Chapters (57)
- Cover
- Doctor Aphra
- DRAMATIS PERSONAE
- SCENE 1
- SCENE 2
- SCENE 3
- SCENE 4
- SCENE 5
- SCENE 6
- SCENE 7
- SCENE 8
- SCENE 9
- SCENE 10
- SCENE 11
- SCENE 12
- SCENE 13
- SCENE 14
- SCENE 15
- SCENE 16
- SCENE 17
- SCENE 18
- SCENE 19
- SCENE 20
- SCENE 21
- SCENE 22
- SCENE 23
- SCENE 24
- SCENE 25
- SCENE 26
- SCENE 27
- SCENE 28
- SCENE 29
- SCENE 30
- SCENE 31
- SCENE 32
- SCENE 33
- SCENE 34
- SCENE 35
- SCENE 36
- SCENE 37
- SCENE 38
- SCENE 39
- SCENE 40
- SCENE 41
- SCENE 42
- SCENE 43
- SCENE 44
- SCENE 45
- SCENE 46
- SCENE 47
- SCENE 48
- SCENE 49
- SCENE 50
- SCENE 51
- SCENE 52
- SCENE 53
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Aphra taps her comm.
APHRA:
Aphra to Triple-Zero: Get yourself and your little murder buddy back to the Ark Angel! We’re about to get visitors.
TRIPLE-ZERO (on comm):
But mistress, I’m winning!
APHRA:
Now, Trip!
APHRA (narration):
Once again, it was time to run. Luckily, I’d already accomplished my mission for Vader—now I just had to stay alive long enough to tell him.
SCENE 31
INT. GAMBLING PARLOR. THE SPIRE. ANTHAN PRIME. MOMENTS LATER.
Atmosphere: The parlor has been overtaken by a massive firefight!
Aphra runs through, dodging blasts…
APHRA:
[muttering as she dodges]
Okay, okay, you got this…remember how excellent you are at staying alive. Just keep dodging all those blasts. Dodge! Dodge!
Ugh, how did this…escalate so quickly?
And why do I have a feeling my dearest darling murder robots had something to do with it?
A particularly explosive blast nearly takes Aphra out.
APHRA:
Arrrgh! Okay, Chelli: Just keep running. Legs. Move. Faster!
APHRA (narration):
Yeah, so. My dearest darling murder robots totally had something to do with it. But more on that later. The whole gambling den was in chaos—dealers bleeding out on the floor, panicked patrons scrambling for the exits, stormtroopers shooting at everything in sight…
As I pumped my arms and legs, my heart rate ratcheted upward, the infernal organ beating so hard and so loud, I thought it was going to beat its way clean out of my chest.
Exhilaration roared through my blood, forcing me to move even faster.
I’d managed to gather the info the Dark Lord needed. I was one step closer to gaining all his trust and learning all his secrets.
Now I just had to get outta here.
All of a sudden, The Ante’s voice rang out over the blasts…
THE ANTE:
That’s her!
APHRA (narration):
Why did I turn and look? Never look behind you. That’s one of my mottoes!
But The Ante’s voice distracted me momentarily…probably because I knew—I just knew—he was pointing right at me.
Oh, The Ante—and here I thought we were friends, you scummy, double-crossing nerf herder!
When I spared that split-second glance in his direction, I got another very unpleasant surprise.
The person he was pointing me out to?
None other than Darth Vader. Accompanied by a fussy-looking man who appeared to be held up by a ramrod-straight spine and the misguided belief that he’s always right.
Was this…the new adjutant? The babysitter? He wasn’t impressive looking at all. I was pretty sure I could take him in a fight—all I’d have to do is wrinkle his perfectly pressed uniform and he’d fall apart.
Whatever Lord Vader was up to, clearly our secret connection needed to stay a secret. Especially from Mr. Uptight Pants over there.
So I kept running.
And, thanks to The Ante, the stormtroopers turned all of their shoot-’em-up attention to me.
APHRA: