Chapter
Seventeen: And So It Begins
(Authorial Note: This chapter is notably the shortest in the story, due to my original plan for this entire sequence to be the final one of the previous chapter. I changed my mind, once I realized how effective the ending of Chapter Sixteen felt.)
Vanessa could not resist thinking
about Benji as she stood within the Death Star conference room. Joanie managed to wheel the redhead and Marcia into her impromptu meeting with Emperor Palpatine,
looking to them to be her bodyguards in the proceedings. It could be that they
both shadowed her with their distinguished, tall-statured forms or Marcia’s
toned appearance, the latter of which was notably more intimidating for their Imperial
adversaries. Regardless, Vanessa wished she was with Benji.
It still irked her that Genevieve
would just rope him into going with her, having no other reason for
it than the dragon changing her mind by meeting him. What was that supposed
to have meant anyway? No doubt it was some excuse just to keep him closer to
her. No matter what, Vanessa had to face the reality that Benji no longer
wanted her to be his “Granddaddy.” That job fell solely on Genevieve – at least
for the foreseeable future. With the Empire looming over all Fantasia, it was a
wonder if Benji would choose to leave with Genevieve when everything would
perpetually go to hell.
She needed to focus on where she
was that very moment. Joanie summoned the Emperor to the conference room.
Vanessa could imagine how degrading that was for the intergalactic ruler.
Undoubtedly, he would enter in a fit of rage; possibly even electrocute them
all on the spot with his Sith-powered lightning. She braced herself for the
worse.
Palpatine arrived in the span of
twenty-five minutes, flanked by Vader, Yve Ette, Tarkin, the Red Guards, and a
small group of Stormtroopers that escorted Taryn, Mickey, Walter, Captain EO
and his band, and a battered, weakened Adrienne – at the request of the
Emperor’s uninvited guests. He found Vanessa, Joanie, and Marcia sitting there
at the conference table. Vanessa admitted how comfortable the leather-made,
swiveled chairs were.
Sure enough, the Emperor was
infuriated, more so to the idea of being summoned by them than their intrusion
to the base. “What rights do any of you have to come unannounced and make
requests,” he demanded to know, his tone unyieldingly vicious.
Vanessa’s body, once relaxed from
the comfort of her chair, turned stiff in attention to the Emperor.
Joanie, on the other hand, remained calm and collected in the face of the
menacing old man, who was no longer a character they could heckle behind the
boundary line of reality. But that did not stop the blue-haired young woman.
(Authorial Note: In the past, I've written Star Wars fanfics that always centered on the idea of characters who are fans of the space epic somehow entering a parallel dimension based on it, getting to experience it up close for the first time. In retrospect, despite however much knowledge they possess of the series, any average person would not possibly survive the "real world" of Star Wars.)
“We had every right once you decided
to declare war on Fantasia,” she boldly stated. She gestured to the opposite
end of the table. “Why don’t ya sit, Palpy? You’re lookin’ exhausted after
walking all the way here. Too bad transporters don’t exist in this universe, or else you could give
those twigs you call ‘legs’ some rest.”
(Pop Culture Note: "Transporters" are a well-known mode of transportation in the Star Trek universe, capable of almost instantaneously moving an object from one location to another. This reference is a jab at the supposed rivalry between the two "Star" franchises, Star Trek and Star Wars, which some hardcore fans have taken to heart in the last decades. Ironically, J.J. Abrams, the director of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed two Star Trek films between 2009 and 2013.)
Vanessa felt herself go numb. How
could Joanie be this snippy to such a threatening figure? This was all a game
to her, and Vanessa could not comprehend why it would seem that way. She
glanced over to Marcia, who glanced back. Both were unnerved but did
their best to remain cool for the sake of Joanie. Perhaps all this teasing was
to hide her own fear.
“Be mindful of your tongue, young
lady,” Palpatine growled, “if you wish to live to see the end of this
negotiation.”
He took his place at the end of the
table, far from where Joanie, Marcia, and Vanessa sat. Vader and Tarkin stood at
opposite sides of him. The Red Guards had the exit kept under watch, while
Taryn, Mickey, Adrienne, Walter, and the Ragtags stood in between with the
Stormtroopers to spectate the proceedings.
“Now then,” Palpatine began. “Have
you ag—”
He stopped as soon as there was a
strange noise loudly heard when Marcia squirmed in her chair. It sounded
suspiciously like flatulence to those around. Vanessa could not blame her if it
really was just that. The atmosphere was so tense that even her stomach was bubbling.
(Authorial Note: I had to run this part of the scene by with Marcia Olsen-White before putting it into the story, in fear of making her character seem too offensive. She actually took it in great spirit, finding it "somewhat fascinating...to see how someone else sees you." She joked, "I'm very human. If I was opposed to making noises when I sit in leather, I'd say I'm too uptight for life.")
Noticing all the weird stares in her
direction, Marcia blushed with embarrassment. “Sorry,” she muttered. “It’s all...the leather...between my butt and the chair. It…I didn’t cut one. Seriously.”
There was no response to this.
Joanie did her best to hide from laughing.
Palpatine was furious yet did not miss his stride.
He continued from where he left off, refocusing on Joanie and asking, “Have your
delegates agreed to surrender the planet in the name of the Empire?” He then
added with a cautionary tone, “You would be foolish not to.”
“You and your Empire are the real fools,” refuted Joanie, whose feet
were now kicked up on the table. “Believing you can take Fantasia by force when
there is a greater force gathered on
the planet as we speak.”
The Emperor laughed. “The
inhabitants of your ‘Fantasia’ have committed themselves to suicide in their
idiocy.”
“Ya see, that’s where you’re wrong,
Palpy.” Joanie said, angering him further with that insulting abbreviation to
his surname. “Let me lay the scenario out for you: what are you gonna do once
you’ve claimed the planet and the rest of the universe?”
“Exactly what I have done to the galaxy
before it – shape it into my image.”
“But that’s gonna be impossible with
most of Fantasia’s inhabitants wiped out.” Joanie contradicted. “Many of them
know of the Disneyverse’s secrets, especially Yen Sid and myself.”
Vanessa thought Joanie to have truly
lost her mind, giving such crucial details to Palpatine and his forces.
However, she did not dare to interrupt this. There had to be a method in this
madness unfolding in front of her.
“Then we shall leave either of you
living to provide these secrets.” Palpatine argued in his defense.
Now it was Joanie who laughed at the
Emperor’s words. “You are such an idiot,
man! You seriously believe that
conquering the entire Disneyverse
will be as simple as you’re making it sound? It’s vaster than you can imagine.
There are infinite worlds I’ve seen in my five years as Guardian of them all,
each one of them unique. Some are innocent and others are downright dangerous –
and you think the ones that are dangerous will be so easy to overcome? Keep
dreamin’, dude! If it’s not Fantasia that’ll avoid your conquest, then it’ll be
any one of the other worlds that will. Take my advice and do the smart thing,
Palpy – go back to the universe that you’ve already claimed… at
least for the foreseeable future.” She iterated that last part very
offhandedly.
(Star Wars Note: The last bit of Joanie's statement to Palpatine is in reference to his ultimate demise in Return of the Jedi, a film that was released in 1983 - a year later from where we meet her in the Muppetverse scenes in 1982. This is not a continuity error, considering Joanie has the ability to travel across time, so one can imagine her to have gotten an early screening of Jedi before anyone else in her time.)
Her words and the condescending way
in which she spoke them put Palpatine in a more seething mood. She practically ordered him and his militia to make a retreat, which was certainly
not bound to happen as simply as she wished. He kept himself firm and brazenly
declared, “Your world will be ours!”
The noise heard earlier from Marcia
returned after Palpatine made his declaration.
Fumingly, he turned to her and
yelled, “BE STILL!”
Marcia slyly smirked, not appearing
to be bashful of the repeated noise. “Oh, that wasn’t the chair this time. Sorry, Palpy.”
It was the last straw Palpatine had
with either of them.
Immediately, he shot up from his
chair with his arms raised towards Marcia. Seeing what was coming, Vanessa
acted quickly. She forced Marcia to duck beneath the table just as bolts of
violent bluish-purple lightning streaked over their heads, missing them completely.
The distraction was exactly what
Adrienne waited for to make her move. She called for her lightsabers and
Mickey’s, hilted onto Yve Ette, and they both successfully caught them. They
broke out of their restraints and went for the Emperor, whose sights were still
dead set on Vanessa, Marcia, and Joanie. Unfortunately, their blades only
clashed with those from Vader and Yve Ette, who were quick to act in defense of
their leader, ensuing separate duels between them.
In the meantime, Taryn muscled out of
her restraints, snapping the chain link of her cuffs to grant her enough
mobility to elbow two of the guarding Stormtroopers in their helmeted faces,
knocking them down and out. She used her magic to magnetize the remaining
troopers together and spiral their jumbled bodies into the air. Once they were
all taken care of, she commenced in freeing the Captain, the other Ragtags, and
Walter.
Working the chaos that erupted from
the scene to his advantage, Emperor Palpatine hurried for the door.
Unfortunately for him, he was swiftly tackled by Joanie. The Red Guards took
notice of this and attempted to rush to his aid. They were soon
challenged by Vanessa and Marcia, both unleashing their excellent hand-to-hand
combat skills on the unsuspected sentinels. Marcia managed to place one in a
submission hold, locking her legs around his throat and pinning his left arm
down.
(Factual Note: This move is a form of what is known as a "cross arm-breaker" in professional wrestling. The wrestler sits on either side of an opponent who is lying either prone or supine on the mat, with the wrestler's legs scissoring one of the opponent's arms. The wrestler then grabs hold of the wrist of that arm and pulls it upwards, causing hyper extension of the shoulder and elbow.)
With all of the Emperor’s allied
forces occupied, Joanie was free to deal with Palpatine herself. She pinned him down to the floor by his arms and legs, rendering the powerful ruler
into a helpless position. This act, however, did not go unnoticed. Nearby, Yve
Ette – amidst her duel with Adrienne – glimpsed momentarily to see Joanie.
Acting fast and with more ferocity,
she roared whilst firing a blast of Sith lightning from one hand into the eyes
of Adrienne, blinding her. She followed this heinous move by impaling the blade
of her lightsaber into Adrienne’s chest. Her scarred eyes widened in shock and
agony of the attack, a loud gasp escaping.
Hearing her, Mickey turned in time
to see what happened, his own eyes caught in surprise. “Adrienne,” he
cried, failing to recognize the rookie mistake he made in taking his focus off
Vader. It gave the Dark Lord the advantage of choking the mouse through the
Force, lifting him off his feet, and hurling him violently against the wall.
The impact brought Mickey out of consciousness instantly.
(Disney Note: Mickey's brief duel with Vader was inspired from promotional art for Star Wars Weekends in 2011, which featured the two iconic characters clashing lightsabers.)
With Adrienne vanquished, Yve Ette
moved in on Joanie, who remained unsuspecting of what was coming her way. Her
attention was solely on Palpatine. Her visual of him turned slightly fuzzy and
discolored in response to the glow of her eyes, its fierce brightness
intensifying.
(Narrative Note: This is the first description of what "Guardian View," when the eyes of a Guardian glow in a ghostly white hue, is like from a first-person perspective. The "fuzzy and discolored" visage is a side effect to the ability. Though the Guardian can still see the world around her, there is a slight impairment.)
Horrified by her supernatural
physical trait, the Emperor pathetically pleaded, “No, please! I am an old man!
Don’t kill me!”
“It’s over, Palpy.” Joanie
threatened. “I warned you of the consequences. Now I’m gonna bring an early end
to your very brief invasion.”
It seemed as if Palpatine was
convinced of his end at the hands of this unnatural woman. That was until he
spotted Yve Ette looming from behind Joanie, her specialized lightsaber held high. Palpatine’s fears dissipated, his
confidence returning.
He suddenly clasped her wrists,
moving his at an angle that permitted him to do so, and delivered a shock of
lightning through her. Joanie was relentless, maintaining her pin over his form, despite the pain coursing within her body as it heavily emitted
smoke. Palpatine anticipated this; he only needed to stun Joanie for enough
time to allow Yve Ette to swipe her blade.
Vanessa, having subdued the
Emperor’s other crimson sentinel, realized how Yve Ette advanced on Joanie.
“No,” she screamed, her form teleporting from over the fallen body of the red
guard to between Yve Ette and Joanie. She shielded Joanie just as the blade came down…and struck at nothing.
Joanie and Vanessa disappeared,
leaving Yve Ette to stare down only at Palpatine, the tip of her blade just an
inch from his wrinkled, withered face. She switched it off right away,
enabling the Emperor to return to his feet, with her
assistance. They both soon discovered, along with Vader and Tarkin, how their
other adversaries vanished as well. Only the four of them remained with the
downed guards and troopers.
Palpatine
surveyed the damage, fire in his sinister yellow eyes. “It’s war then.”(UP NEXT: Back to the Beginning!)
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