Well, I don't have a writing thread on this new forum, but I have a story (synopsis) that I wanted to share with you guys. I wasn't sure if I should post it here or on the Star Wars thread, but here seems as good a place as any.
This is the synopsis for a Star Wars novel I thought up the other day. I really like it, but I probably will not write it any time soon. Though perhaps someday I'll redo it as a non-Star Wars story so that I can publish it myself.
Anyway, I give you....
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PRISONERS OF WAR
A Star Wars Story
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PLOT
Commander Kino DiGentma of the star destroyer
Lithuan recieves an alert from Imperial spies that a rebel ship will be attempting to make its way through a dangerous asteroid field near Dohgua. Realizing that his ship is the closest to the sector, Kino immediately responds to the call and arrives with the star destroyer just in time to catch the rebel ship, the
Wishmaker, in the midst of the asteroid field.
Though it at first seems like an easy target, the
Wishmaker puts up more of a fight than expected, and Kino realizes the danger and foolishness of attacking it in such risky territory. He stands his ground and sends out TIE Fighters to engage the X-Wing pilots.
Elt Zanzar and his successful team of TIE Fighters deploy and immediately engage the enemy pilots, enjoying their work despite the danger. Elt is renowned by his friends for his skills as a pilot, and engages in friendly rivalry with his teammate Suli Vonharr, who can nearly match his abilities. Suli seems to take delight in gunning down the enemy fighters, more so than Elt deems healthy, though he says nothing of it to her or his superiors. Together with their leader, Rikter Kell, they protect the rookie that has recently been assigned to their unit, Seb Medmard, and guide him through the battle.
Though the battle is heated and the
Lithuan takes more damage than expected, the Imperials are victorious and they destroy The
Wishmaker. Elt and his team turn and head back to the
Lithuan, congratulating each other for a job well-done.
However, out of nowhere, one last X-Wing fighter appears and guns down Elt's TIE Fighter, and he spirals down toward Dohgua.
With his skill, Elt manages to crash land the fighter, but is injured in the process. When his team tries unsuccessfully to contact him, they give him up for dead and sadly return to the
Lithuan.
Though injured and exhausted, Elt drags himself across the landscape until, by instinct, he finds a village and collapses in the streets. The villagers find him and bring him to a house on the outskirts of town belonging to Rukah Gospen and her daughter, Hollin Lux. They are respected in the village as great healers, and even warriors when the need arises.
After his injuries have been treated, Elt awakes and realizes immediately that his hosts and their village are sympathetic to the Rebellion, so he stays silent about his origins. His uniform was damaged during the crash, so thankfully no-one has recognized him for what he is.
Hollin introduces herself and assures him that he is safe. She tells him that they have no way of contacting his family (whom he claims to be trying to reach), since their communications tower was damaged by falling debris from the space battle. But in a month, a supply ship will come with the tools and material necessary to repair it, and he will be able to go home at that time.
In the mean time, Hollin aids Elt's recovery, and they become friends. He finds he likes her family, Rukah and Fahn, her step-father. He soon discovers that Hollin, like him, is force-sensitive, and that her true father was once a Jedi who survived Order 66, but who later died of an illness, despite Rukah's best efforts to help him. Fahn and Rukah have only recently married, with Hollin's bittersweet approval.
Elt is treated with either neutrality or suspicion by most of the village, as they do not care for strangers. The village itself was formed by mostly refugee farmers who were tired of their profit being stolen by the Empire and being forced to live on the bare minimum. Many of them have suffered cruelty at the hands of the Empire, and are naturally suspicious of anyone they do not know.
But Hollin's elderly friend, Sheila, welcomes him warmly and shares what little she has with him. She tells him that her family and her home were destroyed when the Empire began, because her home planet resisted the change, and had ties with the Separatists. Elt feels guilt for the first time since joining the Imperial Fleet, but reminds himself that it were not for the Empire, he would have grown up on the streets, or worse- died with his criminal parents.
Meanwhile, Commander Kino has met with both criticism and compliments for his success in the Dohgua Asteroid Field. However, more reports are coming in that the Rebellion is still trying to reach Dohgua, so Kino is sent back to keep a distant watch on the planet and try to ascertain the rebellion's interest in it.
In Elt's absence, Suli has become the most talented pilot on the
Lithuan, but Rikter notices that as time goes on she becomes more and more unhinged. Seb still looks up to her, though he is at times frightened by her. Seb confides to Rikter than he cannot believe that Elt is truly dead, and wants to go down to Dohgua and find the wreckage of his fighter.
Hollin begins taking Elt out with her on her night patrols in order to help him gain strength. Elt takes delight in her innocent yet wise company. She teaches him things about the Force that she remembers learning from her father, and he teaches her how he has learned to use it while piloting. Hollin confides to him that though the villagers don't know it, she uses her abilities to help cloak their presence from unfriendly eyes. Her father did the same thing before he died, and he was much more successful than she. She believes that had her father relaxed his efforts, he might have had the strength to fight his illness better. But he continued to protect the village until his dying breath because of his love for the people. Hollin has dedicated her life to doing the same.
Elt finds he is developing feelings for Hollin and has reason to believe that she may feel the same way about him. He resolves to tell her of his true loyalties, not wishing to lie to her any longer. He waits until the right moment arrives.
However, when they arrive in the village, he finds a crowd waiting for him. Fahn informs him that they found the wreckage of his fighter and know that he is an agent of the Empire. Though Fahn has grown fond of him, he and the other Elders agree than they must imprison Elt until they can put him on trial.
Seb, meanwhile, sees a chance to slip away from the
Lithuan . Rikter turns a blind eye as he steals a TIE Fighter and makes his way down to Dohgua to search for Elt.
In the village, Hollin forgives Elt for lying, understanding his reasons. She knows him to be a good man, and finds she still cares for him. She is, however, deeply saddened that he is loyal to the Empire, and pleads with him to defect.
Sheila comes to them with a key and tells Hollin to set Elt free. The old woman reveals that she knew all along what he was, but concealed it because she didn't him to be killed by the embittered villagers. She tells him to get far away from the village and to make his way for the larger cities of Dohgua so he can find his way home. Elt promises not to betray them to the Empire, and touches Hollin's face before fleeing.
Seb, after finding Elt's fighter, searches the surrounding area for his body. He instead discovers Elt, alive and well, fleeing from the village. He is overjoyed to have his friend back and embraces him warmly. Elt is relieved to find a familiar face and tells him that they should get back to the Lithuan. But Seb, upon seeing how Elt's wounds have been treated, guesses that he must have been sheltered by a civilized village of some sort. Since there is none listed on the reports, Seb reasons that it has been kept secret for a reason: possibly the same reason the Rebels are so interested in getting to Dohgua. He pulls Elt along with him to spy on the village so that they can find out what's really going on, and hopefully get promotions.
Torn between his two sets of friends, Elt is frozen as Seb observes the village in wide-eyed triumph. As the young pilot looks through binoculars at the village folk, he recognizes Sheila from some of the Rebel intelligence they gathered. Excitedly, he contacts Rikter and alerts the Lithuan to the village's existence.
Kino seizes the opportunity and sends out fighters and troop carriers immediately. Panicking, Elt concentrates on Hollin and sends a message to her to evacuate her people.
Hollin senses Elt's distress and warns the village Elders. Fahn and Rukah lead the way with the children and the elderly, including Sheila. Hollin stays behind to help the rest get onto transports.
Feeling the Imperial troops growing closer, Elt breaks cover and rushes down to the village, and is closely followed by Seb, who believes he is trying to find Sheila, whom they lost sight of when she disappeared into the crowd.
Instead, Elt finds Hollin and urges her to hurry. She insists on getting the last of her people onto the transports.
The sound of approaching TIE fighters and troop carriers can be heard, and just as Hollin is about to jump on board a departing transport, Elt grabs her and pulls her off, fearing that it will be shot down. He is right, and the last transport crashes not three miles away.
The troops are taken in the direction of the crash to pick up any survivors. Meanwhile, the TIE Fighters begin blasting the town to bits. Elt, Seb, and Hollin are nearly killed in the commotion, but are rescued by Suli at the last minute.
Hollin attempts to leap to the ground while they are still low enough, but Elt holds her to him and tells her to come with him, promising to keep her safe. Horrified, Hollin realizes she cannot escape.
Meanwhile, Kino gets a notification that due to the gravity of the Rebel situation and the importance of the woman they are looking for, Darth Vader himself will be coming to oversee his operations. Kino is both terrified ad thrilled at the news. He frantically orders his men to make preparations for Vader's arrival.
On board the
Lithuan, Rikter and Suli both welcome Elt back and congratulate Seb on his success. They all agree to stop calling him 'rookie', saying that he has proved himself a worthy teammate. Seb is ecstatic, both over the success of the mission and the return of his friend. Rikter and Suli assure him that though the villagers escaped, it is only a matter of time before they are tracked down thanks to Seb and Elt's contributions.
Elt, silently apologizing to Hollin, takes her to his commanding officer and requests that she be given a position as a healer with Doctor Grip Palliss, a personal friend of his who knows of his midichlorian count. Hollin tries to protest, but Elt silences her, not wanting her true allegiance to be discovered.
The officer is skeptical, but upon hearing of how Hollin saved Elt's life, agrees to give her a trial run and orders her to be escorted to the medical bay.
Elt bids her farewell for the time and promises to come to her soon. Before Hollin can say another word, she is hurried away by the guards.
In the medical bay, Dr. Palliss treats Hollin's minor injuries and assures her that she will encounter no harm with him or any of his nurses. He approves of her medical skills, especially given her rough upbringing. He recognizes some of her training as originating from Coruscant, where her mother once worked.
After taking a blood sample, Palliss reads her midichlorian count and suddenly understands why Elt sent her to him. He says it is dangerous for force-sensitives to operate in the Empire, and though he risks imprisonment or death, he agrees to keep her secret. He does so for Elt as well, and he has done so in the past for others. Hollin thanks him for his discretion.
At that moment, the loud speakers call all hands to the main hanger bay, where Lord Vader and his associates are arriving.
With no time to change her into standard issue clothing, Palliss drags Hollin along and tells her to stand straight and do her best to blend in.
In the main hangar bay, Elt and his team stand in formation as they await Vader's arrival. Since the medics stand in formation next to the pilots, he can see Hollin approaching with Dr. Palliss. Elt maneuvers until he can stand on the edge of his formation, within three feet of Hollin.
Kino marches resolutely forward to meet Vader as his shuttle lands. He struggles to calm his nerves as the ominous figure emerges. Bowing, he thanks Vader for his presence and offers to escort him to the bridge. Vader first admonishes him for allowing the civilians to escape, but is merciful because of Kino's prompt actions. He allows Kino to lead the way. As Kino walks, he cannot get over his fear that Vader, at any moment, will do something to him from behind.
As Vader and his company pass through the ranks of Imperials, Hollin feels an irrational fear building in her, and suddenly detects a barely perceptible tilt in Vader's head as he passes by where she and Elt stand. She is convinced that Vader has sensed their force capabilities, and grimly wonders what will be done about it.
As Kino nervously explains the situation to Vader and a very annoyed General Abdon Raik, Vader halts him and informs him that they are already aware of what he has done. Vader assumes command of the vessel and waves Kino aside. He calls for guards and tells them to find the newest Medic and take her into custody. When Kino asks what is wrong, Vader doesn't offer an explaination and simply states that no one is to question the girl but him. He also states that he wishes to look over the pilots again, as one of them also attracted his attention. Kino quickly goes to arrange it.
Abdon Raik, in the mean time, sends out scouts to find the hiding villagers.
The pilots are called to assemble in one hour, and Rikter, Seb, and Suli wonder amongst themselves why this should be. Suli hints that she may know the reason, and seems almost excited. She notices, however, that Elt is no where to be found.
Meanwhile, Elt has managed to get into the holding cells to visit Hollin. He apologizes profusely to her, saying that he never meant for her to be captured, only kept safe. She finally breaks and reproaches him for dragging her with him to the Lithuan in the first place, when he knew how much she hated the Empire and how greatly she feared being caught by them.
Elt acknowledges his mistake and promises to set her free, but she tells him it is too late, and that Vader sensed them as they stood together. She says it is only a matter of time before Elt is captured as well. She reveals that her father, when he was alive, told her a secret about the Emperor. People wondered how he survived the Jedi attack that nearly claimed his life, and why Darth Vader still held such a high position despite his antiquated beliefs about the Force. Hollin says it is because the Emperor himself is a Sith Lord, and that any other significant Force-sensitives pose as a threat to him.
Elt is shocked by the revelation, but senses its truth. Making sure that the guards are distracted, he releases Hollin and tells her to run, giving her access to his TIE Fighter. She will be able to fly it because of the lessons he gave her back on Dohgua. Hollin begs him to come with her, but he says he cannot. He owes the Empire his loyalty since without them, he would have grown up on the streets of Coruscant, abandoned by his criminal parents. He enlisted with them, believing it to be his honest choice out of gratitude for their care. Hollin tells him that the only reason the Empire cared for orphans like him was to raise troops, but Elt cannot bring himself to betray them anyway. He bids Hollin goodbye and good luck.
After watching her go safely away, Elt goes to make sure her escape is successful. He is met by Seb, who tells him that they've been searching for him due to the pilots' scheduled assembly. Elt realizes that it is Vader searching for him and stalls Seb by telling him he needs his help. Upon seeing what he intends to do, Seb guesses that Elt is in love with Hollin, and despite his misgivings, he agrees to help his friend.
Elt and Seb go to open the hangar bay for Hollin. In the control room, they learn from the officers that General Raik has found the remaining villagers and has wiped them out, though they still search for a few of the village elders and Sheila.
Hearing the revelation, Elt feels his blood run cold and nearly becomes sick. Everything he believed in as a member of the Empire is being desecrated before his eyes. He continues on his mission, feeling worse by the minute.
After causing a distraction and emptying the room of most of the officers, Elt subdues the rest, much to Seb's horror, and opens the hangar for Hollin. He tells Seb goodbye and thanks him for being such a good friend. He then rushes toward the hangar to join Hollin once and for all.
Seb chases after him, trying to convince him to reconsider. But before they can reach the hangar, the alarms sound as a fleet of Rebel ships arrive and open fire.
All pilots are called to action, but Elt first rushes to find Hollin and make sure she is safe. Seb follows.
Hollin finds Elt first and tells him that she aborted the plan when she heard the alarm. Elt tells her that after hearing of the village's fate, he could not work for the Empire anymore and says he is joining her. Hollin hugs him and almost weeps for joy. But at that moment, the hangar bay shields are breached and Rebel Fighters infiltrate the Lithuan. Elt sends Hollin ahead of him to a alternative bay where they can hijack another ship. Elt stays behind to seal a door shut so they cannot be followed.
As Rebels enter the hall, they see Elt and Seb, and noting their uniforms, immediately engage them. Seb leaps in front of Elt to protect him, and manages to hold them off and even down most of them before they get to close. However, a surviving Rebel, though without his blaster, tosses an explosive at Seb,who is blown backward and into the open hangar, and quickly sucked out into space.
Elt is horrified as he watches his friend quick and inescapable death. Filled with sudden rage, he turns and stabs the Rebel soldier with a piece of debris. He immediately realizes and regrets what he has done as he eases the soldier to the ground. Desperate to correct his mistake, he removes the man's helmet so that he can breath better and attempts to use the Force to stop his bleeding. His efforts are in vain, however, and the man dies. Elt is heartbroken.
Hollin, meanwhile, has been waiting for Elt, unable to convince herself to go on without him. She has armed herself with fallen soldiers' weapons, and is slowly making her way back to where she left him. Soon, she sees him staggering toward her, wracked with grief.
Raggedly, Elt confesses what he has done to Hollin. He fears she will want nothing to do with him, but to his surprise, Hollin embraces him and forgives him. She tells him they are both prisoners of war, shaped by the tragedies they have known. But she tells him that they can still escape, and that each day comes with a new hope. She asks him if he will come with her, and he says yes.
Just as they are about to kiss, he stiffens and senses Vader approaching. Knowing that if they have felt him then he has surely felt them already, Elt and Hollin quietly make their way toward the alternative hangar. Hollin uses her force-cloaking ability, which she had used to hide the village all those years, to aid their progress.
They make it to the hangar bay, but are met by Suli, in full space-battle attire, who points a blaster a them and orders them to stand down.
Elt appeals to their friendship and asks her to let them go, but she refuses. Suli reveals that she too is force-sensitive, and has been living in Elt's shadow all these years. She tells him how hard she had to work to get to where she is as a pilot, since the Empire does not show much favor to women. She reveals how she has perfected the art of suggestion using her powers in order to climb through the ranks, and that she will continue to do so until she has reached the top. She is jealous of the fact that it was Elt and Hollin who attracted Vader's attention and not her, but she hopes to claim his approval by single-handedly capturing them.
Suddenly, Hollin blasts Suli aside with the Force and leaps into the cockpit of a waiting ship. She holds out her hand for Elt, who is about to join her when Vader arrives. Instead of joining her, Elt closes the cockpit and uses the force to start its flight. Before Hollin can stop it, she is rushed from the hangar and out into open space without Elt. Suli grabs hold of the ship last minute and closes her helmet just before they exit the safety of the hangar.
Elt tries to shoot her, but is seized by Vader. As he is held in a choke grip, Vader invades his mind to see if he is harboring any other force-sensitives. Believing his is about to die, Elt sinks into himself and immerses himself with memories of Hollin, his teammates, of his upbringing in the care of the Empire, and finally of his early years on the streets of Coruscant, homeless and enslaved to crime lords.
Suddenly, Vader falters for a single moment, Elt snaps to wakefulness and shoots at his torso, wounding him. As Vader balks in pain, Elt scrambles away and into another ship and follows after Hollin.
In the mean time, Hollin senses the presence of her mother, stepfather, and Sheila on one of the Rebel ships taking the most damage. Getting the feeling that it will be destroyed soon, she turns and crash lands in the ship. She leaps out and calls for her family, and Suli makes an attempt on her life after recovering from the landing.
Rukah, Fahn, and Sheila hear her call and come, helping to subdue Suli. The ship breaking apart with every passing second, Hollin and her family search for a suitable escape shuttle, since Hollin's was ruined during the landing.
At the last second, Elt arrives with his own shuttle and rescues them. They are grateful for his presence, and even Fahn and Rukah forgive him for his accidental betrayal.
As the shuttle leaves the exploding ship, Sheila tells Elt to set a course for Dantooine, the rebel base. She has important news to bring them- it is revealed that Sheila is royalty, and that though her family was ousted from power, they still own a great deal of property, including a moon called Yavin 4, where they have prepared a new base to house the Rebel Alliance.
In the aftermath of the battle, Suli's burned body is brought before a recovering Vader and identified as Hollin. Vader can tell instinctively that it is not her, but lets it pass. However, he strangles General Raik to death for allowing Sheila to escape. He appoints Kino in his place, saying that his next assignment will be Alderaan, where he suspects the royal family is sympathetic to the Rebel cause.
Rikter is treated for injuries by Dr Palliss, who tells him that though he will recover, he will no longer be able to serve, and suggests that he find a good home with someone he knows. Rikter looks at the communicator through which he knows he can still contact Elt and considers his options.
As they speed toward Dantooine, Elt remarks that though the Empire won the battle, a new hope truly does exist because of Sheila's survival. With conviction, he says that the Rebel Alliance will be in need of at least one new pilot for sure. Hollin agrees and says they probably won't object to another healer as well. Arms around one another, they watch as the stars go by, and the Dantooine system grows ever nearer.
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