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Chapter Text

In the black vacuum of space, a little glisten blended with the countless stars. Soon, though, its form was distinguished as a starship, travelling smoothly toward a planet, which was surrounded by identical freighter ships, now converted into battle stations.

In the flight deck, a man said, “Captain, tell them we wish to board at once.“

“Yes, sir,“ she replied. “With all due respect, but the ambassadors for the Chancellor of Orbis wish to board immediately,“ the Captain said to the transmission of the Trade Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray, that appeared on the display. He was a Nemodian, tall and adorned in an orange robe and grey headdress and spoke with a strong accent.

“Yes, of course,“ the Viceroy replied, “as you know, our blockade is perfectly legal and we would be happy to receive the ambassadors.“

The ship approached one of the many spacestations blockading the planet and entered the landing deck. The two ambassadors, wearing hooded cloaks, exited the ship and were met by a droid. He was humanoid in form, with a bright gold, polished metal body and a sophisticated British accent.

“I am C-3PO at your service, this way please,“ he said, politely.

Through the long, grey passages they went. They distinctly resembled tunnels. Many droids moved gracefully around, just like their Nemodian masters. Soon, the party arrived in a conference room with a long table, with eight chairs around it.

“We are greatly honoured by your visit, ambassadors. Please make yourselves comfortable; the Viceroy will be with you shortly,“ said C-3PO, before turning and leaving the room.

The two hooded men watch the doors slide shut, then walked over to the table and took their places, pulling back their hoods to reveal their faces; one young and handsome, the other gracefully aged and wise.

“I have a bad feeling about this,“ said Obi-Wan Kenobi, a lively 25 year old, in a solemn tone.

“I don’t sense anything!“ replied 57 year old Qui-Gon Jinn, in his calm, serene voice.

“It’s not about the mission, Master. It’s something elsewhere - elusive,“ Obi-Wan said, looking uncomfortable.

“Control your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your focus here and now, where it’s needed.“

“But Grand Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future!“

“Yes, but not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan.“

“Yes, Master“.

Silence followed for a few moments. Obi-Wan decided to break the quiet.

“How do you think the Viceroy will respond to the Chancellor’s demands?”

“Nemoidians are well known for their cowardice,“ reasoned Qui-Gon. “The negotiations will be short.” 

“What?“ demanded Nute Gunray to C-3PO as they both stood in the command bridge. “What did you say?“

“The ambassadors are Jedi Knights, I believe,“ said C-3PO, seeming rather taken aback at Gunray’s reaction.

One of the Viceroy’s officials, named Daultay Dofine, turned to him.

“I knew it!“ he said, in a distressed tone. “They are going to force us to reach a settlement!“

The Viceroy considered this situation carefully.

“You deal with them, while I contact Lord Callidus,“ Gunray instructed Dofine.

“Are you out of your mind? I’m not going in there with two Jedi!“

Gunray reconsidered. He turned to C-3PO.

“Serve them while they wait for us,“ the Viceroy commanded.

So C-3PO, holding a tray with beverages for the ambassadors, made his way back to the conference room. There was a ‘stigma’ surrounding these two Jedi that made the droid uneasy. However, it was his job, so he bumbled along. There was quite a delay, as the droid had to walk a considerable distance. He finally arrived, and bustled in. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were waiting impatiently, the latter tapping his fingers on the table.

“Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?“ asked Obi-Wan.

“I think not. I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as a trade dispute,“ answered Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan accepted a beverage from the droid; the latter waited for a word of thanks, which was not received.

“You’re most welcome, I’m sure…“ the offended droid muttered and walked over to Qui-Gon, in a huff.

The man accepted a beverage and sipped quietly, with a meditative expression on his face. He was puzzled about this situation. The Trade Federation were usually a meek collective. Why a blockade? It was true, the taxes imposed upon them were extreme, but why choose a small planet, relatively uninvolved in the issue? What motivated them to make such a drastic, deadly move? Question after question added up in his head. He wondered if Obi-Wan was right; was there another power behind this, one that was difficult to see?

Viceroy Gunray and his officials waited for a reception to their transmission in a secluded area of the bridge. An uncomfortable silence hung around them. Then, a response. Darth Callidus stood there. An eerie holographic figure, blue and transparent, of a man wearing a dark cloak, with an exaggerated hood enshrouding the upper half of his face. A screwed up mouth emitting displeasure faced them in a confrontational manner.

“What is it?“ he whispered, harshly.

Nute Gunray found his throat so dry he could barely speak for a moment. “The Chancellor has sent two Jedi!”

“Jedi?“ breathed Darth Callidus, softly. “Are you certain?“

“They have been identified, my lord.“

“This scheme of yours has failed, Lord Callidus!“ squealed Dofine, unable to bear the silence that followed. “The blockade is finished, and we dare not go against these Jedi...“

“Are you suggesting you would rather go against me, Dofine?“ said the hood, shifting slightly. “How amusing.“

Dofine recognised the sneering sarcasm in his voice.

“Viceroy, I don’t want this stunted slime in my sight again!“ snarled the cloaked man, but Dofine didn’t need to be dismissed. The Nemoidian turned and scurried away fearfully, head down.

“This turn of events is unfortunate; we must accelerate our plans,“ continued Callidus. “Begin landing your troops.“

“My lord, is that legal?“ inquired Gunray, nervously.

“I will make it legal!“

“And the two Jedi?“

“The Chancellor should never have brought them into this; kill them immediately!“

Gunray hesitated. “Er, yes - yes my lord, as you wish,“ he replied, bowing as the unnerving hologram faded away.

On the landing deck, the copilot looked up from his seat in the cockpit.

“Captain, look!“ he shouted, alarmed.

The captain looked up and saw the deck destroyer aim at the ship.

“Shields up!“ she roared, before a blast resounded through the spacestation, making Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan jump to their feet, lightsabers ignited. Qui-Gon bumped into C-3PO, making the droid drop its tray.

“Oh! Sorry!“ the droid apologised.

A haze from the ventilation shaft began to fill the room.

“Dioxin,“ said Qui-Gon, gravely. The two Jedi held their breath.

Outside the conference room, a troop of battle droids assembled. They were peculiar machines, with their thin robotic limbs, comical electronic voices and heads that conjured images of ducks. The Sergeant positioned itself in front of the twelve or so other droids. It seemed proud with the yellow marking on the back of its head that distinguished its role. A hologram of Gunray appeared in front of it.

“They must be dead by now; destroy what’s left of them,“ the Viceroy said and disappeared.

The droids lined up, facing the sliding doors. They opened and revealed the room, filled with dioxin. Out came the confused droid, tray in hand.

“Oh! Excuse me!“ exclaimed C-3PO, quite horrified at the sight of battle droids aiming their weapons at him. He scurried away hastily.

“Check it out, Corporal. We’ll cover you,“ instructed the Sergeant, monotonously.

“Roger roger!“ replied the Corporal.

But as it was about to enter, two lightsabers ignited through the haze of the dioxin; one green, the other blue.

“Blast them!“ the Sergeant said, and shot.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan jumped out from the haze and deflected the shots. Before the other droids had time to react, the two Jedi swiped through them with their blades.

“Oh my!“ exclaimed C-3PO, as blasts surrounded him. He fled as fast as his mechanical legs would take him. Moments later, the battle droids had transformed into a pile of rubble.

“Well, it’s clear the Viceroy doesn’t want to see us,“ remarked Qui-Gon.

“So we’ll go to him!“ said Obi-Wan, determinedly, as the two of them hurriedly made their way through the tunnel-like passages towards the bridge.

“What is going on down there?“ Gunray asked the Commander.

“We lost the transmission, Sir,“ she replied.

“Have you ever encountered a Jedi before, Sir?“ Lieutenant Rune Haako asked.

“Well, no, but I don’t - seal off the bridge!“ shouted Gunray, starting to panic.

“Yes, sir!“ said the Commander.

“That won’t be enough, Sir!“ said Haako, worryingly.

“I want droidekas up here at once!“ ordered Gunray.

“We will not survive this!“ said Haako, as they watched the bridge doors slide shut. 

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had made their way through the passages, and soon came to the doors of the bridge. Qui-Gon considered how best to open them, before he started to cut open the doors in a circular motion.

“Close the blast doors!“ shouted Gunray, urgently.

Down they slid, behind the doors Qui-Gon was trying to cut through, closing with a thud. Qui-Gon stopped; he could feel the difference. He considered how he could get through. Obi-Wan continued to deflect the shots of the handful of droids that were foolish enough to give attacking him a try. It turned out that C-3PO had gone in the direction of the bridge and was once again surrounded by laser shots. In a panic, he went even faster in the direction he was going. Qui-Gon had decided to go straight through the middle, so he thrust his lightsaber through and held it in place, as the heat of the blade began to melt through the centre of the layers of doors.

“They are still coming through!“ said Haako, alarmed.

“This is impossible!“ exclaimed Gunray, in despair.

A piece of the doors fell away in the middle.

“Where are those droidekas?“ shouted Gunray to the Commander. “We need them here now!“

His wish came true, for just seconds later, two droids rolled along the passage towards Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

“Master! Droidekas!“ shouted Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon withdrew his lightsaber and jumped next to Obi-Wan. The two droids stopped, unfolded themselves and activated their defence shields. Lasers blasted towards the two Jedi.

“They have shield generators!“ exclaimed Obi-Wan, as he deflected their laser shots.

“It’s a standoff, let’s move on,“ urged Qui-Gon.

The two used Force dash, a rapid burst of motion, to escape the droidekas. Not so willing to give up, the droidekas deactivated their shields and pursued the Jedi, blasting as they went.

“They are no match for droidekas!“ said Lieutenant Haako, triumphantly, as he and Gunray observed the two Jedi flee on the transmission screen. 

C-3PO’s misfortune continued. He had rounded a corner just moments before the Jedi caught up to him. Qui-Gon took this opportunity to break open a ventilation shaft. He crawled in, with Obi-Wan close behind. C-3PO didn’t at all approve of this.

“What are you doing? I believe this is classified as destruction of private property!“ he insisted.

By this time, the droidekas had approached the corner, their blasters shooting freely.

“Oh, goodness me!“ cried C-3PO, and looked for an escape.

He had little choice but to go through the shaft, as he couldn’t get to the end of the passage in time. So he hastily crawled into the shaft and went the way the Jedi went.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were already quite far ahead. On and on they went, through the seemingly endless catacombs of shafts.

“Does Qui-Gon actually know where we’re going?“ wondered Obi-Wan, after they had crawled uncomfortably for about twenty minutes.

Whether he did or not, they got to where they wanted - the landing deck. Qui-Gon broke through a grille high up on the deck wall. Quietly, both Jedi dropped onto the deck floor and crept behind crates of equipment. They peered out from behind them and saw a shocking sight.

“Battle droids! It’s an invasion army...“ whispered Obi-Wan.

The Viceroy clearly had not delayed.

“This is an odd play for the Trade Federation. We’ve got to warn Orbis and contact the Jedi Council,“ said Qui-Gon. “Let’s split up, stow aboard seperate ships and meet down on the planet. We’ll decide what’s best from there.”

“You were right about one thing, Master,“ said Obi-Wan, vaguely.

Qui-Gon looked at him, with a puzzled expression.

“The negotiations were short,“ said Obi-Wan, smiling.

Up on the shaft opening in the wall, a muffled voice could be heard. The two Jedi tilted their heads in that direction.

“Never in my life have I been subjected to such treatment!“ the voice said, in a vexed tone. “I never heard thought I would find myself crawling through a shaft for dear life!“

C-3PO’s head appeared at the top of the wall. He peered out and caught view of the two men.

“What’s all this?“ he inquired.

His balance was lost when he tipped too far over and plummeted toward the ground.

Qui-Gon jumped toward the droid and caught him, preventing him from making too much noise.

“Shh!“ said Qui-Gon.

“Well, I never!“ began C-3PO.

“If they discover us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion!“ Obi-Wan whispered, loudly.

The droid decided to keep quiet, and not protest about the terrible treatment he had been victimised to. Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan gravely.

“He’ll have to come with us,“ he said. “We can’t have him going back to the Viceroy with information“.

“Are you suggesting that I would inform against you?“ demanded C-3PO, far too loudly.

“Yes, we are,“ retorted Obi-Wan, tired of this droid.

“I’m afraid we can“t take any risks, we have a serious mission put before us,“ Qui-Gon told C-3PO. “Besides, you may be able to assist us.“

C-3PO was quite flattered.

“Oh! Well, perhaps I might...“ he contemplated, as if the thought never occurred to him. “What am I to do?“

“Well, I think you should distract the droids for us, since we need to get into those ships,“ Qui-Gon suggested. “Would you be able to do that for us, er - may I ask your name again?“

“Oh, I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations,“ he said, in his politest voice.

“Very good, C-3PO,“ said Qui-Gon. “I’m Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. But you may can me Qui-Gon.“

“And you may call me Obi-Wan,“ said Obi-Wan, warmly.

“May we call you by a simpler name?“ asked Qui-Gon. “You see, this is a serious job, so we need to be able to refer to you in the simplest way possible. We can’t waste time on saying names. What about 3PO?“

C-3PO considered.

“I suppose I could compromise this once,“ he replied, after some thought.

“Good then, 3PO,“ Qui-Gon said, smiling. “Now, how about distracting those droids for us?“

3PO considered. If he was to be stuck in such a tragic situation, he may as well go along with things. So, with no argument, he got up and walked out into the deck, in full view of the troops of battle droids.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I think I must be lost!“ 3PO said to the unchanging faces of the battle droids. “But then, I know where I am, so I mustn’t be lost. Then I must be in a place other than where I’m supposed to be...“

The droids looked on, without a word. 3PO stared back.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be here at all!“ he said, feeling as if he wasn“t wanted. “Maybe I should go back where I came from,“ and he hurried away awkwardly.

As it was, he completely forgot about the Jedi.

“Pssst!“

3PO looked around. Who was making that noise?

“Pssst!“

He walked around a corner of a ship and past a hatch door. Suddenly, he found himself yanked in with two hands.

“Ahh!“ he shouted, panicking.

“Shh,“ said the familiar voice. It was Qui-Gon.

“Did you forget the rest of your task?“

“Yes, I’m afraid I did,“ said 3PO, quite out of his depth. “Thank you for lifting me into here.“

“You’re welcome,“ said Qui-Gon, as the hatch door began to automatically close. “You’re quite light really.“

“Oh, thank you,“ said 3PO, and then paused. “That was a compliment, wasn’t it?“ 

“Where are those Jedi?“ groaned a stressed Gunray.

“The last time we saw them they were entering a ventilation shaft,“ said the Commander.

“If Lord Callidus finds out we let two Jedi escape, he won’t be pleased!“ exclaimed Haako.

“Keep searching!“ barked the Viceroy.

The Nemodian officials paced the floor nervously.

“Sir! A transmission from the planet!“ said the Commander, suddenly.

Lieutenant Haako looked over her shoulder at the command controls.

“It’s Chancellor Mothma herself!“ announced Haako.

“At last! We are getting results!“ said Gunray.

The two of them walked over to the transmission screen, which displayed the Chancellor of Orbis. She was a woman of 50, with cropped brunette hair and a slender, graceful build. She was wearing a white, long-sleeve robe and sat on what resembled a throne. Her face wore a straight expression.

“Chancellor Mothma,“ began Gunray, with a bow. “It is good to hear from you.“

“You will not be so pleased, Viceroy, when you hear what I have to tell you,“ she said. “Your trade boycott of our planet has ended.“

Gunray glanced at Haako.

“I was not aware of such failure,“ the Viceroy said to the Chancellor.

“I have word that my ambassadors are with you now, and that you have been commanded to reach a settlement.“

“Ambassadors? There are no ambassadors here. Perhaps you are mistaken, Chancellor?“

“Beware, Viceroy. The Federation has gone too far with this blockade,“ the Chancellor said, in a mildly threatening tone.

“We would never do anything without the approval of the Senate. You assume too much,“ Gunray told her.

“We shall see…“ said the Chancellor, before her transmission ended.

Haako turned to Gunray with a panicked face.

“She is right! The Senate will never-.“

“It’s too late now!“ yelled back Gunray, who was losing his temper. 

“Do you think she suspects an attack?“ Haako asked, fearfully.

“I don’t know, but if she does we cannot have her informing the Senate of her suspicions. We must move quickly to disrupt all communications down there!“ Gunray replied.

He turned to the Commander.

“Begin the invasion!“ the Viceroy ordered.

Chapter Text

On the planet of Orbis, much was about to occur. It was a green planet, with lush woods, wide plains and blue lakes. A small, but bustling capital, named Theed, with tall, shiny and clean-line skyscrapers, was home to the State House. Inside this building, the government officials went about their business. This was also the Chancellor’s quarters, where she lived and met with representatives. In her meeting room, the confused Chancellor had concluded her transmission with Viceroy Gunray. Having been told that the ambassadors had not arrived, she dialed to her delegate Senator of the Republic. She sat in her throne while she spoke to him. Her throne was in front of a semicircle of 6 seats, with the officials facing inwards towards her and where the hologram of the Senator was. She reported to him the surprising discussion she had just had.

“The negotiations haven’t started because the ambassadors aren’t there?“ questioned Senator Grey. “How could that be true? I have assurances from the Jedi Council; the ambassadors did arrive!“

The rest of his speech was lost as his hologram flickered and cut out.

“Senator Grey? What’s happening?“ asked Chancellor Mothma, in her mild voice.

Captain Panaka, head-of-security, walked over to her.

“Our communication has been cut,“ he informed the Chancellor, gravely.

“A communication disruption can only mean one thing; invasion,“ said Governor Sio Bibble.

“The Federation would not dare go that far!“ exclaimed the Chancellor.

“The Senate would revoke what’s left of their trade franchise,“ said Captain Panaka.

“We must continue to rely on negotiations,“ said Mothma.

“But we’ve lost all communication! And where are the ambassadors?,“ said Bibble.

“This is a dangerous situation, Chancellor. I’m afraid our security volunteers wouldn’t stand a chance against an attack from a Federation army,“ said Panaka.

“I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war,“ said Mothma, firmly.

As she spoke, the sound of starships could be heard overhead. Hundreds of Trade Federation ships covered the sky. The two carrying Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and 3PO landed near the largest woods on the planet, which was quite far away from the capital. Other ships landed near there too. Armed Assault Transporters, each carrying hundreds of droids, emerged from the body of the starships and headed straight for Theed. The Jedi and droid jumped out of the ships and ran through the army of vehicles, hoping they wouldn’t be noticed. 

There wasn’t much chance of that.

A battle droid commander named OOM-9 answered a hologram transmission.

“Yes, Lieutenant?“ it said, robotically.

“Commander, we have searched the ship and there is no sign of the Jedi. They may have escaped onboard one your landing craft.“

“If they’re down here, Sir, we’ll find them.“

“Use caution! These Jedi are not to be underestimated.“

Two droids on speeders went searching for the Jedi. Unbeknownst to them, they were also dealing with a protocol droid of their own.

The stowaways tore through the forest, with AATs close behind. Some animals were around and took to their heels as soon as they heard the vehicles. One particular creature, about 190cm tall, humanoid in form, with scaly blue skin, a long mouth and robust, but slender profile, was strolling around. He yelled out when he saw Qui-Gon and an AAT coming straight for him.

“Woah!“ he shouted in a surprisingly deep voice.

“Get out! Get away!“ yelled Qui-Gon.

But he didn’t. Instead, when Qui-Gon tried to push him out of the way, he grabbed the man’s body out of fear, since the AAT was just behind Qui-Gon. Thankfully, Qui-Gon fell over, and the machine swiftly hovered over them and continued on its way to Theed.

The two got up.

“Yousa saveded my life! Me so grateful!“ this creature said.

“You nearly killed us both, are you insane?“

“Uh, I speaks.“

“The ability to speak does not make you intelligent. Now get out of here.“

“No, no, me gonna stay. What you want me to do for you, me forever grateful!“

“Just one thing, let me get back to my job.“

Obi-Wan and 3PO ran up.

“Who’s this, Qui-Gon?“ asked Obi-Wan.

“A local that I ran into. Tell me, what’s your name?“

“Me Jamu.”

“Jamu? Very good to meet you. I’m Qui-Gon, this is Obi-Wan and C-3PO. we call him 3PO.“

If 3PO could change facial expressions, it would be very clear that he didn’t like to be reminded of this. But he stayed charming.

“A pleasure to meet you,“ he said, in his pre-programmed polite tone.

“It good meetin’ you too!“ Jamu said, cheerily.

But the cheer changed to fear instantly when a speeder-riding battle droid shot at the Jedi. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan pulled out their lightsabers and deflected the shots, which destroyed the droid itself. Another droid was quickly defeated.

“Woah! Zhat was scary!“ said Jamu, shivering.

“We’ve got to find shelter, and quick. The Federation clearly knows we are here. Hurry, before more droids pursue us,“ said Qui-Gon, as he and the others hurried off.

“More?” repeated Jamu, in horror and ran after them.

“Uh, exsqueeze me!“ called Jamu. “The safest place to hided would be Smendo City in the woods.”

“Smendo?“ inquired Obi-Wan.

“Yeah, Smendo. Zhat’s mya kind.“

“My database tells me that Smendo are an advanced tribal civilisation that dwells in towns in dense woodland. Bravery and honesty are vital qualities to them and they have no dealings with the Orbis government,“ said 3PO.

“It true!“ confirmed Jamu.

“Well, perhaps you had better show us the way then, Jamu,“ suggested Qui-Gon.

“Er... no... on second thoughts, maybe not...“

“Why not?“

“Me was, er, me guess you call it, er, banished.“

“Banished? What ever for?“

“Me was doing the army drills, me was on the canons. But, er, me shotted the wrong way. ‘Wards the supply shed...“

“I see,“ interrupted Obi-Wan. “So you destroyed all the military supplies?“

“Uh-huh, big boom, like this!“ Jamu said, with a wild gesture. “So, me not welcome there anymore.“

“Well, Jamu, there are two choices. Either we are captured and probably killed by the droids or we go to this hidden city that you speak of,“ said Qui-Gon, dryly giving him an ultimatum.

“Er, me understand,“ said Jamu, taking the hint. “Well come on, zhis way!“

He started off in one direction, but after a few steps he seemed to think he was going the wrong way. So he turned and swept off in another direction.

Everyone was thankful that the landing craft had settled on the right part of the planet. Although it was far away from Theed, it was close to wherever Jamu was taking them. Jamu gambolled on, quite at home as they entered the woods. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, although in excellent physical condition and with youth on the latter’s side, had to jog to keep up with Jamu’s long stride. 3PO wasn’t as well equiped for this sort of thing.

“Do you intend on leaving me behind?“ he questioned as he fumbled along.

No one replied. Qui-Gon was too busy conserving energy to keep up with Jamu’s stride and Obi-Wan didn’t pay attention to the droid if he could help it. It wasn’t that Kenobi didn’t like him, but C-3PO could be trying to one’s nerves. As for Jamu, he seemed to be able to focus on only one thing at a time. It was clear that he was a little scatterbrained, something that Qui-Gon was concerned about. So C-3PO’s mutters and murmurs of vexation went unheard, or just ignored. The expansive woodlands of Orbis provided beautiful sights for them all, and their several hour journey didn’t seem to last so long. Streams of light filtered through the treetops, creating a dazzling, fascinating light show. Even practical Obi-Wan, who seldom gave attention to things that weren’t on his agenda, couldn’t help but stop and look up at the sparkle that peered through the leaves.

“We almost there!“ Jamu shouted suddenly, making everyone jump. Everyone looked into the distance. There it was, a serene village, full of Smendo going about their everyday tasks. Many buildings were built into the large trees, so much of the place was, in fact, very hidden. Actually, if no one was outside, it wouldn’t really look like a village at all. A general walked up to them.

“Jamu? Why you here? he asked, sounding annoyed.

“Heyo Captain Tarpals!“ said Jamu, cheerfully.

“You goin’ to King this time! See what he say. You maybe in big trubble this time!“ snapped Captain Tarpals.

“Uh-oh...“ said Jamu.

So, they were all marched to the King. It all happened rather quickly. Nothing was really going how everyone planned it, but they had to make the best the situation. Soon, they arrived in the odd throne room, which also seated many officials. There was the King in his throne. He had a moustache on his snout and wore a large crown on his small head.

“Er, hello King Arado,“ said Jamu, nervously.

“Jamu,“ said the King, sternly and erupted into a stream of dialect that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan couldn’t make head or tail of.

“What’s he saying?“ whispered Obi-Wan to 3PO.

“He seems to be rebuking Jamu for bringing us here. Smendo, we must understand, are not comfortable with foreigners. Oh... what shocking language!“

Obi-Wan repeated the analysis to Qui-Gon. The latter felt it was time to interrupt.

“We are sorry to have disturbed you, but we are on important business. The Trade Federation has begun an invasion of Orbis, so we are trying to get to the capital to warn the Chancellor before the Federation takes control of the planet. The troops are on their way as we speak.“

“Hmmm, we not like the Orbis!“ exclaimed King Arado. “They think they so smart, so clever! Bah!“

“Once those droid take control of the surface, they will take control of you!“ interrupted Obi-Wan.

“We no think so,“ replied Arado, stubbornly.

“You and the Orbis form a symbiont circle; what happens to one will affect the other. You must see that!“ insisted Obi-Wan, just as stubbornly.

But the King refused to see Obi-Wan’s point.

“We no like strangers!“

Qui-Gon knew there was no point in persisting.

“I’m afraid we’ve taken up too much of your time already. We leave you in peace.“

Jamu looked awkwardly at them as they began to walk away.

“Um, any help would be nice,“ he smiled.

Qui-Gon stopped and turned around to the King once again.

“What is to become of Jamu?“

“He to be - puneished,“ he said, with a nasty look on his long face.

This bothered Qui-Gon, he didn’t want Jamu to get into trouble because of him.

“We need a guide,“ he said, waving his hand. He was using a Jedi mind trick.

“You may have Jamu for guide,“ said King Arado. It worked. Qui-Gon went on.

“We could use a transport.“

“We give you a transport.“

“And what is the quickest route?“

“Oh! Through da core,“ Jamu piped up.

“Thank you kindly for your assistance, we are most grateful,“ thanked Qui-Gon and motioned his companions to follow him.

Jamu, delighted and relieved to have been released, hurried after the other three. 

“But Master,“ began Obi-Wan. “We don’t have much time, we can’t afford to take more problems with us, and this Jamu, nice as he is...“

“He is a local, so he has knowledge of the area,“ Qui-Gon quickly replied. Then he added sternly, “Remember what I’ve told you on this subject“.

Obi-Wan did, but wasn’t in a hurry to remind himself... again.

Two guards lead the party to their transport, an underwater vehicle sitting on a nearby lake, waiting for them. They jumped in and Obi-Wan powered up the machine. Jamu sat next to him, with 3PO and Qui-Gon in the back. With a sudden jolt, the unusual transport submerged.

“So, we actually go through the core?“ asked Obi-Wan.

“Uh, yeah, replied Jamu, as if that was obvious.

“Oh yes, apparently the core of Orbis is catacombed with naturally occurring tunnels. How very odd,“ commented 3PO.

They didn’t notice a large sea monster pursing them. It opened its jaws and grabbed the vessel.

Jamu looked back and screamed in terror. 3PO exclaimed in horror.

“I knew it! We are all going to die! Oh, I was sure of it!“

“Just hold on,“ urged Qui-Gon. “We’re not dead yet.”

From behind the sea monster, another creature came, many times larger, which made the vessel look extremely minuscule. It bit onto the smaller one, which let go of the little ship.

“There’s always a bigger fish, said Qui-Gon, with a straight face.

“Me thinkin’ we go back now,“ said Jamu, hopefully, before his hopes were dashed as they entered a tunnel to the core.

“The invasion is on schedule, my Lord,“ Nute Gunray informed the hologram of Darth Callidus on the command bridge of a Trade Federation ship.

“I have the Senate stalled in procedures,“ Callidus said. “By the time this matter comes up for a vote, they will have no choice but to accept your control of the system.“

“The Chancellor has great faith that the Senate will side with her.“

“Chancellor Mothma is presumptuous and naive. You will discover that controlling her is a simple task.“

“Yes, my Lord.’

Darth Callidus signed off.

“You didn’t tell him about the missing Jedi?“ pointed out Lieutenant Haako, who was next to the Viceroy.

‘No need to report anything until we have something worth reporting,“ replied Viceroy Gunray. 

The crew of four made their journey through the core. Obi-Wan swapped seats with 3PO, who knew who to steer the vessel, so he could discuss a plan with his master. It would be difficult with a scatterbrained Smendo and a bustling protocol droid tagging along, but Qui-Gon was resolved to make the best out of the situation. Obi-Wan had plenty of time to reflect on what his master had reminded him at Smendo City. Qui-Gon was a strong believer that all beings play an important part in the balance of the universe. Obi-Wan couldn’t really understand how these two liabilities would in anyway whatsoever be of assistance. But, as he knew, he was a Padawan, his job was to follow and learn from his master, not to make decisions for them. Additionally, he frequently reminded himself to honour his master’s position. That in itself wasn’t an issue, it was the fact that Qui-Gon was, well, so good at what he did. His morals were outstanding, rivalling most people in the Jedi Order. He always saw the principal of the situation, not the rule. Which, perhaps, is why Qui-Gon seemed to always break the rules, those of the Jedi Code that is. He had been denied many privileges in the Jedi Order, even becoming a Master on the Jedi Council. However, Qui-Gon saw no good reason to change what he, and many others, felt was an issue of morality. Obi-Wan felt a deep respect for this man who was his master, and even though they had their differences of opinion, the fact that Qui-Gin was so impressively upright as far as morals were concerned, was perhaps the reason why Obi-Wan sometimes felt intimidated by his master. Qui-Gon was dry with his facts, that was sure, and he, Obi-Wan, often needed to have a hand placed on his shoulder and a firm reminder given when required. Still, Obi-Wan often felt hurt that his master was denied many rewards he deserved, and would often urge Qui-Gon to listen to what he was told to do. Because it hurt to see him miss out, it just really hurt...

Qui-Gon watched the focused look on Obi-Wan’s young face and observed his determined eyes as they daydreamed. He smiled widely to himself. How he loved that boy. True, he was 25, but still, he was just a boy, learning eagerly about the world, ready to race into any challenge. As a Jedi, Qui-Gon was not supposed to be attached to anyone, but he knew he wasn’t a pillar of obedience to the Jedi Council.

“But how could one not be attached to this boy?” thought Qui-Gon. His personality was fiery, yet soft. His appearance was paradox too. An attractively boyish face matched his equally boyish figure, though he was not particularly tall. At the same time, his face looked almost juvenile. Qui-Gon figured this was not actually his handsome features that appeared to be like that of a young child, but rather, it was Obi-Wan’s childlike curiosity that gave him an aura of youth. Perhaps what Qui-Gon loved most about his Padawan was his devotion and loyalty, like a son he never had.

Obi-Wan awakened from his daydream when he felt something touch him. He turned to see Qui-Gon, his beloved master, with his arm around his shoulders. This display of affection was not a very common one between those in the Jedi Order, but Obi-Wan treasured it, considered what he had just been dwelling over. He smiled at his elder.

“Are you ready for the task ahead, my Padawan?” Qui-Gon asked. “It won’t be simple, I should think. Who knows how much of the planet the Federation has seized control of by now?”

“Yes, master, I am ready,” Obi-Wan replied, confidently. “Wherever the Force guides us, I am willing to go.”

Qui-Gon looked down at Obi-Wan, amused at the readiness of character he knew and loved. Obi-Wan looked up at his master, happy to be reassured that he was trusted. Qui-Gon drew him a little closer of the two watched 3PO and Jamu argue over the best way to navigate to Theed.

“No! No! Me knowin’ which way!” Jamu had an irritating pattern of going in one direction and then backtracking midway and going on another path. 3PO didn’t think Jamu was qualified for this.

“I will have you know that I have spent the last few hours painstakingly trying to download articles on Orbis, and I expect some recognition for this!”

3PO was drawing information from the servers of the Trade Federation flagship. However, this was taking longer than he expected. Additionally, there was the risk of him being discovered on the server downloading Orbis guides, but since there were countless droids on the Federation’s core ship, it wasn’t likely they would notice what one of them was downloading, nor the fact that he was on the surface of Orbis.

The streets of Theed were bustling with, not the people of the city, but the numerous droids and vehicles of the Trade Federation. From one ship that had just landed in the main square of the city, came Nute Gunray and Rune Haako. OOM-9 walked over to them.

“Viceroy, we have captured the Chancellor,” announced the droid, monotonously as usual.

“Victory!” Gunray exclaimed triumphantly to his companion.

After a tiring journey, the ship arrived at Theed. 3PO had discovered in his guides that the capital had many secret entrances on the outskirts of the governmental district. Upon surfacing at the lake, Qui-Gon was glad to see that the Federation hadn’t yet taken over all of the capital, or hopefully, even the planet. Obi-Wan steered the vessel to the shore, and all four jumped out.

“And now we get down to business,” said Qui-Gon. He turned to 3PO and Jamu. “Follow my lead. Stay close and try not to make any noise. Understood?”

“Uh-huh, me understand!” reassured Jamu.

“Of course,” said 3PO.

“Very good then” Qui-Gon said.

And so the group made their way towards the city’s border.

Chapter Text

In the Grand Foyer of the State House, Nute Gunray walked down the sweeping marble staircase with the numerous officials of Orbis, including Chancellor Mothma. Orbis security volunteers also were there, having laid down their weapons, knowing they couldn’t put up a fight against the merciless battle droids, which were positioned all around the building, armed with blasters.

“How do you intend to explain this invasion to the Senate?” Governor Bibble demanded.

“The Chancellor and I will sign a treaty legitimizing our occupation here,” replied Gunray. “I have assurances it will be ratified by the Senate.”

“I will not cooperate!” interrupted the Chancellor, immediately.

“Now, now, Chancellor. In time, the suffering of your people will persuade you to see our point of view.”

Gunray turned to OOM-9.

“Commander,” he began. “Process them.”

“Yes, sir,” OOM-9 replied and turned to another droid. “Captain, take them to Camp 4.”

“Roger roger!” was the reply.

The members of Orbis government and their unarmed security were lead across the black and white marbled floor of the foyer to the entrance of the building by four battle droids, while Gunray and Haako stayed in the State House. This is where they would stay during the invasion, aside from the core ship orbiting the planet, where they would travel to for any ‘important’ business. They reflected jubilantly on their success as they stood on the marble floor, in between floor-to-ceiling marble pillars, which represented the trees of the planet’s woodlands. They began to wonder who chose to put so much marble...

To avoid making a commotion on the streets, the droids lead the Orbis officials along the edge of the city’s main square and down a more quiet street to get to Camp 4. Qui-Gon, trusting the Force, lead his companions towards the State House. They diverted midway when he sensed that those he was looking for were moving away from the building. To ensure they would be hidden from view, Qui-Gon ushered the party up a staircase that lead to a walkway that crossed over the street. It was there that they all crouched (except 3PO, who hid in a covered area) and waited.

Then, the droids and their prisoners came into view. They all knew the drill, some more nervous than others. 3PO was quite obstinate about his part, but as he knew, he had little choice. Now, the droids were about three meters away from being directly under the walkway...

Down Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dropped, igniting lightsabers as they fell. They didn’t have to do much. They sharply blocked the blaster shots, which were repelled back and hit the droids neatly in the chest. The officials dropped to the ground at the sound of the first blast, but when the shots subsided they rose cautiously. At the same time they rose, Jamu jumped down, with an unusual sounding squeal. He turned and held out his arms for 3PO. 3PO muttered things under his breath, horrified that he was acting in such an undignified manner and dropped unwillingly. Jamu caught him neatly.

“We must get off the street!” urged Qui-Gon, and motioned them all into a smaller backstreet.

“Grab those weapons!” ordered Captain Panaka to his fellow security guards. They lunged towards the broken droids and snatched up any blasters they could see, before hurrying into the backstreet, with 3PO and Jamu close behind. They all gathered together in hiding.

“I’m Qui-Gon Jinn; my Padawan and I are ambassadors for the Chancellor,” he informed them.

“Your negotiations seem to have failed, ambassador,” pointed out Bibble.

“The negotiations never took place,” Qui-Gon informed him. “It is vital we make contact with the Jedi Council.”

“They’ve knocked out all our communications!” Panaka said.

“Do you have transport?” asked Qui-Gon.

“This way, in the main hanger,” directed Panaka.

They all hastened towards the hanger by tracing the quietest streets. All of the gates of the hangers were unlocked and many fully open, as the battle droids had poor cognitive skills, so opening and closing things were not what they wasted their time on. So, the gates for the hanger were unlocked and slightly ajar. The band crowded around the gap and peered through. The sight was not promising; a group of about twelve pilots were sitting crosslegged on the ground with their hands on top of their heads, guarded closely by four battle droids. A few more droids were scattered around the hanger.

“There’re too many of them!” said Panaka, exasperated.

“That won’t be a problem,” reassured Qui-Gon. He turned to the Chancellor. For the first time since he had seen her in person, he was struck by her appearance. She was an extremely beautiful woman, despite being advanced in years. He quickly put this aside and progressed with business.

“Chancellor, considering the present circumstances, I suggest you come with us to Coruscant,” he told her.

“Thank you ambassador, but my place is with my people,” she replied, in her usual firm manner.

“They will kill you!” Qui-Gon blurted. He hadn’t meant to be so abrupt, but for some reason, he suddenly seemed to care a great deal.

“They wouldn’t dare!” gasped Bibble, in horror at the idea.

“They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal; they can’t afford to kill her!” Panaka reiterated.

“Something isn’t right about this, Chancellor; something is out of place. My instinct tells me they will end you,” Qui-Gon insisted.

“Our only hope is for the Senate to intervene on our behalf! Senator Grey will need your help!” Governor Bibble stressed.

“Either choice presents grave danger... to us all,” the Chancellor voiced. A dilemma was in front of her. She cared for her people and wanted to be with them, but this Jedi was, rather amusingly, insisting she was in danger, and if the people didn’t have a voice to advocate for them...

“If you are to come, Chancellor, now is the time,” said Qui-Gon.

“Then I will plead our case to the Senate,” she found herself saying. “Please be careful, Governor.”

The other officials stayed behind, likely to be captured again, while Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Chancellor Mothma, Captain Panaka, C-3PO and Jamu walked into the hanger and towards a ship, which in a suitable position for takeoff, with its main hatch open.

“We’ll need to free those pilots,” said Panaka.

“I’ll deal with that,” said Obi-Wan, as he walked towards the captives.

Qui-Gon lead the others to the ship entrance, where they were stopped in their tracks.

“Halt!” ordered a battle droid, palm out in front.

“I am an ambassador for the Chancellor and I’m taking these people to Coruscant,” Qui-Gon told it.

“Where are you taking them?” the droid questioned.

“To Coruscant,” repeated Qui-Gon.

“Coruscant, er, that doesn’t compute,” said the droid, confused. “Er, wait, you’re under arrest!”

Qui-Gon instantly drew his lightsaber and stabbed the droid. Obi-Wan followed his lead and attacked the other droids, as the others ran onboard the ship.

“Go!” Obi-Wan yelled to the freed pilots. Most tore out of the hanger, but a few ran onboard to fly the ship. Obi-Wan and his master sped towards the craft and ran up the hatch door, which opened downwards, like most ships. A pilot named Poe Dameron dashed into the command seat of the tri-seat cockpit and started up the systems. Chancellor Mothma seated herself in her quarters, as this ship was for her personal use. Obi-Wan left the Smendo and the droid with her and urged them to stay out of trouble, the former in particular. The ships engined blasted into life and the craft rocketed out of the hangar and into orbit. Obi-Wan joined Qui-Gon, Panaka and Poe on the flight deck.

“There’s the blockade!” said Poe, nervously.

They got closer. Then suddenly, blasts from the Trade Federation’s core ship were hurled directly towards the little cruiser. Alarms blared.

“Our shields are down!” cried Poe.

In the maintenance area of the ship, several astromech droids sprung to life and used a chute to reach the exterior of the vessel and repair the shield generator. But four droids were disappearing as carefully aimed shots hit them. Three droids, two droids, one droid...

“If we don’t get those shields back, we’re done for!” groaned Panaka.

Suddenly, power was restored.

“We’re back on!” shouted Poe. “That little droid did it! Shields up to maximum!”

The ship flew swiftly past the blockade and into the black emptiness of outer space.

“We don’t have enough reserves to get us to Coruscant, much of the energy cell has been destroyed,” reported Poe. “And our hyperspace drive is through. It will take us much longer to get there. But we can stop for a solar recharge on the way there though.”

“Here, Master,” sad Obi-Wan, pointing to a screen. “Tatooine. It’s small, out of the way and the Federation has no presence there.”

“How can you be sure?” questioned Panaka.

“It’s controlled by the Hutts,” noted Qui-Gon.

“You can’t take the Chancellor there!” exclaimed Panaka. “The Hutts are gangsters! If they discover her-“

“It would be no different if we landed on a planet controlled by the Federation,” reasoned Qui-Gon. “Except the Hutts aren’t looking for her, which gives us the advantage.” 

“What of Chancellor Mothma? Has she signed the treaty?” questioned the eerie hologram of Darth Callidus on the Trade Federation’s core ship. He sat at the end of a negotiating table, with Nute Gunray and Rune Haako across each other, down the middle.

“She has... disappeared, my Lord. One Orbis cruiser got past the blockade...” said Gunray, tensely. He could sense the man’s eyes hidden under the shadows of the cowl burning intensely at him.

“How did she escape?” Darth Callidus inquired.

“The Jedi, my Lord. They escaped our ship and overpowered her guards...” said Gunray, even more awkwardly.

“I want that treaty signed!” Callidus growled.

“My lord, it’s impossible to locate the ship; it’s out of our range!” the Viceroy told him.

“Not for a Sith.” Callidus said, quietly. Then, the two Nemodians nearly jumped out of their seats when a holographic figure emerged from behind the cloaked man. This person, cloaked also, stood in sharp contrast to the one seated. For while Darth Callidus had an unnerving, mysterious appearance with his eyes hidden under the shadow of his cowl, this other person had a devilish, patterned face with a menacing expression.

“This is my apprentice, Darth Maul.” Callidus continued. “He will find your lost ship.” The two holograms slowly faded, with the two Nemodians left staring through the windows of the room into space, where the holograms that once stood in front of them now left a void. Neither of them moved for several minutes. Then, they turned to face each other.

“This is getting out of hand; now there are two of them!” Gunray said, almost in a whisper, as if someone might hear him.

“We should never had made this bargain!” Haako lamented. 

“It’s an extremely well put together little droid, Chancellor. Without a doubt, it saved the ship, as well as our lives,” Captain Panaka said to the Chancellor as he presented the funny blue and white astromech droid. Qui-Gon had decided that, since the droid was responsible for repairing the shields, which had saved the ship, that it would only be fair to present the droid in front of the Chancellor for recognition of its service.

“It is to be commended,” she said. “What is its number?”

Panaka checked an inscription on its body.

“R2-D2, Chancellor,” the Captain informed her.

“Thank you, R2-D2,” said Mothma, sincerely.

The little droid clicked and beeped with pleasure at these small words of praise. He behaved almost like a living creature.

“Please have this droid cleaned up as best you can; it deserves our gratitude,” ordered Mothma. She looked closely at Panaka. “You have more to say, Captain?”

He clearly looked uncomfortable about something. But it was not his place to explain. Panaka instead glanced over to Qui-Gon, the latter stepping forward at the hint.

“Chancellor,’ he began with a bow. As he brought his body back upright, he cast his eyes on hers, and was struck again by the woman’s remarkable beauty. A bright sparkle radiated from her pupils, but only those with the right eye could see why. Resolution, fortitude, dynamism, zeal, boldness... yet so unassuming and amiable. So paradoxically serene. Just like a carefully guarded secret. A secret, well hidden from knowledge, yet closely connected...

“Since our ship will not have enough energy reserves to get us to Coruscant, we are diverting to a planet called Tatooine,” Qui-Gon continued.

Panaka slowly turned his head back to face Mothma.

“I do not agree with the Jedi on this,” the man said, in a tone that left very little in question.

“You must trust my judgement, Chancellor,” Qui-Gon reassured. Then he added, “and whatever the will of the Force, I am confident we will be lead on the correct path.”

The Chancellor said nothing, but gave a slight nod of approval, sealing the deal. Tatooine it was, much to the vexation of Panaka. But as Qui-Gon had said, the Force dealt with situations however it saw fit...

Poe had plotted out an efficient route, which he believed would be the quickest and safest. Since people of Orbis had no dealing with Tatooine, it wasn’t a route commonly taken, so there was no experience, no tips; just data to follow. The ship headed slowly, but steadily to its destination; until the crew felt a slight jolt.

“We’ve stopped moving!” exclaimed Poe to Obi-Wan, alarmed. “The engines are still consuming energy, but we’re getting nowhere.”

Obi-Wan responded quickly, scanning the surroundings. His eyes were glued to the monitor in front of him, until he fixated his gaze on an usual object.

“A Spacegate!” he said, shocked. “I thought they were all gone...”

“So the story goes,” replied Poe.

Qui-Gon and Panaka had felt the jolt, and came running in to see what had happened.

“Is everything alright?” questioned the latter. “I’ve given the Chancellor the impression that all is well.”

“We’re not sure, honestly,” admitted Obi-Wan. “We’re not moving, but our energy supplies are still being consumed. And we can see a Spacegate.”

“You can’t!” broke in Panaka, moving towards the monitor. “They were all destroyed during the Civil War!”

But his eyes saw a Spacegate; there was no debating it.

“How can they still exist? And the system seems to be detecting this one as operational.”

“Remember, it has been rumoured for many years that they were not all shut off,” Qui-Gon reminded him. “The Ori fell quickly-“

“And a good thing they did,” Panaka interrupted.

“-so it is possible that they were never able to shut them all off before their complete destruction,” finished Qui-Gon. “Additionally, many parts of the galaxy, like this, are not very well explored. Or, at least, there was no reason to after the Republic began to reign.”

“Well, it seems to me that we’re slowly moving towards it,” said Poe, with a sense of urgency in his voice.

“Switch of the engines,” ordered Qui-Gon. “I want to test something.”

Poe did so. Silence followed. After a few moments, Qui-Gon spoke again.

“We’re still moving towards it, aren’t we?” he asked Poe.

“Yes,” he replied, nodding. “At the same speed.”

“It clearly has something to do with that thing. I’ll be back in a minute,” Qui-Gon told them. He went down to the maintenance area, where C-3PO was cleaning and conversing with R2-D2.

“Oh no, my friend, I assure you I am not in the least fond of space travel. I would much rather place my feet on the ground. I cannot wait until I am off this dreadful ship.”

“Bee-oop.”

“3PO,” said Qui-Gon, startling him. “We need you.”

Flattered at this, 3PO hurried behind him. They soon arrived at the cockpit again, with the Obi-Wan, Poe and Panaka looking extremely nervous about the looming Spacegate, getting closer and closer.

“Tell me everything you know about that,” said Qui-Gon.

3PO looked surprised.

“Oh! It’s a Spacegate; didn’t you know that?”

“Yes, I knew that, but tell me about it. Is it safe?”

“Well, it certainly should be, unless its dialled the wrong way-“

“Wrong way?”

“Yes, of course. A Spacegate only transports one way. If you wish to use it to go from point A to point B, you cannot go from point B to point A without first redialling.”

“What would happen if we tried to without redialling?”

“I’m afraid the vessel would disintegrate.”

Silence from the stunned crew.

“How do we redial?’

‘That requires a specific dialling pad, which I’m afraid new ships do not have. So if our ship tries to travel through and it’s dialled the wrong way, then I’m afraid we will-“

“That’s all, 3PO,” said Qui-Gon, gravely. “I think we all understand.”

“Why is this even happening?” exclaimed Poe, desperately.

“The Spacegate has high ore content. This ship also contains high levels of magnetic materials. We seem to be drawn to it,” 3PO said, suddenly. He often knew a surprisingly large amount about certain things.

Poe began to start up the engines and turn the ship in the opposite direction.

“I’ll see if I can get us away from this thing!”

But he felt Qui-Gon’s hand on his shoulder.

“There is no point in that,” Qui-Gon said. “The ship’s power is severely drained and damaged, as you well know. We’d be best to brace ourselves for entry.”

“How can we be sure it’s dialled the right way?” asked Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon glanced at 3PO.

“I’m afraid we can’t,” said the latter, nervously.

Everyone looked at the droid, then turned to the Spacegate, getting ever so near.

“Engage the engines to the most powerful level still functioning,” ordered Qui-Gon, suddenly.

Poe looked at him, shocked.

“You mean, towards it?” he questioned, wide-eyed.

Qui-Gon nodded. Poe turned forwards and nervously put the engines up. The others braced themselves.

“Whatever for?” demanded Panaka.

“If we get through this thing, we need to get as far away from the other side of it as possible,” explained Qui-Gon.

“I hope you realise we may be about to fail the Chancellor?” Panaka said to him, straightly.

“I think we may be about to fail every one of us,” replied Qui-Gon.

“Engines engaged,” announced Poe, his voice almost cracking from fear.

The ship began to accelerate. The Spacegate grew gradually larger, until all that could be seen was its shimmery blue circular sea.

“Oh I have a bad feeling about this,” Obi-Wan said to himself.

The ship entered the blue, and vanished.

Illusions. Force. Shimmering. It was all they could see. And feel.

A burst of light was split by the emergence of the vessel from another Spacegate, the ship powering away as fast as it could within its means.

The crew shook of the hypnotic effect and realised they had made it. Poe cheered and Obi-Wan and Panaka clapped his back. Qui-Gon just stood there and smiled. He realised what a team they were, despite their differences. And of course, the Force. It always did what was needed, at just the right time. But it dawned on him that it was not over yet. In fact, leaning over Poe’s shoulder, he saw that the systems were in more disrepair than before.

“I hate to spoil the celebration, but we’ve only got past one hurdle,” Qui-Gon told them.

Alert after alert appeared before Poe’s eyes.

“We have to land soon; we can’t keep flying around much longer,’ he told them.

“But where?” asked Qui-Gon.

“The Sol system is not far from here,” said Obi-Wan, his eyes searching a monitor.

“Sol?”

“Yes. There are eight planets, the latter four are gas giants. But the first four have solid cores and could possibly be habitable.”

“How much is known about the system?”

“Hardly anything master. It is mapped, but unexplored.”

“Then there we shall go,” came the word from his master, as the crew directed the ship towards the remote system.