“I am most decidedly not a poet!” 2-1B said, indignant. “I must look into my programming. Perhaps I need some reconditioning.” What was it about this Jedi that brought out an eloquence heretofore buried in his circuits? His Maker apparently put in more sympathetic and philosophic programming than he’d realized. “In any case, it is a medical fact that we change and evolve. Don’t you ever say that dreaded poet word aloud near Effex-Seven. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“It’ll be our secret.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s finish this, then. Go ahead and attach the hand.”
Too-Onebee’s internal hydraulics whirred in anticipation. Now he could really get to work. Using several micro tools, he began securing the bone stumps of Luke’s radius and ulna to the core mechanical components of the hand. Then he attached muscle tendons and nerves to the servo-circuits that would respond to the muscle contractions and electrical nerve impulses sent by his patient’s brain and body. It was delicate work, and painful, too. At times, Luke winced and refused pain medicine as 2-1B synced microscopic nerves. His face morphed from minute to minute. At times, he seemed angry. Then his expression turned sorrowful. His forearm twitched as 2-1B attached the tendons of his flexor pollicis longus and supinator. There were many more to go.
He was nearly finished. To connect synthskin to living skin, the surgical droid used a tool that neatly zipped them together. The bacta ensured that they melded in harmony without any rejection of the artificial tissue. Luke watched with astonishment as 2-1B opened up a compartment in his new wrist, showing the hydraulic mechanism at work.
“We are nearly finished. There is only some fine-tuning and final testing to be done.”
“Thank you, Too-Onebee.”
“It is my duty, and my pleasure.” Awkwardly, he turned left and right, to be sure FX-7 was not close by, then leaned in closely. He lowered his voice until it was barely audible. “May the Force be with you.”
Luke cocked his ear. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“MaytheForcebewithyou!” This time, he said it so fast, it sounded like a mechno-sneeze. From a distance, FX-7 whirled around, wondering why 2-1B seemed flustered.
Luke smiled, his face warming and relieved. He whispered back, “May the Force be with you, Too-Onebee. You’ve helped in more ways than you can imagine.”
“Well,” the droid said, lifting his head. “I do more than repairing broken things. I am not some simple Effex droid.”
From the corner of the surgical suite, FX-7 spun around and bleeped out a string of insults that would have made its creator blush.
“Stop calling me that!” 2-1B snapped before muttering, “I get no respect.”
The doors to the suite opened. R2-D2, C-3PO, and Princess Leia entered. Polished and gleaming as usual, the protocol droid waved his arms emphatically.
“Master Luke! You have your new hand! It looks wonderful.”
R2-D2 beeped a happy hello. The princess, in her floor-length white gown, nodded at Luke. 2-1B looked from her to his patient and noted the expression on Luke’s face. It was quite different from when they had been together on Hoth, after Luke had completed his bacta tank treatment. Now it was as if their gaze on each other had cooled to something less fiery, and yet still full of warmth. Different.
The princess smiled, but her eyebrows were drawn together. Another human in pain. Too-Onebee wondered what she had lost; all her limbs appeared intact.
Luke’s heart rate had descended to normal levels. For most humans, this would have been sixty to eighty beats per minute. For Luke, it was twenty-five—a significant change since he’d entered the surgical suite on the Redemption, and not uncommon in healthy Jedi according to records. Back on Hoth, when the princess had entered the room, Luke’s heart rate had shot up to ninety beats per second. Not this time.
“How are you, Luke?” she asked.
He smiled, a small one to match hers. “Better. I’ll be all right.”
Lando Calrissian commed in from the Millennium Falcon, where it was docked on the Redemption.
“Luke, we’re ready for takeoff.” In the background, Chewbacca agreed.
“Good luck, Lando,” Luke said.
“When we find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter, we’ll contact you.”
Luke nodded. “I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tatooine.”
In a soothing tone, Calrissian said, “Don’t worry, Leia. We’ll find Han. I promise.” With an expression of uncertainty, the princess raised her eyes to the window.
“Chewie,” Luke said, “I’ll be waiting for your signal. Take care, you two. May the Force be with you.”
At the sound of the Wookiee’s goodbye, Princess Leia smiled, as if knowing good news would come soon.
2-1B looked over his patient carefully as he performed the final pinprick sensation testing on the newly joined hand. Clinically, the medical records would show that post-procedure, the patient was in no distress and had tolerated the procedure well.
Personally, 2-1B would have said, He looked like a man with hope in his heart.
That is, if he were a poet.
THE WHILLS STRIKE BACK
Tom Angleberger
Again I am asked to serve.
The burden is great, the responsibility almost crushing…but willingly I take up my solemn duty again.
There are a thousand points of view, a thousand sacred artifacts, a thousand moments of history captured on holocron. I have studied them all. And now my task is to make them all one…One record, one history…one Truth.
May the Force be with me as I prepare to inscribe another entry in the immortal Journal of the Whills.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….
Well, actually…
What? How did you get in here? I thought you were told to keep out of it this time?
Sure, sure, I’ll keep out of it…if you want to confuse everybody with the first sentence—AGAIN!—that’s fine with me.
I haven’t even finished the first sentence!
You say “a long time ago,” but it’s not as long ago as the last one, right? It’s more like “in more recent developments.”
You want me to start this episode of the Journal of the Whills—which everybody has been looking forward to for three years—with “in more recent developments”?
Well, it’s more factually accurate…
It’s also stupid.
Whew, I was hoping that you would have learned how to take constructive criticism without becoming so hostile by now.
And I was hoping you would have learned how to shut your Sarlacc-sized mouth by now.
Fine, I’ll just sit here quietly while you fill the journal with errors and purple prose. Go right ahead!
It is a dark time for the Rebellion.
Oh, you’re doing this in present tense again? Goody!
I thought you were going to be quiet.
Quiet as a mouse droid. You may proceed…
Although the Death Star has been destroyed…
WHOA! “Has been destroyed”? Way to start with the passive voice!
La la la, I’m not listening…
Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.
Oooh, okay, this is getting better. This is the part where they run into Skorr the bounty hunter on Ord Mantell!
Uh, actually, I was going to skip that.
What? Well, I guess you wanted to get right to the part where they all help Chewie get back to Kashyyyk to see his son for Life Day. You know, I have some notes here about that…
Not this again! I told you before: No Lumpy.
What the Fett? This is Lumpy’s chance to shine!
No, it’s not. Now be quiet an
d let me get on with this.
Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet—
Wait…“Starfleet”? Did you just say “Starfleet”? Are Kirk and Spock going to show up next?
I don’t even know what Kirk and Spock are!
There’s a big surprise…Do you know anything?
Yes, I do. That’s why the Whills asked me to write this! So if you don’t mind…
…a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker—
“Led by Luke”? Gee, I wonder what Mon Mothma and General Rieekan would say about that? Good grief, even Major Derlin outranks Luke! Luke’s on tauntaun patrol for crying out loud!
He’s their unofficial leader!
Right…And also, “freedom fighters”? Why do they fight freedom?
Oh My Nocks! You are driving me crazy! You know what I mean! Now, shush…
…a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker have established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.
Just pointing out…it’s covered in snow, not ice. But keep going, you’re almost to the best part—when all the wampas attack! That’ll make a great start!
Er…
Don’t tell me. You’re cutting out the wampas?
Well, I’m keeping one of them.
One wampa? One. Wampa. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that Willrow Hood just runs through the background without saying anything.
Well.
No room for the wampa attack! No room for Willrow’s inspiring bravery! But let me guess, you’re going to find room for Yoda’s rootleaf stew, aren’t you?
Uh…
You are, aren’t you? You just had to have Yoda’s lunch. I knew it!
Listen, I’ll never even get to Yoda if you don’t let me get this thing started.
Okay, okay. What are you starting with?
The evil lord Darth Vader…
Good…good…
…obsessed with finding young Skywalker…
Ooh, excellent. Which of Vader’s amazingly Sith-tastic deeds are you starting with?
…has dispatched thousands of remote probes—
Probe dispatching?
That’s it, I give up. I’m outta here.
Go ahead. Write a story that starts with probe dispatching and only one wampa, and then nothing really happens except for Yoda’s lunch and Vader’s breakfast and the good guys lose. Whee! That’ll be everybody’s favorite! Maybe you could end it by having Luke and Leia looking out a window feeling sorry for themselves. What a thrill ride!
You know what would really be thrilling?
What?
If you actually left when you said you were leaving!
Fine! I’ll leave you alone so you can focus on ruining the story!
Thank the Maker…Now, where was I?
DISPATCHING!
Right…
The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space….
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book—a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies’ long-standing relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House has donated $100,000 to First Book, and Disney/Lucasfilm has donated 100,000 children’s books—valued at $1,000,000—to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.
TOM ANGLEBERGER is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Origami Yoda series, as well as The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear and a retelling of Return of the Jedi titled “Beware the Power of the Dark Side.” Also a Clone Wars fan, Tom recently adapted a Cad Bane story arc for the anthology: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark.
SARWAT CHADDA spent twenty years as an engineer before turning his hand to writing. Since then he’s written novels, comic books, and TV series, including Devil’s Kiss, City of the Plague God, and Baahubali the Lost Legends. His writing embraces his heritage, combining East and West, with a particular passion for epic legends, vicious monsters, glorious heroes, and despicable villains.
Having spent years traveling the Far East collecting tales, he now lives in London with his family, but has a rucksack and notebook on standby.
S. A. CHAKRABORTY is the author of the critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling Daevabad Trilogy. Her work has been nominated for the Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards. When not buried in books about thirteenth-century con artists and Abbasid political intrigue, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and re-creating unnecessarily complicated medieval meals. You can find her online at www.sachakraborty.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @SAChakrabooks, where she likes to talk about history, politics, and Islamic art. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and an ever-increasing number of cats.
MIKE CHEN is a lifelong Star Wars fan and the author of the critically acclaimed novels Here and Now and Then and A Beginning at the End, as well as the upcoming We Could Be Heroes. He also writes for geek media, from defending the Prequel Trilogy at The Mary Sue to comparing The Last Jedi to literary fiction at Tor.com to examining those other space adventures at StarTrek.com. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area, where he can be found playing old LucasArts adventure games with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @mikechenwriter.
ADAM CHRISTOPHER’s debut novel, Empire State, was SciFiNow’s Book of the Year and a Financial Times Book of the Year. His other novels include Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town, Made to Kill, and Seven Wonders. A contributor to the internationally bestselling Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View fortieth-anniversary anthology and IDW’s Star Wars Adventures comic, Christopher has also written the official tie-in novels for the hit CBS television show Elementary and the award-winning Dishonored videogame franchise. Born in New Zealand, Christopher has lived in Great Britain since 2006.
KATIE COOK is a writer and artist who has been involved in the Star Wars universe for over a decade. Her work includes illustrating the Star Wars children’s books ABC-3PO, OBI-123, Search Your Feelings, Creatures Big & Small, and Galactic Storybook as well as many Yoda doodles that have graced her homework papers throughout the ’80s and ’90s.
ZORAIDA CÓRDOVA is the author of many fantasy novels for kids and teens, including the award-winning Brooklyn Brujas series, Incendiary, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View and Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark. She is the co-editor of Vampires Never Get Old. Her debut middle-grade novel is The Way to Rio Luna. She is the co-host of the podcast Deadline City with Dhonielle Clayton. Zoraida was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and raised in Queens, New York. When she’s not working on her next novel, she’s finding a new adventure.
DELILAH S. DAWSON is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire, and Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon, as well as the Blud series, the Hit series, and the Shadow series, written as Lila Bowen. With Kevin Hearne, she co-writes the Tales of Pell. Her comics include Star Wars Adventures and Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, Firefly: The Sting, Marvel Action Spider-Man, Adventure Time, the X-Files Case Files, and Wellington, written with Aaron Mahnke of the Lore podcast, plus her creator-owned comics Ladycastle, Sparrowhawk, and Star Pig. She lives in Florida with her family and loves Ewoks, porgs, and gluten-free cake.
TRACY DEONN is a writer and second-generation f
angirl. She grew up in central North Carolina, where she devoured fantasy books and southern food in equal measure. Her debut contemporary fantasy novel, Legendborn, was named a 2020 Indies Introduce Selection and an Indie Next title for teens by the American Booksellers Association. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication and performance studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tracy worked in live theater, videogame production, and K–12 education. When she’s not writing, Tracy speaks on panels at science fiction and fantasy conventions, reads fanfic, arranges puppy playdates, and keeps an eye out for ginger-flavored everything.
SETH DICKINSON is the author of The Traitor Baru Cormorant, the forthcoming Exordia, and many short stories. Seth has also written lore for Destiny and Godfall and designed the open-source space opera Blue Planet. The use of the Force to interfere in the secular universe is inevitably corrupting, so all light-side Force users either become petty police or withdraw into Taoist meditation in search of absolute truth. This leaves the use of the Force as a political power to malevolent dark-side adepts, who can only be resisted by their light-side counterparts. The attempt to find a just yet enlightened resolution to this paradox is the heart of Star Wars. Seth dreams of becoming a muscular yet small-brained deepwater fish.
ALEXANDER FREED is the author of the Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron trilogy, Star Wars: Battlefront: Twilight Company, and Star Wars: Rogue One and has written many short stories, comic books, and videogames. Born near Philadelphia, he endeavors to bring the city’s dour charm with him to his current home of Austin, Texas.
JASON FRY is the New York Times bestselling author of the young-adult space-fantasy series The Jupiter Pirates, as well as Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and many other works set in a galaxy far, far away. He still thinks Luke should have run off with Han and Chewie to be a space pirate. Jason lives in Brooklyn with his wife, son, and about a metric ton of Star Wars stuff.
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