Wade: A Star Wars Story

Episode I: Escape From The Fortress Inquisitorious

It is a time of great darkness. During the rise of the Empire, Jedi and those who are Force sensitive are being hunted down and killed by Darth Vader and his Inquisitors. In response, an underground network called The Path has formed to help those being hunted find safety.

The Path has risked everything to help Obi-Wan Kenobi rescue Princess Leia from her captivity at the hands of the vile Inquisitor Reva. During their desperate escape from the Fortress Inquisitorious on the water moon of Nur, a member of The Path, known only as Wade, gave his life to ensure Obi-Wan and the Princess made it to safety.

But while those in The Path mourned the passing of Wade, it turns out this young hero actually survived and is now trapped on Nur. His story was thought to be over, but his adventure has actually just begun...

***

The water was already around his mouth when Wade's eyes snapped open. Despite his head beating like a drum, the coldness of the water served to make him alert.

What the fuck just happened??? he thought.

The last thing Wade remembered, he'd been shooting at that total bitch of an Inquisitor and then flew off after Sully. But something had hit his speeder and before he knew it, he was crashing into the ocean.

Now, his cockpit was quickly filling up with water. Wade frantically struggled with his seat harness in an effort to unclasp it just as he felt what remained of his vessel shudder as it hit the ocean floor.

"Oh, fuck," he muttered as he freed himself from the harness with the water quickly overtaking him. "I got a bad feeling about this!"

Wade took a deep breath and pushed up on the speeder's canopy, lifting the damaged covering and letting the oppressive ocean rush in.

The water was murky, but he was able to see that he'd landed at the base of the Fortress. If he remembered General Kenobi's plan correctly, the Jedi had swum under the base of the Fortress and up into its lower levels when he infiltrated the facility to save the Princess of Alderaan. It had obviously worked since he and Sully had to make an emergency extraction of Kenobi, Tala, and the Princess. Wade knew he wasn't going to make it all the way up to the surface before holding his breath would fail him. He just had to hope that his lungs would hold out long enough to make it into the same opening General Kenobi did when sneaking into the Fortress Inquisitorius.

Wade swam as fast as he could into the opening at the base of the structure and then up toward the port entry. Luckily, it was still open from when Tala had overridden its security for Kenobi's infiltration. Just as his lungs were starting to burn, Wade surfaced and gasped for air.

Alarms were still blaring in the distance to alert the Fortress garrison of the escape. If that were the case, it meant Wade hadn't been out for long. It was a small bit of luck, but it meant Wade could take advantage of the chaos to possibly survive his current predicament.

Wade swam to the edge of the port entry and lifted himself out. The room was dark, but the red alarm lights lit it up occasionally, giving him a sense of where he was. Near the door, Wade was able to make out the body of a Stormtrooper.

He hurried over to the body and checked on it. Kenobi must have knocked him out when he was infiltrating the base. The trooper was completely unconscious. Until he wasn't.

"Wha..." the Trooper muttered. "What the fuck happened—"

"Shit," said Wade.

Wade quickly slapped the Stormtrooper's helmet, hard enough to knock him out again.

"Well, guess I should never look a gift Bantha in the mouth," Wade muttered as he began taking the trooper's armor off him.

Wade lamented his slight frame as he worked his way into the Stormtrooper's armor. It was a tad too big for him, but he was forced to work with what he had. I just hope no one notices I'm a bit small to be a Stormtrooper, he thought as he put the helmet on and ventured out into the Fortress.