Free Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: All Creatures Great and Small by Landry Q. Walker Page B

story,” Bobbajo began, gently beckoning to the children. They slowly gathered before him, forgetting their troubles—if only for the moment. “This story…begins with thetiniest of creatures…facing the greatest of enemies….”

S MEEP—A TINY, six-legged mouselike mammal known as a thwip—skittered through the long air duct, panting from the heat. It was a taxing journey, but the thwip knew it would all be over soon. Smeep passed an open grate, her four tiny eyes noticing movement in the hallway below. There was a Wookiee in sight—a tall, fur-covered arboreal species from Kashyyyk. It wore a bandolier across its chestand was being escorted by two stormtroopers. It was an interesting sight, but it meant absolutely nothing to Smeep.
    What was important was her mission.
    The thwip reached a junction guarded by a tiny internal systems probe droid, no more than seven centimeters tall. The droid was a standard anti-espionage unit designed by Arakyd Industries. They floated throughout the air ducts, defendingagainst intruders and reporting any unusual findings.
    Smeep froze, but it was too late. The probe droid scanned the tiny, furry mammal, reporting its sensor findings back to the computer to which it answered. From there, a technician would review the data and see what had triggered the scan.
    Luckily, the probe droid was designed to neutralize high-tech infiltrators, usually of the espionageclass. It had no programming capable of handling a member of the rodent family, and with a lack of specific instructions, decided to continue its patrol.
    Once the probe had sped away, the thwip continued on her journey. Smeep was close, very close. Three, maybe four more ducts and she would reach the paneling and the wires she needed to chew through. Then—
    The sound of a barrage of blasterfire suddenly thundered through the ducts. Somewhere nearby there was shooting and yelling. The thwip didn’t care for that, both because her sensitive hearing was easily overwhelmed and because it meant she might be discovered before she completed her mission.
    From below, a hail of sparks burned through the duct. Whatever was happening nearby was dangerous. Smeep ran. One duct…two ducts…athird, and then a left turn toward the next detention block, and down the narrow space between the outer walls, finally reaching the exposed wires…
    More blaster fire. Smeep shuddered, hoping that whatever was happening didn’t involve the adorably large Wookiee she had noticed earlier. She got to work chewing on the wires. First a red…then a blue…then another red…then—
    Smeep jumped backas a spark erupted from the wires. Success. There was a hissing sound as a nearby door opened, and the thwip hurried back up to the duct and over to a nearby grate. Seeing the cell door open, she dropped down and scurried over to find her friend, the captive she had sought to release from the clutches of the Empire and its sinister Death Star—a wizened Nu-Cosian named Bobbajo.

W AIT A MINUTE,” interrupted the skeptical Jol Bengim, the Chevin’s gigantic lips flapping with disbelief. “The Death Star? Storyteller…of all the tall tales you have told, this one must be the tallest!”
    P’nll Vun narrowed his beady black eyes. “I must admit…your story strains credulity. And even if you were there, how could you know what the thwip saw? How would it wander free while youwere trapped in an Imperial holding cell?”
    As Bobbajo raised one hand and opened his mouth to answer, a loud crash shook the building.
    “Those cursed slavers…” muttered a shifty-eyed human named Xavi Brightsun, his brow creased with anxiety.
    One of the children, a human girl named Myette, frowned deeply. Engrossed in the story, she had completely forgotten about the perilous situationin which they found themselves.
    Bobbajo looked about the room, sensing the deep fear and frustration in his audience. So, like any good storyteller, he continued to speak….

B OBBAJO AMBLED