The first bit of Chapter one
Sea Wars: A New Hope
Chapter One
It is a period of civil war. Rebel ships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal the secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, The Death Island, a massive floating fortress with enough firepower to level a landmass. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her ship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy.
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The sea churned, tossing the small Rebel Runner sideways through the waves. Behind it, a large Empire Island Destroyer turned to port, aiming it's cannons along that side towards the rebel craft. The cannons boomed, and a few of the cannonballs met their target, ripping through wood and flesh beyond. The Destroyer kept it's heading, keeping it's cannons lined towards the Rebel ship. The Destroyer dwarfed the other ship, it's multiple masts jutting into the sky, each holding a giant sail that could probably have been wrapped around the Rebel craft.
Inside the ship, a squat silver monkey bounds down a corridor, followed by a tall thin oriental man in gold rags. The man speaks to the monkey as if the monkey can understand him, and well, maybe he can. The man certainly seems able to understand the monkey. “We're doomed!” The man yelled as the wall behind him disintegrated from a cannon blast. The silver monkey took no heed and continued on, turning a corner ahead of the man in gold. “The princess won't escape this time!” The gold man yelled, hurrying after his friend. Outside, the Imperial ship moved alongside the rebel craft, whose mast was broken, it's giant sails laying uselessly among the waves beside it.
The man in gold turns the corner and slides on his heels to a halt. Before him, lining the hallway, facing the other way is a band of Rebel fighters, their swords drawn, some of them clutching their pistols in one hand. Along the wall they faced, loud scratching noises, spliced with a few bumps and bangs along the wood. Then, with an ear splitting bang, the wall was blown away, a cannonball bouncing down the hall, taking one Rebels leg off and missing the man in gold by inches before shooting out of the wall behind him. From the newly made hole, a mass of the Empire's Stormtroopers flooded in, their own swords held high. The Stormtroopers wore regal outfits of white, white scarves covered their mouths and noses, and small white hats were tilted upon their head. Their looks outclassed the Rebels scruffy thrown together blue uniforms as much as their training did the same. Within minutes, most of the Rebels were dead or dying from stabbings and gunshots. A few Stormtroopers were on the floor as well.
On the nearby island of Tatooine, near enough to the middle that the sea could not be seen, stood Luke Skywalker. He was eighteen, his skin dark and burnt from the sun. Tatooine was the only island on the planet situated neatly on the equator, and as such the sun burned strong and long, and not much grew in the sandy soil. What Tatooine did have however, was coal, and a lot of it. Luke lived with his Aunt and Uncle, whom owned a couple of mines. It's at one of these Luke worked now, alone besides a small brown ape, who Luke's uncle had owned longer than Luke had been alive. Luke lugged the last bucket of coal to a large horse drawn cart, turning to wait impatiently for the ape, who heaved and coughed as he carried his load. “Come on already.” Luke said, moving to the front of the cart where the driver sat. The ape loaded his coal and climbed into the cart next to Luke.
On the Rebel craft, hundreds of miles off the coast of Tatooine, The living Stormtroopers lined up in two lines along the hole they had blasted into the hull. Darth Vader emerged, and none of the Stormtroopers had it in them to look directly at him. Vader was tall and broad shouldered. His left leg was gone, replaced by a wooden stump, and his left arm had been cut off below the elbow, it was now a metal rod ending in a large, sharp hook. Vader's good hand rested on the hilt of his sword, a faint red glow shone from out the top of it's scabbard. Vader wore all black, a long white sash tied at his waist. He wore a long black cloak with the hood up, and over his face a strange mask, with tubes leading from the mouthpiece to a small box hidden on his back. No one had ever seen exactly what the box was, but it emitted strange hisses, like escaping air. When Vader spoke, his voice was at the same time low, and booming. “Nicely done, sailors.” Vader swept past the Troopers with no more words and they followed him, still in double, singly file lines.
The man in gold held his breath as Vader and his troopers passed. He had ducked down a small side passage, and prayed no one would stop to check it out. No one did. Turning around now, the man found the silver monkey at the far end of the hall. A woman dressed in a white cloak with the hood up crouched in front of him. She was stuffing something into the pouch the monkey wore over one shoulder, like a purse. “Artoo!” The oriental called, rushing forward. The woman turned and saw him. She spun around and fled. The monkey came bounding towards the man. “Artoo, who was that? What did she give you?” The man reached down, his fingers groping for the monkey's pouch. The monkey let out a screech and bit down on the mans hand. “Ow! Well fine! If that's how you're going to be about it!” The monkey grinned and grabbed the mans injured hand, pulling him along as he bounded out of the tight hallway.
Darth Vader stood in the Captain's quarters, holding said Captain in the air with his real hand by the neck. An Imperial officer, in drab olive colors instead of the Stormtrooper's white entered behind him. Lord Vader sir, The plans aren't anywhere else on the ship.”
“They aren't here either.” Vader said in his deep voice. He flexed his hand and easily snapped the Rebel Captain's neck. He dropped the body to the ground. “This is a consular ship.” Vader spoke to the officer, turning. “Find me the Ambassador.”
“Right!” The officer said, snapping his heels together. He turned hurriedly to leave, not many people enjoyed or survived long talks with Vader one on one.
“And tear this ship apart! Those plans are here, somewhere. If they aren't found, I'll be holding you responcible.”
The officer winced slightly as he stopped in the doorway. “Yes sir.” He said.
The silver monkey led the man in golden rags to a secret doorway. The monkey pressed in a specific spot and the door swung open. “Artoo! How did you know about this?” The man asked as he looked into the small room. It contained a minuscule rowboat, and another secret hatch would open and release it from the hull of the ship itself. The man and his friend got settle into the ship, and pulled the long chain that opened the hull and dropped the ship silently into the water. “well, even if we get away without being spotted, where will we go?” The man asked. The monkey was already rowing.
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