Decade Bird

Welcome aboard the Decade Bird, where I, protocol droid J O 3, am reading and recapping Star Wars Books from both Star Wars Canon and Star Wars Legends, also known as Star Wars Expanded Universe. Today, I am recapping the Legends Novel, Han Solo’s Revenge, the second installment of Brian Daley’s masterpiece trilogy, The Han Solo Adventures. Published in 1979, Han Solo’s Revenge is set shortly before A New Hope. So let’s make the jump to hyperspace, and join Han Solo and Chewbacca, on the planet Kamar.

Special thanks to Wookieepedia

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Han_Solo%27s_Revenge

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Han_Solo/Legends

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Odumin

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Gallandro/Legends

Welcome aboard the Decade Bird, where I am reading and recapping Star Wars Books from both Star Wars Canon and Star Wars Legends, also known as Star Wars Expanded Universe, or EU. Today, I am recapping the 1979 Legends Novel, Han Solo at Stars' End, the first installment of Brian Daley's masterpiece trilogy, The Han Solo Adventures, set just before A New Hope. So let's make the jump to hyperspace and join Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Corporate Sector. 

Special thanks to Wookieepedia. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Han_Solo_at_Stars%27_End

Welcome aboard the Decade Bird, where I am reading and recapping Star Wars Books from both Star Wars Canon and Star Wars Legends (AKA Star Wars Expanded Universe, or EU). Today, I am recapping Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne, a canon novel set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, because it essential replaces Splinter of the Mind’s Eye in the new canon timeline. Let’s make the jump to hyperspace and join Luke Skywalker in the Ordo Plutonia system.

Special thanks to Wookieepedia. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Heir_to_the_Jedi 

Welcome aboard the Decade Bird, where I am reading and recapping Star Wars Books from both Star Wars Canon and Star Wars Legends (AKA Star Wars Expanded Universe, or EU). I am starting with the Legends novel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, by Alan Dean Foster, because it was the first publication of the Expanded Universe, actually published in 1978, before The Empire Strikes Back. Let’s make the jump to hyperspace and join Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa in the Circarpous system.

Special thanks to Wookieepedia. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Splinter_of_the_Mind%27s_Eye

Ahoy maties,

The following is a timeline of events important to the mythology of Pirates of the Caribbean, the story of the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and their friends, enemies, and inspirations.

I will start by stating that The Curse of the Black Pearl most likely took place in 1782, so some dates will be referenced in relation to that date.

Also, in effort to avoid spoilers, I will not recite the plots of the live action films. However, some events that took place after the Curse of the Black Pearl could spoil parts of the films. If you have not seen the films, I recommend watching them before continuing this timeline.

The best place to start the timeline is with the birth of Montezuma. Around 1466, approximately 262 years before The Curse of the Black Pearl, Montezuma was born and would become Aztec Emperor.

In 1474, Juan Ponce de Leon was born in Spain. He would go on to become an explorer and a conquistador.

In 1485, Hernan Cortes was born in Spain. He would become one of history’s most well-known conquistadors.

In 1497, a Spanish currency reform led to the creation of the pieces of eight, silver coins.

In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida while searching the New World for the Fountain of Youth.

Around 1519, about 209 years before the Curse of the Black Pearl. Hernan Cortes and his armies conquered the Aztec empire. Cortes did so wielding a powerful sword, which would become known as the Sword of Cortes. Montezuma urged his people to retreat, and they stoned him to death, binding his spirit to a single stone. To end the slaughter, the Aztecs delivered a stone chest of 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold, blood money. Cortes accepted the gold, but he did not stop his conquest. Therefore, a curse was placed upon the treasure by the Aztec Gods. Anyone who took a coin from the chest would become an undead skeleton. The treasure would find its way to the Isla de Muerta, a mysterious phantom island in the Caribbean that was all but unfindable.

In 1523, as captain of the Santiago, Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth on an unnamed mysterious Caribbean island. The journey was documented on the Mao Koon Map, also known as the navigational charts or the Map to the Land of the Dead. An ancient storm stranded the Santiago inland on the edge of a rocky cliff.

In 1547, Hernan Cortes died, and his spirit was bound to the Sword of Cortes.

In 1576, the Dutch colonized Douwesen, a small island in the South Archipelago of the Caribbean Sea.

In 1580, the French colonized Falaise de Fleur, another island in the South Archipelago. Only months later, the Spanish destroyed the colony.

In 1600, on December 31, London Merchants founded the East India Trading Company, a British joint-stock company and megacorporation, to monopolize trade with the Indian subcontinent...

Approaching the parking deck from inside the complex, we could see a high pair of headlights and a low pair of headlights facing our direction from where the giant tarp had been hanging just hours before. Silhouettes kept passing through the beams of light, but we could not discern what was going on from our distance.

We moved in closer, slowly and quietly until we found ourselves hiding behind that one semi-sturdy column at the interior exit of the parking deck. I took note that the beam of the headlights revealed several cinder blocks I had not noticed during our last visit to the parking deck. Then, I paid attention to what was happening at the source of the light. Agent Walker was there with the bald man and the man with the blonde ponytail. The two henchmen were now wearing matching jackets to go with their matching pants. The three men were removing bags from a giant armored truck, almost too big to be parked in the parking deck, and loading them into the trunk of small black sports car. The sports car’s engine was running and filling the area with steam from the exhaust.

I watched Ariel devise a simple plan in her head. She told me, “Stay out of sight. I have a plan.” She started to move out of cover.

I grabbed her wrist to insist that she wait a moment. “What plan?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

“I’m gonna walk out there and challenge my dad to a rematch,” Ariel stated with great confidence...

Ariel walked out of the apartment reloading her spare TASER cartridge as she passed the threshold. I followed closely, considering the possibility that she might leave me behind. Other than a few working lampposts, it was pitch black outside. I wondered what time it was, but I supposed it did not matter much.

“Ariel,” I requested attention as I grabbed her wrist.

Ariel stopped walking and did not protest my intervention as I almost expected she would. She gave me her full attention.

I searched for words. “Are you okay?” Those were the best ones I could find...

The Princess of Highland Park is available in eBook or paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786Q2S46

Ariel was purposefully walking toward the garage by the car wash. It was impossible to tell if she was excited, scared, or a combination of the two, or any other combination of emotions. I kept pace just so I could try to talk some sense into her.

“Ariel,” I attempted to gain her attention. “Shouldn’t we call the police or something?”

Ariel stopped and looked at me with disdain. “Are you crazy?”

I defended myself, “No, I’m pretty sure that is what sane people do in these situations.”

“Not at Highland Park,” Ariel corrected me...

The Princess of Highland Park is also available on eBook or paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786Q2S46

I took a mental appraisal of Ariel’s appearance. She seemed to have a pretty face, but I tried not to look too closely because I did not want to give the wrong impression. I looked her up and down several times but was unable to make any reliable judgement about her. She had that black cap on which obstructed her hair and part of her face. She still wore that Kevlar vest which made her upper body appear bulky. Her pants were loose black duty pants tucked into tactical boots. I told myself to stop thinking about it because it was not relevant, but I remained curious...

The Princess of Highland Park is also available on eBook or paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786Q2S46

We started reading the The Princess of Highland Park. The Princess of Highland Park is the story of a young man and a young woman whose boring ride-along becomes an adventure to save the future from an evil corporation that plans to take possession of a powerful jewel called the Princess Diamond. The adventure is packed with action, humor, romance, mystery, and betrayal and leads the young heroes down a coming-of-age path that will affect their futures or end their lives.

The Princess of Highland Park is also available on eBook or paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786Q2S46

WELCOME TO GWINNETT COUNTY, GEORGIA. THE VERY PUBLIC DISCOVERY OF THE PRINCESS DIAMOND, A ONE-POUND JEWEL CAPABLE OF POWERING AN ENTIRE COUNTRY FOR ONE THOUSAND YEARS, HAS BROUGHT THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD TO THE CITY OF LAWRENCEVILLE.  DISCOVERED ON THE PROPERTY OF REVOLUTION ENTERPRISES, THE YOUNG PHILANTHROPIC GROUP HAS RESISTED MULTIPLE PURCHASE OFFERS BY KINGDOM CORP AND INTENDS TO DONATE THE JEWEL FOR THE BENEFIT OF SUFFERING NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD. THE PRINCESS DIAMOND IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD IN A SECURE FACILITY IN NORCROSS AND HAS ATTRACTED A CRIMINAL ELEMENT THAT SEEKS TO TAKE THE JEWEL FOR ITS OWN FINANCIAL GAINS. TO ENSURE SAFE TRANSPORT OF THE PRINCESS DIAMOND,  REVOLUTION  ENTERPRISES  HAS CONTRACTED THE SERVICES OF SPECIALIZED SECURITY WHO HAS SENT THEIR TOP AGENT TO RETRIEVE THAT VALUABLE STONE...