Project Boussh: SD III: The Search for Crispy
by Vickie Boyd



Korak led me back to where Josh had fallen. It seemed that the cleanup
crew had already arrived. "Damn," I murmured under my breath, searching
the room for clues. Even a drop of blood.

Korak stop and sniffed the air. He came over and touched my shoulder.
When I turned, he pointed out a doorway. <"This way.">

I nodded and followed, my lightsaber weighing heavily in my hand. I was
getting tired and hungry. At least the bacta taste had finally gone
away. Hobbie was right. It's horrible.

I tried to stretch out my senses, but immediately found a ysalamiri
bubble in the area. I growled angrily and continued to follow the Ewok.
Luckily, his senses were working.

Droids were everywhere. Most had been disabled. A familiar beep came
from behind me. Turning, I found the little mouse droid who had helped
me earlier racing up to us.

The droid spoke wildly to me. "Why shouldn't we go that way," I asked.

BAD MEN THAT WAY.

"If that is where they carried my friend, I am going that way."

BAD MEN THAT WAY! It bumped me in the foot.

I kicked at it and it zoomed away. "Take me to the medlab," I told the
droid.

BAD MEN!

I sighed. Korak growled at the droid and kicked it.

The mouse droid squealed and sped down the hall. FOLLOW!

Korak and I ran after the droid. We rounded the corner and I ran into
something. I promptly fell down and looked up. "Derek?"

A dazed Hobbie Klivian stood above me. He looked down, noticing the
Imperial doctor uniform. "Sith," he said under his breath and pulled his
service blaster. "Stay right there."

Korak jumped between us. He growled at Hobbie.

"Hobs, it's me, Vickie." I looked down at my clothes. "Oh Hoth," I
muttered. "It was the only thing I could find after I woke up."

Hobbie's brow furrowed. "That means you're the real Vickie."

I nodded and pushed myself up. "I'm guessing Thrawn cloned me while I
was in bacta." I looked at him thoughtfully. "You're right. It tastes
horrible."

Korak tugged on my sleeve. <"We must go.">

Hobbie looked down at the Ewok. "How'd you get hooked up with him? I
thought they were with Crispy."

I frowned. "Crispy... Josh was..." I sighed. I couldn't say it because I
didn't believe it. "Never mind that. We're trying to find the..."

The sound of blaster fire interrupted me. Korak growled and slipped
around the corner. Hobbie sighed. "Oh great, Wes has gotten himself into
trouble already."

"Janson?" I looked at him curiously. "What is he doing here?"

"Getting shot, it sounds like," he replied grabbing my arm. "Come on,
time to save the day."

We ran around the corner and down the hall to another intersection.
Korak stood at the corner, peeking around. I came up behind him and did
the same.



Wes Janson was trapped. He had an entire squad of stormtroopers in front
of him, one behind him and the leader in his hands. And they didn't
care.

With a scream, he began firing towards the troopers in front of him,
throwing his foot out behind him to connect on the knee of the man
behind him. He felt the leader slump in his hand. The dead weight was
too heavy. He let the man fall and dropped to the floor behind the body.

As he looked up to draw a bead on one of the troopers, a purple flash
came from behind them. Screams mixed with blaster fire. Wes concentrated
on taking down the troopers still firing at him.



From behind, Hobbie and Korak jumped around the corner and began firing.
I stepped out between them and ignighted my lightsaber. "Do not worry if
you hit me," I said moving forward.

"No, wait," Hobbie cried. He watched in horror as a blaster bolt slammed
into my chest.... and bounced off. "How the..." He was dumfounded.

Korak pushed Hobbie to the side. A blaster bolt struck the pilot's
shoulder and knocked him back to his senses. He realized something was
much more pressing at the moment.

I dashed forward and slashed through the barrels of the front line's
blasters. They fell backwards and I helped them along, giving them a
Force push. The next row was jostled and some dropped their weapons.

I aimed my lightsabers at the barrels, even as they fired at me. The
shots ricocheted around, killing their fellow troopers. Hobbie, Korak
and Wes took down the rest.

Wes stood as the last man fell. "Nice," he said with a grin and turned
to me. "Who the hell are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "You don't recognize me?"

"Um, no. But, I do know him." He smiled and slapped Hobbie's shoulder.

Hobbie thought for a moment, then remembered they had never met. "Wes,
Vickie. Vickie, Wes. She's a Jedi."

"How come he doesn't recognize me," I asked. "We both were at the
cabin."

Wes explained, "I didn't arrive until the Imps showed up. You saw a
clone of me."

"Great. More clones," I sighed. "Ok, let's get out of here before more
of these guys show up."

"Where to?"

"Medical. We have to find Crispy."

Korak looked up from where he was collecting power packs from the
troopers. <"He is dead, Lady Jedi. I saw him die.">

"No," I said forcefully. "He's alive. I can feel him."

"Oooh, kinky." Wes wiggled his eyebrows.

I smacked him in the shoulder. "Though the Force, dumb arse."

<"He could not have survived,"> Korak said as he handed Wes a handful of
power packs.

"Well, believe it." I turned to look at Hobbie. "Ok, you've been on
ships like this before. Where's medical?"

"Good idea," Wes said with a grin. "He can probably sniff it out."

Hobbie groaned, "I appreciate your confidence, Wes."

My mouse droid friend rolled through and over the stormtroopers to us.
THIS WAY, he warbled.

I looked down at him sternly. "This isn't antoher trick, is it?"

NO TRICK. TAKE TO HUMAN.

I shrugged and followed after the droid. Wes looked at Hobbie, "Is she
always like this?"

All Hobbie could do was shrug as he followed me.