medical ward."

     "I'm helping. I can use a blaster and a can pilot. NOW will you tell me where you're

going?"

     "The captain isn't responding to his comlink. I'm investigating. You said you could use a

blaster?" Ro'lana nodded. "Here's one you can use, then." Jackbur pulled out his second blaster

and handed it to Ro'lana. They headed towards the cockpit...

                  Flynn Taggert                    Date: 10-07-1998 00:55

...As they made their way down the corridors of the ship towards the bridge Ro'lana thumbed the

blaster  Jackbur gave her over to stun. As they approached the door to the bridge Jackbur

motioned for her to slow down and get behind him. She did just that taking up a defensive

position without a word.

       "Durringer you get the logs downloaded yet!?" a tall muscular built bald man  snapped to

the other man hunched over one of the ships consoles.

      "Almost boss"

     "Well hurry it up would ya! Yers slower then gartho'ia slug worm fer crying out loud!" he

snorted back before moving to look out the main view  port. A third man stepped up to the view

port from the  communications panel as the 'boss' started issuing more orders.   "Roth, what is

the word from the search teams?"

      "Team 1 is reporting the contents of the cargo hold now, team 3 is..." before he could

finish, the whole ship rocked as an explosion was heard in the distance. Roth and the Boss both

lost their balance and toppled over onto the deck, only Durringer, who had remained holding the

side of the console he was at, refrained from being knocked over....

     : ....."WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE DARK LORDS WAS THAT!" the 'boss' yelled

pulling himself off the deck. Roth ran back over to the communications console and started

hitting buttons and switches.

      "Lost contact with team 3 and the Razors Edge! It also appears to be a hull breach in the

vicinity of the stern-port air lock, emergency bulkheads have automatically fell into place"

             "Contact the ship and have them send over another search team, heavily armed!"

               Jackbur peered around the corner onto the bridge of the ship. He could see the sheen

off a large bald man's head as he appeared to be giving  orders to another a skinny man hunched

over one of the ship's consoles. He could also see several bodies on the deck, he could see the

legs of one right at the base of the command chair.  He could only assume that it was the remains

of the captain. The smell of charred flesh and ozone could be smelled even from this distance.

Suddenly the ship shook violently and Ro'lana was knocked forward sending both of them to the

deck. Jackbur grunted softly as he was sandwiched between Ro'lana and the deck "Oof"

      "Sorry" she whispered in his ear. As she rolled off his back, he noticed a head roll across

the deck of the   bridge and out the door to come to rest near them. He could hear Ro'lana hold in

a silent shriek. He could also now see a new man talking to the bald one and rush off out of

view.  Pulling his blaster out from his side holster and one from his belt that he had acquired

from one of the pirates he rushed into the bridge and ducked behind a console, but not before

seeing the man, who had left his previous field of view, turn to look at him and begin to

unholster his blaster, he never got a chance both of Jackbur's blasters connected with the man's

chest as he took cover. The large bald man abruptly spun around drawing his blaster as he went,

only to see his companion hit the deck with a loud thud and the blur of someone ducking behind

one of the consoles near the back of the bridge. He abruptly fired two shots into the console and

turned to his other campion who was now behind his own console, drawing his side arm.

          "Durringer, how much ya get!!?"

           "Almost all boss, I got the access codes, now I can finish the rest over on the ship."

           "Good, on three head fer the doorway on my left and fer the forward air lock. I'll be right

behind ya, understand!?"

      "Ya boss."

              "ONE," he yelled firing two more shots into the console as the skinny man took off

knowing that count of three really meant the count of one. After firing a third shot into the

console both pirates were through the forward entrance to the bridge and on their way to the air

lock that their ship was docked at...

MIP                    Date: 10-07-1998 02:33

                   "...When Jackbur had entered the cockpit, Ro'lana had hidden herself outside the

doorjamb, prepared to listen and react...however, the next thing she knew, there was a loud burst

of blaster-fire, and, suddenly, two pirates (one skinny, one tall & bald) rushed past her,

apparently without noticing her. She immediately raised her blaster, fired, and sent the two men

falling face first to the floor, heavily stunned. She turned to the cockpit...and was met with the

sight of Jackbur, lying on the floor, blood pouring from a gaping wound.

      'No!'  Ro'lana hurried to his side and checked his pulse...she could still feel it. She stood

and thought for a moment.  .'They were talking about having access codes to this ship...We can't

stay here...I don't hear any others now, but there were more on the ship...What do they want?

Could it have been me? Am I STILL under his power?...I   have to do something...'   First,

Ro'lana checked to make sure the captain and others were dead...then she quickly crossed to the

medical unit, praying not to run into more pirates, and grabbed some things she thought she

would need. She hurried and stuffed these in a nearby escape pod, then returned to the cockpit,

heaved Jackbur's bleeding body over her shoulder, and raced back and into the escape pod,

quickly detaching from the Corellian  Star. She knew that under normal circumstances, the

pirates would easily spot and destroy or capture the pod,  but she hoped that whatever had

caused the huge explosion they had heard was keeping the pirates too preoccupied to notice one

small pod. It seemed to be  working. As they floated farther away from the ships, Ro'lana briefly

wondered where they would end up...they did seem to be floating toward a distant planet.

However, a more pressing concern soon occupied her full attention: keeping Jackbur alive..."