Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 7 Fight On The Rim C’baoth tilted back his head and laughs. It is the last thing I expected C’baoth to do and my surprise freeze my muscles. C’baoth choose that nano-second to attack. A small rock comes flying out of nowhere and strikes my right hand hard, with paralyzing force. The blaster goes flying into the dark height, as my right-hand flares with pain and goes numb. “Watch out!,” I call to Skywalker, as I drop to a crouch, and use my left hand to hunt around for my missing blaster. A second small rock flies passed my ear. Beside me is a snap-hiss, the rocky surface of the rim is bathed in vibrant emerald glow of Skywalker’s lightsaber. “Get behind the X-wing,” Skywalker calls to me. “I’ll hold him off.” The vornskr attack on Myrkr, Skywalker standing protectively above me, emerald lightsaber batting the vornskr back flashes through my mind. I open my mouth to remind Skywalker that blocking the blaster bolts will be challenging without the Force— Skywalker is already taking a long step outside the ysalamiri’s Force—empty bubble. Skywalker’s lightsaber swings horizontally, intercepting two more rocks with double crunch sounds. C’baoth is still laughing, raises his right hand, and sends a flash of blue lightning towards us. Skywalker catches the bolt on his lightsaber and the emerald blade is highlighted by a blue-corona. The second bolt shoots wide pass Skywalker, heading for me, and vanishes at the edge of ysalamiri’s empty bubble. Skywalker catches the third bolt of lightning on his blade. My left-hand searches for my blaster, while I keep track of Skywalker and C’baoth’s locations. I feel something metallic with my left hand, dive forward on the solid rock of the mountain’s rim, snatch up my blaster with my right hand, and spin on my knees to face C’baoth— Everything on the rim is lit up as a blinding flash of laser fire, like the rim is blowing up. I forgot Artoo again. He is still sitting in the droid socket of Skywalker’s X-wing. C’boath also forgot Artoo. “Skywalker?,” I call, as I blink and try to clear the purple haze from my eyes. I wrinkle my nose at the smell of ozone. It will not help me rescue Karrde if I shoot Skywalker after asking for his help. “Where are you?” “Over here by C’baoth,” Skywalker replies. “He’s still alive.” “We can fix that,” I growl. I carefully make my way through the steam and over the trenches that Artoo sherd into the volcanic rock with the X-wing’s laser cannons. I reach Skywalker, kneeling over C’baoth. The Jedi Master is unconscious but breathing steadily. “He was not even singed. Impressive,” I comment. “Artoo was not shooting to kill,” Skywalker replied as he moves his right hand’s fingertips over C’baoth’s forehead. “It was probably the sonic chock that got him.” “That, or getting knocked off his feet by the shock wave,” I agree as I point my blaster at C’baoth still form and gaze down the barrel. “Get out of the way. I’ll finish it.” Skywalker looks up at me with those vivid blue eyes. “We’re not going to kill him,” Skywalker tells me. “Not like this.” ‘I know that Skywalker is trying to explain to me that killing in general and definitely killing someone knocked out is not the Jedi way. I need Skywalker to understand my perspective, as well. After years of training to be the Emperor’s Hand, surviving the Emperor’s death, being kicked out of Imperial Center/Coruscant, years of surviving by my own wits. . .’ “Would you rather wait until he’s conscious again and can fight back?,” I dryly. “There’s no need to kill he at all,” Skywalker replies, determined to be understood. “We can be of Jomark long before he wakes up.” “You don’t leave an enemy at your back”, reply quietly, my face and emotions frozen in stone. “Not if you like living.” “He does not have to be an enemy, Mara,” Skywalker says earnestly. It is irritating to me that Skywalker is so certain his way is the right one. “He’s ill. Maybe he can be cured.” I grimace. “You didn’t hear the way he was talking before you showed up,” I reply. “He’s insane all right but that’s not all he is anymore. He’s a lot stronger, and a whole lot more dangerous.” I hesitate to explain then tell Skywalker, “C’baoth sounded just like the Emperor and Vader used to.” Skywalker listens attentively. His vivid blue eyes stay locked with my emerald eyes. A muscle in his right cheek gently twitches. “Vader was deep in the Darkside, too,” Skywalker comments. “He was able to break that hold and come back. Maybe C’baoth can do the same.” “I wouldn’t bet on it,” I reply. I holster my blaster because it is what Skywalker asks. We do not have time to debate this further. I need Skywalker’s help. Until I no longer need that help, Skywalker can veto issues like this one. “Just remember, it’s you back that’ll get the knife if you’re wrong.” “I know,” Skywalker replies, looks down at the insane Jedi Master again then gazes back at me. “You side that Karrde was in trouble.” “Yes,” I confirm and nod, I am thankful that we can talk about something else. Talking about C’baoth, the Emperor, and Vader reminds me of the dream that haunts me. “The Grand Admiral’s has taken Karrde. I need your help to get him out.” I expect an argument and having to negotiate. Skywalker surprises me by nodding in agreement and rising to stand beside me. “Okay,” Skywalker says quietly. “Let’s go. The lake is lit up by the night sky and the galaxy’s hundred billion stars. #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 6 Honorable Jedi “Yes, you did,” Skywalker replies he walks from the shadows along the front of the house and crosses the courtyard to us. “Then why are you here?” “Then why are you here?,” C’baoth demands. “I felt a disturbance in the Force,” Skywalker comments as he walks through the gate and out into the starlight. Skywalker is wearing his black Jedi robes, tunic, tall boots, and one glove. His young face and vivid blue eyes are expressionless. Skywalker gaze is fixed on me. “As if a battle were taking place nearby. Hello, Mara.” “Skywalker,” I say as my mouth goes dry. After everything I have been though, since I reach Jomark, it now dawns on me the complexity of what I must ask Skywalker. After I have told Skywalker that I will kill him someday, now I must convince Skywalker that I can be trusted more than a Jedi Master. “Look—Skywalk—” “Aren’t you aiming that at the wrong person?,” Skywalker asks gently. “I thought that I was the one you were gunning for.” I had nearly forgotten the blaster in my right hand, still pointed at C’baoth. I did not come here to kill you,” I tell Skywalker. It does not sound honest, even though in this moment I am being truthful. I do need Skywalker’s help, it is not a trick, and while Skywalker is helping me rescue Karrde, I will not try to kill Skywalker. With the ysalamiri on me back Skywalker cannot sense my emotions so I let some of those emotions show on me face. “Karrde’s in trouble with the Empire. I need your help to get him out.” “I see,” Skywalker replies to me then looks at C’baoth. “What happened here, Master C’baoth?” “What does it matter?,” C’baoth demands. “Despite her works just now, she did indeed come here to destroy you. Would you rather I had not stopped her?” I must explain myself, “Skywalker—," I begin. Skywalker gently holds up his right hand, with his open palm towards me, and I stop trying to explain. ‘We both understand the complex situation between us. Which has nothing to do with why I am here. Perfect.’ Skywalker’s eyes are still on C’baoth. “Did she attack you?,” Skywalker asks. “Or threaten you in away?” I look at C’baoth. . . and I feel cold, the air freezes in my lungs. C’baoth’s confidence was gone, he looks deadly, and this gazing at Skywalker. I will not need to convince Skywalker of C’baoth’s treachery either. Skywalker already knows about it. “What does it matter what her precise actions were?,” C’boath blazes emotionally in a cold voice. “What matters is that she is a living example of the danger I have been warning you of since arrival. The danger all Jedi face from a galaxy that hates and fears us.” “No, Master C’baoth,” Skywalker said, his voice quiet, almost gentle. “Surely you understand that the means are no less important than the ends. A jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” C’baoth scoffs. “platitude for the simple minded. Or for those with insufficient wisdom to make their own decisions. I am beyond such things, Jedi Skywalker. As you will be someday. If you choose to remain.” Skywalker shakes his head, “I’m sorry. I can’t. Skywalker turns back and starts walking towards me— “Then you turn your back on the galaxy,” C’boath tells Skywalker in an earnest voice, full of sincerity. “Only with our guidance and strength can they ever hope to achieve real maturity. You know that as well as I do.” Skywalker stops. “But you just said that they hate us. How can we teach people who don’t want our guidance?,” Skywalker asks. “We can heal the galaxy, Luke,” C’baoth said quietly. “Together, you and I can do it. Without us, there is no hope at all.” “Maybe Skywalker can heal the galaxy without you,” I say loudly, determined to stop the verbal spell C’baoth is creating I had seen the Emperor use this sort of thing. Skywalker’s eyelids are heavy enough already. Too heavy. Like mine had been . . . I step away from the X-wing and head for Skywalker. C’baoth moves, like he wants to stop me, but I keep my blaster trained on C’baoth, and he stops. I reach Skywalker, keep guarding us, and know without needed to look at Skywalker when he is in the Force empty bubble around my ysalamiri. Skywalker inhales sharply, his shoulders straighten, and he nods as if he understands the last piece of a puzzle. “Is that how you would heal the galaxy, Master C’baoth?,” Skywalker asks. “By coercion and deceit.” #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 5 Noble Astromech The other light turns off promptly. I blink in the darkness, as the purple blobs fade from my eyes, and hear a faint but unforgettable sound. An Artoo astromech warble. “Hey!,” I call softly. “You—Artoo. Are you Skywalker’s astromech? If you are, then you know who I am. We met on Myrkr—remember?” Artoo remembers me and replies with indignant tones. He is not fond of those memories. “Yes, well, skip all that,” I insist. “Your master is in trouble. I came to warn him.” Artoo makes a sarcastic electronic warble. “Its’s true,” I tell him as my eyes adapt to the dim light under the deep blue night sky, light by a hundred billion stars. I can see Skywalker’s X-Wing hovering on repulserlifts five meters above me, with the starboard laser cannons pointed at me. “I need to talk with Skywalker right away. Before that Jedi Master figures out that I am still alive and tries to rectify the situation.” I thought that Artoo would say something else sarcastic or even approve of the goal to kill me. Artoo stays silent. Perhaps he had seen the short battle between the Skipray and C’baoth’s boulder projectiles. “Yes, C’baoth tried to kill me. Nice and quiet, so your master wouldn’t notice anything and ask awkward questions.” Artoo asks me a question that I do not understand but I guess what he might asking. “Karrde’s been captured by Imperial sand I can’t get him out by myself. Karrde, in case you’ve forgotten, was the one who helped your friends set up an ambush against those stormtroopers who captured us on Myrkr, which helped Skywalker and you make it off planet.” Artoo snorts. “All right,” then,” I counter. “Don’t do it for Karrde or me. Take me up to the rim because otherwise your precious master won’t know until is too late, that his new teacher, C’baoth, is working for the Empire.” Artoo thinks about it. Skywalker’s x-wing slowly rotates the lasers away from me and slides closer. I holster my blaster, check the harness straps, and wonder how I will fit the frame into the X-wings’ cockpit. That will not be a problem. Artoo does not offer me access to the cockpit but levels a landing skid near me. “You must be joking,” I protest, gazing at the skid hovering at the waist height before me, and worry about the long drop into the caldera lake below. Artoo is serious. I take a deep breath and carefully climb aboard. “Okay,” I call up to Artoo when my arms and legs wrapped around the skid securely. “Let’s go, and watch out for flying rocks.” Artoo eases the X-wing away from the cliff and begins to move upward. I mentally prepare for another attack and hang onto the X-wing more tightly, waiting for C’baoth to resume his attack. We reach the rim without difficulty. Artoo set the X-wing gently down and I see the shadowy figure of a man, wrapped in a cloak standing by the house fence line. “You must be C’baoth,” I say as I slide down from the land skid and unholster my blaster. “You always greet your visitors this way?” He does not speak and the dark hood hiding his face gives me an eerie sense of deja vu. Years ago, when I was a young child, the Emperor had looked the same way on the night he took me from my home. . . “I have no visitors except lackeys from Grand Admiral Thrawn,” C’baoth replied. “All others are, by definition, intruders.” “What makes you think I’m not with the Empire?,” I ask. “In case it escaped your notice, I was following the Imperial beacon on that island down there when you knocked me out of the sky.” I can dimly see C’baoth smiling in his hood from the ambiance of the stars above us. “A what precisely does that prove? Merely that others can play with the grand Admiral’s toys. “Do others have access the Grand Admiral’s ysalamiri, too?,” I demand and wave my left hand at the frame on my back. “Enough. The Grand Admiral—” “The Grand Admiral is your enemy,” C’baoth snaps. “Don’t insult me with childish denials, Mara Jade. I saw it in your mind as you approached. Did you really believe that you could take my Jedi away from me? I swallow and shiver. The night air is cold and colder feeling creeps through me. Thrawn said that C’baoth was insane and I can hear the unstable edge of madness in his voice. There is a—hard steel, ruthlessness, calculating, sense of supreme power, and underlying confidence. The last time I heard someone speak like this it was the Emperor. I force myself to remain calm. “I need Skywalker’s help,” tell him. “All I need to do is borrow him for a little while.” And then you’ll return him?,” C’baoth countered cynically. I clench my teeth, “I’ll have Skywalker’s help, C’baoth. Whether you like it or not.” A ghostly smile crosses his face. “Oh no, Mara Jade,” he says softly. You are mistaken. Do you truly believe that simply because you stand in the middle of an empty space in the Force that I am powerless against you?” ”There’s also this,” I add as I draw my blaster and aim at C’baoth’s chest. He does not move but the air around me tenses. “No one points a weapon at me with impunity,” C’baoth says with quiet menace. “You will pay for this one day.” “I will take my chances,” I respond as I move to place my back against the starboard s-foils of Skywalker’s X-wing. Artoo is beeps thoughtfully from above and to my left, still in the starfighter’s droid socket. “Do you want to stand aside and let me pass?,” I ask C’baoth. “Or do we do this the hard way?” C’baoth studies me. “I could destroy you, you,” C’baoth conversationally. “Right there where you stand, before you even know the attack was coming. But I won’t. Not now. I’ve felt your presence over the years, Mara Jade, the rising and falling of your power after the Emperor’s death took most of your strength away. And now I’ve seen you in my meditations. Someday you will come to me, of your own free will. “I’ll take my chances on that one, too,” reply. “You don’t believe me,” C’baoth replies. “But you shall. The future is fixed, my young would-be Jedi, as is your destiny. Some day you will kneel before me. I have foreseen it.” “I wouldn’t trust foreseeing all that much if I were you,” I counter as I gaze at the darked building and consider shooting Skywalker’s name. “The Emperor did a lot of that too. It didn’t help him much in the end.” “Perhaps I am wiser than the Emperor was,” C’baoth comments. He turns and says, “I told you to go to your chambers.” “Yes, you did,” the familiar voice of Skywalker replies. He walks from the shadows along the front of the house and crosses the courtyard to us. “Then why are you here?,” C’boath comments. He turns and says, “I told you to go to your chambers.” #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 4 Daring Maneuver Wishing myself luck, I tilt the Skipray up and gently tease the sublight drive. This side of the rim is lit up. I fly along the rugged outcropping of the rim, light and shadow shift over the uneven rock, vertical faces, and thin soil along the edges of the caldera. The Skipray rises and surges forward. I lower the nose a bit, ease back on the five, balance and steady the Skipray. The concentration makes me glisten with sweat, as I keep the Skipray level on the drive. If C’baoth suspects my plan, he will not need much effort to finish me. I clench my teeth. Keep track of the ledge on the rim cliff, the Skipray drive speed, easing off the throttle, and angle for the ledge. I almost do not make it. Ten meters out from the ledge, the Skipray’s drive trail strikes the cliff face below. The heat ignites the rock and the Skipray is sheathed in white fine. I continue forward, trying to tune out the sound warning alarms as the hull heats, and I strain to see past the flames. I hold my course, focus on reaching, no second thoughts— a few more seconds and the drive could burn away too much of the ledge for me to land. Five meters left, the temperature in the cockpit is rising. . . there is a terrible screech as the Skipray’s ventral fin scrapped against the ledge. I cut the drive, brace, and without repulsors the ship drops hard. The tail hits first, the Skipray balances for a moment, flops forward, and lands on its skids. I breath, flex my fingers, wipe the sweat from my forehead, and systematically work through the readouts. The airsstilting maneuver was shown to me by my old instructor, who said to save it for a last resort. Now I understand why. Thankfully it is only the landing skids and ventral fin are damage. The engines, hyperdrive, life-support, and hull made it with minimal damage. I powered back the ship systems to active ready and unstrap. Exhaling in relief, I rise carefully, and check myself for injuries that my adrenaline might be helping me ignore. I am fine. A few scrapes and bruises, that I see to, but nothing serious. I stretch, walk around a little, work the soreness out of my shoulders and me back after the long flight. The cockpit is hot and stuffy, getting outside into the night air will be a relief. I unwedge the ysalamiri frame, lift it to my shoulders, and head to the back of the ship. I cannot use the main port hatch because it is over the cliff edge and the caldera lake. A secondary option is the hatch behind the dorsal laser cannon. It is tricky to scale up the ladder with the ysalamiri and his frame strapped to my back. The frame catches several times but we make it out with a few tricky maneuvers. I climb onto the upper hull, roasting after the complicated landing. An icy cold wind blows hard over the lake, whips my hair around, and is a blessing. I leave the hatch propped open so the Skipray can cool while I am gone. Gazing up the cliff face, am dismayed that I miscalculated. The ledge is not ten of fifteen meters below the caldera rim. I am fifty meters down. The gigantic size of the caldera and the insane series of events that lead to the hard landing through off my perception. “Nothing like a little exercise after a long trip,” I tell myself. I reach into my belt pack, pull my glow rod out of its sheath, turn it on, and shine it up the route that I must take in my assent. This climb will not be fun with the ysalamiri frame on my back and the ysalamiri making it top heavy. I can still do it. Sorting through my pack, I choose polypropylene strap and secure the glow rod to the shoulder strap of my pack. My black long sleeve shirt, black trousers, tall black boots, and knee guards will make this easier, and not let me get scraped up too much. I take my black groves from my belt, slide them on, find handholds, and start to climb. Barely two meters up, a blaze of light makes the rock face before me glow blinding white. Shock passes though me, I lose my grip on the out-cropping handholds, and slide back down again. I recover as I drop, draw my blaster, land on the Skipray in a crouch, and am ready to fight. I squint up at the twin blinding fire my blaster, and take out the left light. #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 3 Dangerous Descent The Skipray’s proximity ping blares around me and I snap awake. “What?,” I demand, looking around the display for the source of the danger. The Skipray was listing on its starboard side, control surfaces fighting valiantly trying to keep me from spinning out and crashing. I am somehow deep in the atmosphere, far passed the point where I should have switched from sublight engines to repulserlifts. I clench my teeth, make the switch, give the sensors map a quick gaze, assessing where I am currently. I was only out for two minutes but at the speed the Skipray is moving being inattentive for a few seconds could be fatal. I grind my knuckles against my eyes, fight the sleep dragging at me, as sweat beads up on my forehead. My old flight instructor had warned me that flying while half asleep was the quickset and meanest way to get yourself killed. If I had crashed here on Jomark it would have been my fault. . . Or could I blame that dream which continues to follow me? I level off the Skipray, check that there are no smaller peaks rise into the Skipray’s path between us and the vast mountain and switch on the autopilot. The ysalamiri and nutrients frame backpack are near the aft hatchway, attached to the engine access panel. I unstrap, rise, and head back— I gasp and straighten. My connection to the Force vanishes as I enter the ysalamiri’s effect bubble. Along with the fatigue I felt from a four-day battle that I had not fought. I grimly smile. So, I was right. Thrawn’s insane Jedi Master doesn’t want me to disturb Skywalker and him. “Nice try,” I call as I unhook the ysalamiri frame from the access panel, carry the frame back to the cockpit, wedge the frame between a control panel and my seat. I can see the rim of the mountains surrounding the lake on the electropulse scanners. Infrared picks up a structure on the far side, with two lifeform readings. Likely, Skywalker and the insane Jedi Master. The sensors confirm this by picking up a small mass of spaceship grade metal just outside the dwelling, Skywalker’s X-wing. No weapon insulations or defensive shields come online at my approach on either the rim of the mountain’s caldera or the island below me. Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth must believe that he is above needing something as primitive as turbolasers. . . Perhaps C’baoth can defend himself in other ways. I tuck in my shoulders, am on alert for danger, and take my Skipray in. Nothing challenges me as I head across the lake. . . until something strikes the underside of the Skipray and we jolt up a few centimeters from impact. A second object hits the Skipray shortly after the first. The ventral fin gets bashes by the impact and the Skipray begins to angle hard to starboard. By the third impact, I know what is hitting the Skipray. Not missiles or laser blasts. Small, fast-moving percentiles. Rock. Most of the Skipray’s sensors are too sophisticated to detect. The fourth rock takes the repulserlifts offline and the Skipray starts to fall. I swear. Switch the Skipray’s still functioning controls to glide mod. Take a contour scan of the cliff face below the structure. I will not be able to land on the rim. The high out cropping with the house has a narrow area where I could land. Even without repulserlifts, I could possibly make the tricky land. With a Jedi Master fight me, the location is too dangerous for me. Landing on the island is an opinion as well, have distance so I can make plans, but I would have trouble getting back to the rim. If I tried landing in the mountain range running from north to south, the trek back would take time. Conceding that I have lost this round, switch back to the main drive engines, head back up into orbit, and go after Karrde alone is another alternative but not one that I can choose. I need Skywalker’s help and I refuse to give up. Looking back down, I study the contour scan. Rocks have stopped flying at me. The Jedi Master is waiting to see if the Skipray will crash without needing no effort from him. I might be able to convince him that I am not going to make it, with some luck and ingenuity. Without hurting the Skipray in the attempt. I just need s good rock formation. . . There. One third of the way down the rim is a ledge, with a solid arch above it. The Skipray will have enough room to fit. I just have to reach it. #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 2 A Complex Situation ‘This time things will change because I am going to kill Luke Skywalker.’ I look out at the hyperspace around the Skipray and complete waking up. ‘No, that does not make sense. I am not going to kill Luke Skywalker. I am going to ask him for help.’ I feel the deep contrast of those statement and my spirit is unsettled by it. For years I have dreamed about avenging the Emperor’s death by killing Skywalker. To the New Republic Skywalker is their hero. To the Empire Skywalker was the person who walked into the Emperor’s Throne Room with Darth Vader, and of those three people only Skywalker is still alive. There were reports from Death Star II pilots, who claim they saw Skywalker and Vader making their way through the station, towards the hanger bays, and Vader’s Lambda shuttle. . . Then there are the days Skywalker and I walking in the Myrkr forest to consider. I could have killed Skywalker then and there after we crashed. I was going to take Skywalker back to our compound. When the stormtroopers arrived, I did not want Thrawn to capture Skywalker or be alerted to my presence. Then I did needed Skywalker and his Artoo’s help to get through the jungle and for both of them to play along to match Karrde’s story. I shot many vornskrs who wanted to kill Skywalker. Skywalker and Artoo saved me from the vornskr who tried to kill me. I reasoned it was payback for not killing Skywalker at the crash site. This situation is complicated and messy. There is no one else I can ask for help with this task. ‘No argument,’ I tell myself determinedly. ‘I have to do this. Skywalker owes Karrde this much for not handing him over to the Empire. Later, when Karrde is free, I can still kill Skywalker. . . Which is a terrible thought. To ask for help then betray the person who helped you. However, I owe the Emperor vengeance for his death. I owe Karrde for giving me a place to belong and a group of loyal friends. Those takes priority.’ The proximity alarm increases its ping tone, thirty seconds until I should exit hyperspace. I hold the hyperdrive levers with my right hand. Seconds pass and I watch the indictor count down to zero, and gently push the levers back. Hyperspace shifts to starlines then the blackness of space dotted by the light of distant stars. Before me is the dark sphere of Jomark. I wish myself luck, tap the comm key, and put in the code I retrieved on Thrawn’s Star Destroyer. Thrawn’s officers are thankfully still using standard Imperial guidance transponders. The location flashes on the displays. At the top of a vast mountain, is an open caldera five miles across, and a blue lake. The lake is 600 meters deep, reflecting the light blue of the sky, deepens the color to royal blue. In the middle of the lake is an island, with the Imperial beacon, and the lake passing into twilight. I type in the code once more, confirm that the island is the location of the beacon, switch to sublight drives, and head down. The vision of the Emperor returns, filling my field of vision. . . #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

Asking A Skywalker For Help Part 1 The Dark Dream I settle into the Skipray’s cockpit and feel a sense of déjà vu course through me. Permission is granted to depart, I take off, leave orbit, and make the jump to hyperspace. I was in a Skipray exactly like this one a few weeks ago, flying perilously fast over the forests of Myrkr in pursuit of Skywalker. In a strange twist of fate, I am chasing after Luke Skywalker. This time I do not want to capture or kill him. I am going to plead for Skywalker’s help. . . The Emperor stands before me, his face partly hidden by the hood of his robe, and his yellow glow in the dim light. His lips move but I cannot hear him. Around us alarms are blaring, my blood races, I am cold with dread than am boiling hot. I know what is about to happen and my body begins to panic. Darth Vader looms before me and at his side is Luke Skywalker, cloaked in black Jedi robes. They face the Emperor, turn to each other, and ignited their lightsabers. The saber cross, blazing red against vibrant emerald, Vader and Skywalker assumed fighting stances. . . spun away and head for the Emperor at a brisk pace. They dive at the Emperor with deafening roars of hatred, as alarms continue to blare. My voice cries out, as adrenaline races through me, I surge forward and try to reach my Master in time to help him. As always, it is too far and my body cannot move fast enough. I scream at Vader and Skywalker but they do not hear me. They fan out to either side of the Emperor. . . raise their lightsabers high. Time slows to almost a stand still. The Emperor turns, locks eyes with me, and there is so much unsaid in that gaze. I hold the gaze, even through I have seen this countless times and desperately want to look away. I can’t turn away from the Emperor and am frozen in place. Unable to move. The Emperor transfers a thousand thoughts and feeling to me. I share his pain, fear, and rage. It slams into me too fast for me to control it. The Emperor lifts his hands, sending cascades of blue-white lightning at Vader and Skywalker. They stumble back. For a moment it looks as if the Emperor will finally win. I feel agonizing hope that the dream will finish differently this time. Unfortunately, fate is not that kind. Vader and Skywalker straighten, dive forward with yells of rage, raise their brilliant red and vibrant emerald lightsabers above their heads. . . ‘YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!’ I dive forward, away from the thundering words, and wake up with the Skipray’s restraints digging into me. I pull myself out of the dream, breath hard, and fight back the vision of those two sabers. The Skipray’s cockpit feels like it is closing in around me. For a moment I experience claustrophobia. My skin begins to glisten with sweat, from far away there is the pinging of a proximity alert. That dream has returned. It has followed me across the galaxy for five years. The dream is always the same scenario, that plays out in the same way, and the Emperor’s eyes plead for me help. #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #MaraJade #Artoo #Cbaoth #DarkForceRising #TimothyZahn #Jomark #MtMazama #CascadeRange #Oregon

A view of Mount Rainier as seen from Chinook Pass. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington State – 2025 #CascadeRange #AlpineWilderness #LandscapePhotography

#MtShasta in #NorCal is an imposing presence by its namesake city. Its views are never disappointing! #ShastaDam #Redding #SFBay #California #CraterLake #SanFrancisco #IceClimbing #Sacramento #MtWhitney #DenaliPark #Oregon #Hydrology #MountShastaCA #stratovolcano #CascadeRange

Earthquake swarm detected beneath Mount Rainier, Washington watchers.news/2025/07/08/ear… #EQswarm #earthquakes #volcano #mountrainier #washington #cascaderange

This is my acrylic painting with a scenic view overlooking the magnificent Crater Lake. fineartamerica.com/featured/…  #mattstarrfineart #art #paintings #gift #gifts #tshirts #apparel #homedecor #craterlake #lake #lakes #park #mountain #mountains #volcano #oregon #cascaderange

In Geology ✔️ Lassen Volcanic National Park: Where Fire and Ice Sculpted a Volcanic Wonderland Lassen Volcanic National Park home to steaming fumaroles and rugged peaks, is a living laboratory of volcanic activity. What geological forces shaped this dynamic landscape, and why is it a window into Earth’s fiery past? Formation Story Lassen’s story begins millions of years ago in the Cascade Range, where subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath North America fueled volcanism. About 825,000 years ago the region saw the rise of the Brokeoff Volcano, a massive stratovolcano. Over time erosion and glacial carving dismantled it, leaving remnants like Brokeoff Mountain. In the last 30,000 years smaller volcanic centers, including Lassen Peak, emerged. Lassen’s 1914–1917 eruptions marked by lava flows and ash clouds, revealed the park’s ongoing volcanic vigor, shaping its modern terrain of cinder cones, lava fields, and hydrothermal sites. Geological Information Lassen Volcanic National Park, located in Northern California, spans 106,000 acres and sits in the southern Cascade Range. Its geology is dominated by volcanic and hydrothermal features, shaped by tectonic and glacial processes. Volcanic Features Lassen Peak (10,457 ft): A dacite dome volcano, formed ~27,000 years ago, it erupted explosively in 1915, producing ash falls and pyroclastic flows. Cinder Cones Chaos Crags and Cinder Cone, formed in the last 1,200 years, showcase recent volcanism with basaltic and andesitic compositions. Lava Fields The Fantastic Lava Beds and Devastated Area preserve flows from Lassen’s eruptions. Hydrothermal Activity Areas like Bumpass Hell and Sulphur Works feature boiling springs, mudpots, and fumaroles, driven by magma-heated groundwater. These are remnants of the Brokeoff Volcano’s geothermal system. Rock Types The park includes andesite, dacite, and basalt lavas, alongside pyroclastic deposits and glacial till. Older metamorphic rocks (pre-Cretaceous) underlie the volcanic sequence. Glacial Influence Pleistocene glaciers carved U-shaped valleys and left moraines, shaping landmarks like Lake Helen and Emerald Lake. Tectonic Setting Lassen lies at the convergence of the Cascadia Subduction Zone and Basin and Range extension, driving its volcanism and faulting. The park’s geology reflects a balance of constructive (volcanic) and destructive (erosional, glacial) forces, making it a key site for studying active volcanic processes. Interesting Fact Lassen Peak’s 1915 eruption was one of the first volcanic events in the U.S. to be photographed extensively, providing a rare visual record of Cascade volcanism and aiding early volcanic research. Have you explored Lassen’s hydrothermal fields or hiked its volcanic trails? Share your experience ✔️ or tell us which volcanic feature you’d most like to see in this geological gem! #LassenVolcanic #Geology #CascadeRange #Volcanism Discovering The Planets on Earth: The Lassen Volcanic Adventure youtu.be/PlTDq4Vhkf4 Lassen Volcanic National Park: A Geological Marvel youtube.com/shorts/7HwhfRyc0…

Understanding the near-surface environment where atmospheric and solid earth processes interact, often termed the “Critical Zone,” is important for assessing resources and building resilient societies. A team of geoscientists recently examined a volcanic landscape in the Oregon Cascade Range, an understudied Critical Zone setting that is host to major regional water resources, pervasive silicate weathering, and significant geohazards. By leveraging a bedrock age chronosequence they show that the volcanic Critical Zone undergoes a structural shift, from depth extents of >1 km to meters, over timescales of 1 My, and ultimately map an active groundwater volume comparable to major continental lakes, stored at the Cascade Range crest. Learn more here: geosociety.co/OC #CascadeRange #Aquifer #Hydrogeology #EarthScience

#ICYMI Hidden magma discovered beneath dormant Cascade Range volcanoes buff.ly/3CsYy5z #cascaderange #dormantvolcano #magma #research

Hidden magma discovered beneath dormant Cascade Range volcanoes buff.ly/3CsYy5z #cascaderange #dormantvolcano #magma #research

Massive underground aquifer discovered beneath Oregon’s Cascade Range buff.ly/40ApvMC #cascaderange #aquifer #oregon #research

"Nature's masterpiece: Sunlight paints the valleys of Mount Rainier, a testament to the enduring beauty of the Pacific Northwest." mountrainier #nationalpark #washington #mountain #landscape #nature #hiking #pnw #pacificnorthwest #travel #adventure #explore #beautiful #volcano #glacier #wildflowers #outdoors #photography #wanderlust #cascaderange

Hey @MtStHelensWA you were looking gorgeous today #mtsthelens #mountsainthelens #cascaderange #pnw #volcano #lavadome #giffordpinchot #washington

#Northern #California - #BlackButte #MtShasta #CascadeRange

❓How do we know what we know? ❓How do we know what we don't know? An excellent example of #DisciplinaryKnowledge in the making, incl a Plain Language Summary ongoing value of #MSH #CascadeRange case studies 🙏 @Penny_Wieser #TectonicHazards #HazardManagement #GeographyTeacher