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:: An ongoing episodic story of fan-fic set after Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and inspired by George Lucas' historical draft concepts ::
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James Earl Jones passes away aged 93.
30th September 2024 |
On September the 9th it was announced that the american actor James Earl Jones had passed away at the age of 93. In providing the distinctive voice of Darth Vader he became famous to movie audiences and fans around the world, supplanting the notoriety of his other voice acting and conventional acting roles. The BBC reported it here, while SWNN reported it here.
Another member of the original Star Wars family has submitted to the twilight.
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| As I did with the progression of the Virtual Edition Episode X, I will post below sections of the prose for Episode XI as I draft it.... |
The view through the cockpit of the Imperial shuttle showed Han the sprawl of Imperiant City, and the multitude of landing platforms jutting out from their respective blocks. The central spire towered over it all, an all-seeing eye, coolly regarding its minions.
The already small cockpit was made even more cramped with the presence of the trainee co-pilot joining the pilot and the flight attendant. The middle-aged student, in a white pilot’s uniform, was standing, leaning over the two chairs. He had divested himself of the eye patch, and had tied his long hair back into a short ponytail.
“And I’ll use these switches and dials to level the attitude jets,” Jayvis explained to his student.
Han leaned in, interested. He nodded, and asked about the effect of the engine thrust on the jets.
“Yeah, so you’ve got to balance the two finely. And I’ll do that with this lever over here. Let me show you...”
The attendant, a human female dressed in blue and red, stood up from her chair.
“I’ll get the hatch ready, Jayvis,” she said, a little nonplussed by the extra crew member. “Still don’t know why I wasn’t told about the trainee, let alone those crates coming down too,” she grumbled.
“I know, I know,” shrugged the pilot sympathetically. “Crossed wires, I guess. But we’re on a tight timeframe, so.....” He flashed her a smile over his shoulder.
The rectangular shuttle arced around as it banked, it’s attitude jets whining as the ship powered down. The six landing struts whirred and clanked as they extended, and then the vessel landed with a gentle bump. A landing officer held aloft a lit baton, its light blinking red and green.
Four passengers waited patiently at the entrance to the landing platform. One scientist in a long white overcoat and carrying a metal briefcase, two engineers in bright orange overalls, and a squat bipedal droid. The landing officer lowered the baton, now showing a steady green, and the passengers stepped forward.
The boarding ramp lowered, and the hatch hissed open revealing the smiling attendant, holding a datepad. She stepped down to the end of the ramp and onto the platform.
“Welcome aboard. Our apologies, but we are a little short of space today,” she waved her arm behind her. “We have some crates in transit and a dock loader with us.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” answered the scientist, a nervous smile revealing his agitation. The two engineers strode past them without a glance, as did the technocrat droid.
As the scientist climbed the ramp, the attendant briefly conferred with the landing officer, and the two tapped their datapads together.
“The two crates ?” he asked.
“Going on to Propulsion Three,” she answered. “I don’t know why they’re not on the manifest. Jayvis was adamant they had to go out today, and we couldn’t wait to check any further. They’re labelled ‘Urgent’ and ‘Fragile’.”
The officer sighed and nodded. He wasn’t going to upset any superiors.
“Okay, okay, you guys can sort it out when you get over to P-Three, then.”
He waved a lazy salute, and stepped backwards, raising his baton and lighting it red. The attendant turned around and scurried back on board, slapping the egress controls for the ramp and she did so.
Shortly afterwards, the engines whined, the baton lit green, and the shuttle rose into the sky.
On board, in the cabin, the attendant was ensuring the three human passengers were comfortable. At the far end, near a cargo loading hatch, sat two large black and white crates with yellow label wraps over them ; a fully-suited and helmeted dock loader stood next to them, gazing off into the middle distance.
One of the orange-uniformed engineers glanced over at the extra crew member, and scowled.
“Hey, why is there an off-worlder here, with us ?!” he demanded of the attendant.
“Oh, there was some confusion on Bastion, but we didn’t have time to check it out,” she answered primly.
“Don’t give me that !” retorted the engineer angrily, piquing his colleague’s interest too. He turned his attention to the dock loader. “Take yer helmet off, and show us what you are !” he demanded.
“Yeah, no off-worlders down here, and humans only, too !” added his colleague.
Before the attendant could think of an answer, the dock loader at the far end of the cabin space, gestured slightly, and called out.
“I don’t need to take off my helmet. I’m just going about my business, as are you. We’ll soon be at the factory, and be on our separate ways.”
“He doesn’t need to take off his helmet,” agreed the attendant.
“We’re just going about our business,” continued the first engineer.
“We’ll soon be at the factory anyway,” explained the second engineer.
The scientist glanced between them with a puzzled look, but just then Jayvis appeared at the cockpit doorway.
“Hey, Professor Floydwood, good to see you again, how are you ?” he asked, striding forward.
The Professor, standing up, nervously glanced around.
“I...I’m fine... thankyou... yourself ?”
“Last time, we were talking about schooling for the kids... How are they getting on ?” Jayvis asked genially, clapping the professor on the shoulder, and gently steering him away from the seating area.
“Come up to the cockpit and tell me all about it,” he suggested generously.
The two left the cabin, and made their way past walls filled with ship monitoring and maintenance units.
As they entered the small cockpit, Jayvis called out to his co-pilot who was leaning on the back of the pilot’s seat regarding the navi-comp screen’s blinking lights and telemetry of the locked-in route.
“Hux, why don’t you check the rotational pressures on the balance valves ?” he suggested, nodding over his shoulder. “Give me five minutes to catch up with my old friend here.”
Han nodded, and, head down, shuffled past the two of them, exiting for the short corridor that housed the monitoring equipment.
As soon as Han had left, Jayvis turned sharply to Floydwood.
“I’ve been in touch with my friend. What’s the latest on your side ?” he whispered.
“They’re accelerating the production schedule,” the professor replied, his voice similarly low. “Everyone’s getting jittery. We’ve had some new test results, so I think there had been a failure, and they’re keen to resolve it as soon as possible.”
Jayvis nodded. “My friend’s here. I can get your message out to...”
The professor shook his head.
“No. I want out. My wife and children too,” he explained. “They’re tightening up on security. I’m not going to be able to move as freely as I used to.”
“Now, wait a minute...”
“Even in the city my wife has seen the security measures,” Floydwood went on. “We’ve got to get out of here as soon as we can !” He gripped Jayvis’ arms in agitation.
Further down the ship, in the diagnostics corridor, Han was hunched in close to a unit, listening intently at an earpiece. He heard Jayvis respond.
“I gotta pass this by my friend, check what he says...” the pilot was clearly stalling. “I can’t say yes or no right now...”
“Tagge is getting ready to do something big. I want the galaxy to know. And I want my family safe.”
Jayvis looked at the professor with sympathy.
“Okay, tell me where and when I can meet you next, and I’ll have an answer from my friend by then.”
Floydwood appeared to be satisfied by the other’s response, and nodded. He relaxed his grip and dropped his hand by his side.
“P-Three, six hours after the start of my shift. I’ll be returning home to the city platform.”
Jayvis nodded. “I’ll meet you there.”
“I’m going to get my family ready to go by the end of tomorrow,” added Floydwood.
“Tomor—?!”
“Yes,” the other hissed, raising a finger. “We’re not waiting. Tell your friend my news, and tell him my deadline !”
With that, emboldened, and desperate to keep the pressure on, the professor turned on his heel before Jayvis could retort, and left the cockpit. He pushed past the co-pilot still stationed in the service corridor.
Jayvis appeared at the doorway, and ran his hand through his hair.
“Did you hear all that ?”
Han nodded.
“Is he bluffing us ? Is it a trap ?” Han asked, rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully. “Does he genuinely want out ? Is there really a family that’s giving him an excuse to push us faster ?”
“Who knows ?” Jayvis shrugged sympathetically. He cocked his head to one side. “What ya gonna do, Hux ?”
Han regarded his agent for a moment.
“I need to speak to him. Can we offload those crates at the Propulsion factory ? Could I speak to him quietly somewhere nearby ?"
Jayvis nodded slowly. “Yeah, I could give you fifteen minutes or so. There’s a small waiting room and surrounding area before you get into the factory complex.”
“That’ll have to do,” answered Han grimly.
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| Nathaniel Reed, 30th September 2024 |
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