From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back by various (Part 1/8)

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back by various (Part 1/8)

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Oh my goodness!!! I'm 10 short stories in and already have been utterly blown away by the writing in this collection of 40 short stories!! I am SO happy they decided to bring back such an epic endeavor for Empire Strikes Back and that it wasn't just a one-off for A New Hope. Now I need this for EVERY Star Wars movie. It's just such a brilliant method of storytelling that really digs deep into the lore, the action, the emotions, the people--it's about a lot more than just filling in gaps and backstory. It's instead more about fleshing out the world and making it fuller and richer and more immersive. Ahh!!! I cannot wait to dive back into reading this book even while sitting here typing this out!

Note: I am planning on doing 5 short stories per review which leads me to 8 reviews total. These will be released on my typical Wednesdays and Fridays (Mondays are currently reserved for "The Mandalorian" reviews) but there is a possibility I might release 2 reviews on one day--just depends on how quickly I can read through the book, how much free time I have, and how much I get done with other obligations. Regardless, I'll be releasing at least 1 5-short story review every Wednesday and Friday until I've gone through the entire collection. This is going to be a BLAST!!

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"Eyes of the Empire" by Kiersten White

This was a wonderful story to start off the collection with. Maela is an Imperial whose job is to survey all the footage the probe droids pick up, looking for signs of Rebels. She grew up on Vulpter (in the Deep Core) with a mother who actually helped build the probe droids, stoking her fascination of how the probes could travel to a wide array of planets and see the galaxy. Their technical name are "Vipers" and all together, they are referred to as "the Swarm." Maela thinks about how "She had spent so long with the Vipers, infinite rows of them, round domes and legs like jointed tentacles. She used to stare into their blank black eyes and wonder where they would go. What they would see. Now she saw everything." "She would walk down the lines of droids, hanging like fruit from mechanical vines, making certain she saw herself in every single eye. That way, when they went out into the galaxy, flung to places and planets she would never visit, at least part of her would be taken. A ghost in her mother's machines." Such beautiful writing and such a beautiful take on the probe droids themselves. This is the kind of thing these FACPOV collections are so freaking good at!

The other characters making up the Swarm transmission recovery and processing unit include Lorem, a girl who excels at multi-tasking while steadily chattering and seems to enjoy looking through the data; Dirjo Harch, a man with "sour expressions and [a] pinched personality" who's infuriated that he's been stuck with such a task; and Azier, an older man who it appears may have been put on this job for punishment.

There's reference made to the "Deep Core" as being backward and redneckish. This leaves me confused since the Deep Core is very close to Coruscant and thus would be in the most forward and metropolitan part of the galaxy. Is it because the Deep Core is sparsely populated and a hazard for ships to fly through that the people are considered to be country bumpkins? Hmmm...

Maela ends up being the actual person who discovers the generators on Hoth!! She finds the Rebels through the machines that mean so much to her. And she aches to go to Hoth, to see its snowy majesty. Instead, a few days later, the Imperials set off for the planet and decimate the Rebel base, leaving Maela to wake up to death and destruction. "She had flung herself through the stars, and she had thought all she was doing was seeing. But an eye was never just an eye. It was connected to a body. She was the eyes of the Empire. And its hands had done this because of her." Poor girl now feels the burden of the Imperial version of morality weighing down on her shoulders. But this epiphany isn't the end of Maela's story!! On the very last page, something truly wonderful and exciting happens involving a brilliant canon connection. Oh my goodness, it gave me chills!

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"Hunger" by Mark Oshiro

This is the Wampa's story! Poor thing's home was in the caves that the Rebels found and excavated!! *tear* He had gone off on a long journey to capture food (his favorite prey being Tauntauns, but apparently other smaller creatures existed on the icy planet) to bring back to his clan and upon his return home, found it taken over! No wonder he was so upset and angry when Luke came by on the Tauntaun. Not only had his home been overrun by unfamiliar creatures, but he couldn't find his family!! They had been run off by the new creatures, leaving the Wampa forlorn and desperate. In fact, the Wampa found in the tunnels of Echo Base (the crazed beast who killed and maimed many) was the very same Wampa who attacked Luke. He wasn't looking for food when he attacked from inside the base, he was literally searching for his family! 

His family specifically included several cubs, their mother, and a den-mate. I'm super confused about the whole "den-mate" thing. The story makes it fairly clear that the mother and the den-mate are two different Wampas, but why would they need 3 adult Wampas in a clan? It never really made sense to me even as the story continued. 

An interesting fact about his original home (and therefore Echo Base) is that perhaps Jedi used to live there in some capacity!!! "Someone had once lived here, and the strange things they had left behind were proof of that. Hard objects, not stone or bone or ice, that he had never seen before were strewn about the caves, along with the rotting remains of whatever these beasts consumed." Once Luke brandishes his lightsaber, the Wampa "sniffed and caught a scent of the same sharp odor of the debris scattered around his former home. Was that what this creature held?" Hmmm... There were definitely weapons of some kind littered around his original home. Quite an intriguing connection.

Once we get to the actual attack, it's funny to see Luke be called "scrawny," "the smallest of them all," and "the gangly creature." Hahaha! Once Luke is caught, the way the Wampa was able to stick him to the ceiling of his temporary cave was by using "his breath to melt the ice at the top of the cavern. He licked the odd material at the end of [Luke's] legs, spread as much saliva as he could over it, and then held it against the wetness above." Yuck but pretty awesome, too!!

The story goes all the way past the battle with the Empire, and the Wampa realizes that with the strange creatures gone, he just might get back both his home and his family. Here's hoping!!!

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"Ion Control" by Emily Skrutskie

This story is all about Toryn Farr of ion control's grit, determination, and passion for being the best Rebel she can be! But it's also about her doubts on whether or not the Rebels have even a shot in hell of winning the fight. "Why are we fighting? There's no hope left for the Rebellion. The Empire has whittled us away into nothing. Even if every blow we strike strikes true, even if every shot we fire hits its target, they'll keep coming until we're dust beneath their boots." But as Echo Base falls down around her, she grabs on to the little things and keeps trucking on, knowing that with even something as simple as barrack's gossip, she can continue to fight another day.

Toryn is from Chandrila and has a sister named Samoc (Rogue Six) who's three years younger than her. Samoc finds Hoth "beautiful, in an austere kind of way" while Toryn finds it an excruciating place to hideout. 

Apparently, there's a betting pool on whether or not Han will get shot down by Leia once he reveals his feelings to her!! Hahaha!! I freaking love this. Most people were betting against the smuggler. One person even says about the bet, "We have to know what happens--this is my Boonta Eve Classic." Ha!!

Other Rebel officers include: Captain Serper, Corporal Sunsbringer, Lieutenant Navander, and Commander Chiffonage. Some foods the Rebels eat include "tough, oversalted cave lichen." The first GR-75 Rebel transport to escape Hoth was the Quantum Storm and the last was the Bright Hope. The ion cannon Toryn controls is a v-150 Planet Defender and it manages to get a clean shot in at the Star Destroyer Tyrant as the Quantum Storm makes a clean get away.

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"A Good Kiss" by C. B. Lee

This one was SO GOOD!!!!! Not only does it have a gay male flirtation throughout, but it's an adorable interaction that had me giddy with excitement! The story centers around Chase Wilsorr, a Rebel man who works in the kitchens and has been denied from sentry duty time and time again...after already having been kicked out of the Engineering Corps for his clumsiness. He even listens to self-help tapes in the form of an audio recording of the Mirialan Raysi Anib's book Be Your Best Self to try to get him through the day and maintain his motivation. Chase is from Takodana and has been with the Rebellion since at least Yavin IV. Over this period of time he has steadily been knocked down peg after peg until all that remains is kitchen duty and "essential delivery" (a.k.a. delivering caff and food to Rebels who can't leave their posts).

The story really gets juicy once we come into contact with Jordan Smythe (the newest Tauntaun handler). Jordan brags on Chase's ability to run items super efficiently and in taking his caff out of Chase's hands, "Chase blinks, distracted by the brief warmth of Jordan's fingers brushing against his" before Chase quickly jets his hand into his pocket, nervous. So cute!! Then we get from Chase, "Chase watches the lock of hair fall back into sideswept ebony curls, captivated by the movement, by Jordan himself, at the way his muscles are straining through his thin long-sleeved shirt." The whole flirtation is just precious! Chase even secretly pours Jordan's coffee into his own insulated thermos to keep it warm just for the object of his attraction. There's also a weapons lesson courtesy of Jordan, "He readjusts Chase's grip, his callused hands warm against Chase's own. Chase's throat goes dry. [...] Jordan squeezes his hands and gives him an apologetic smile before reholstering his blaster." And later, "Chase likes the way words fit in Jordan's mouth, like they're round with delight, his deep accent making ordinary words sparkle with Jordan's quick-witted amusement." Ahhhh!! So many giddy girly squeals.

Of course this story is also about the conversation between Han and Leia in the hallways of Echo Base when Han says, "You could use a good kiss!" "Chase has seen them pretend to argue all over the base; in the mess halls, in corridors, in the hangar. Not that the argument against fickleberries baked on meat pies was without merit--Chase is clearly for combining savory and sweet and loves that Alderaanian custom--but honestly, to drag it out for an hour just to annoy the other person is too much. And now they're in his way. Can't they flirt somewhere else? He's got a job to do." Hahaha!!! And "Don't attractive people have anything better to do than to taunt everyone else on the base with their unresolved tension?" This is all just too good!!

Then the Imperials are on top of the base and everything starts going to hell around Chase as he runs through the corridors he knows like the back of his hand to save everyone he can. There's one person he hasn't heard from, and that's...Jordan!!! Upon running to the Tauntaun pens, he finds his crush and whisks him to safety aboard the Bright Hope. And as they sit inside the transport, awaiting take off, Chase leans into Jordan and repeats Han's famous line, "You look like you could use a good kiss." Jordan replies with, "I thought you'd never ask." D'awww!!! So stinking cute!!!

Other characters include Joenn and Rainn Poras (bunkmates of Chase), Major Monnon of the Alliance Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant Harlize Dana of the kitchen, Marinna Reynolds and Oriss Khan (his old kitchen duty buddies on Yavin IV who have since moved on to bigger and better things in the Alliance such as piloting and Special Forces training), X0-R3 (a kitchen droid), Baesoon and Murell (Tauntaun caretakers), Dr. Tristan Melthabi, Officer Sendak, Officer Meeks, and Sunshine (a Tauntaun). There are also apparently a whole group of refugees from Habassa II at the base. Another Hoth item of food are purple tubers.

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"She Will Keep Them Warm" by Delilah S. Dawson

This is the Tauntauns' story!! Poor things hate being cooped up inside and long for the outdoors and wide expanses of snowy/icy terrain! They don't understand anything the humans are telling them, but do begin to recognize the names the humans give them. This story specifically focuses on Murra, who just so happens to be the matriarch of the Tauntaun herd captured by the Rebels. "She's been captured, corralled, tamed. She can smell the shift from day to night and back again but rarely sees the sun and moons. The odd, hot, buzzing things that provide false light in the pens among the caves are weak and cloying, and they never turn off." Goodness this makes me feel so incredibly sad for the creatures!! *tear* 

A few Tauntaun facts: According to this story, they are part reptile and part mammal. The way they would withstand the super cold Hoth nights was by huddling together in caves. They communicate mostly by various scents that signal different emotions and intentions. When they give labor, they run it out instead of staying still. The Rebels feed them clumps of fungus. 

Despite being a different species, Murra can sense feelings by smell on the humans as well. "And even for one of her kind, [Leia] smells...disturbed. Anxious. Uneasy. Just like Murra feels. She wonders if perhaps the female rebel is worried about someone she cares for--maybe the male rebel riding Riba? Are rebels capable of such feelings? They certainly don't rub and touch and snort like tauntauns, and the way they wrap their own bodies completely in straps and smelly cloth suggests they're too primitive to read scents." This is such incredible writing as it presents informational natural history intermixed with emotional storytelling. So cool!! In regards to Han, "He carries the faintest whiff of her female rebel, a tender but lingering scent of affection." Oooooh...

And Leia even has some pretty darn funny moments in this story as she discusses Han and Luke with Murra, "Oh, Murra. Luke's taking too long, and Han is leaving. Why can't they both be in the same place at the same time, where I can keep an eye on them? I wonder if that's how you feel when Arno and Boz are out. Like your taunlets are full-grown and you trust them, but you'd feel a lot better if you were personally watching over them? I'm worried about Luke. It's not like him to be careless. It's exactly like Han, but at least Han's still here and safe. I know he's about to leave, but...they're kind of impossible aren't they? Or maybe just Han is. Or maybe I am." Too funny that Leia sees Luke and Han as her rowdy children she has to keep on top of! From being an avid comic book reader, I can tell you that this is so incredibly on point with their interactions throughout canon!

Also, Murra just so happens to strongly dislike C-3PO, poor guy, "The shiny thing smells wretched, and it once tried and failed to communicate with her using a loud, grating squawk she didn't condescend to return." He was just trying to be helpful!

Murra's favorite daughter is Riba--the Tauntaun the Wampa kills. Murra happens to be the Tauntaun Han cuts open and puts Luke inside. Keelak is an unrelated female Tauntaun who wishes to usurp Murra's position as matriarch. Pombo and Murra's old friend Tova are two more Tauntauns.

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SO MUCH GOODNESS in just the first 5 stories!!!! We learn more about the Wampa, the Tauntauns, Toryn Farr, the probe droids, and get an absolutely adorable gay flirtation! My heart is so full right now. Looking forward to continuing this journey!!