Chapter 21: The Jedi

noch 20

*Section 20: Jedi Knights*

“So, if you can set aside your biases, you’ll see this isn’t the Trade Federation’s style. If they were really here to mine, it wouldn’t look like this,” Qui-Gon Jinn said. “Let’s fly over and check out who’s at that mining station.”

“Wait a sec… there’s a massive signal!” the co-pilot blurted out. “It’s in synchronous orbit around Endor, but it’s moved to the far side of the planet now. This thing… stars, the radar says it’s kilometers tall!”

“A giant space station?” Qui-Gon paused, taken aback by the sheer size, then grew serious. “A station that huge, out here beyond the Core Worlds? Whoever owns it has big plans. Head toward the station, Obi-Wan, and try to contact them.”

“Got it.” Obi-Wan Kenobi grabbed the comms, opened a public channel, and said, “Hello, this is… well, we’re travelers passing through. We hit some gravitational turbulence on the Modell route, and our ship’s damaged. We’re hoping to resupply. Please respond.”

A moment later, a woman’s voice crackled through. “Greetings, travelers. We’re the Fourth Group’s colonial expedition. We hope you come in peace.”

“Fourth Group?” Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance, both seeing the same confusion in the other’s eyes.

…

*Outer Rim, Albarian Sector, Makito System*

The Lancer dropped out of hyperspace, materializing in the dark void of the cosmos. Almost instantly, Ventus received a hyperspace transmission from the mothership. Though the ship’s hyperspace core was offline for unknown reasons, it could still handle communications just fine.

“…The infrared laser weapons aren’t powerful enough? Any way to boost their output?” Ventus asked, seated in the guest chair, speaking with Dr. Guan Yan, the engineering specialist.

“Not yet. The Blade fighters use small fission reactors, so their energy supply is limited. To increase the infrared laser turrets’ power, we’d need to install compact fusion reactors,” Dr. Guan explained. “That’s my next research focus.”

“Keep at it. Until we’ve fully analyzed the Phantom fighters, prioritize upgrading the Blade fighters’ combat ability. Now, get Qi Jian in here,” Ventus said.

“Administrator, the production run of 50 Blade fighters is complete. We’re starting the first round of upgrades, swapping their weapon systems for infrared laser turrets,” Qi Jian’s voice reported.

“How’s it going?”

“The weapon tests are done. The small laser turrets we can mount on the fighters are about 30% more destructive than the basic electromagnetic cannons, but their effective range is only 3,000 kilometers. That’s nowhere near the near-infinite range of kinetic weapons in space. On the plus side, it frees up the space used for ammo storage, reducing weight and boosting maneuverability.”

Ventus nodded. “Have the pilots train more with energy weapons. Going forward, that’s our main focus for weapons research. Energy tech is highly advanced in this galaxy.”

And most importantly, as a Stellaris energy weapon fanatic, we’ve got to climb the tech tree straight to plasma lances and arc emitters!

He reviewed the personnel roster again and noticed that, with the colony’s growth, two elite scientists were now eligible for awakening: a computer expert and an engine specialist—exactly what he needed. He immediately arranged their activation and assigned them to Dr. Feng Yongwang’s team to speed up Phantom fighter development.

Then, Ventus found a master-level aerospace chief engineer in the roster. The requirements for awakening him were steep: a ground-based wind tunnel lab, a small space dock, and a fully staffed research team.

There were no shortcuts, though. He sent the requirements to Daphne Clement, instructing her to do whatever it took to meet them and awaken the engineer.

As Ventus worked remotely, the Mainframe’s voice cut in. [Administrator, apologies for the interruption. We’ve received a public channel message. A ship claiming to be travelers is requesting to board. Please decide quickly.]

“Travelers? Requesting to board? What’s going on? Endor’s system is a backwater—nobody comes here! Kunto’s crew hasn’t sent out any signals either. Where’d these travelers come from?” Ventus was instantly on edge.

[Reason unknown. Given the environment around the Endor system, frequent visitors are highly unlikely.]

“Fine, patch the comms through,” Ventus said, frowning.

[Understood, Administrator. Transferring hyperspace communication now. The message includes visual data.]

A holographic projection appeared before Ventus. A middle-aged man in a cloak spoke politely. “Greetings. I assume you’re the administrator of this Endor station. I’m Qui-Gon Jinn, a traveler. Our ship hit some trouble during hyperspace travel, and we’re hoping to get repairs and supplies. Please assist us.”

But Ventus wasn’t buying the obvious excuse. He stared at the man, then blurted out, “You’re a Jedi Knight, aren’t you?”

The man froze for a moment but then gave a faint smile. “I don’t believe I have ‘Jedi Knight’ written on my face.”

Ventus’s expression hardened. “So, care to tell me why a Jedi Knight is suddenly showing up here?” He’d already recognized the man.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn!

Qui-Gon looked exactly like he did in the movies, and the name had instantly clicked for Ventus, though he kept that to himself.

Over the comms, Qui-Gon continued, “The sudden appearance of a space station in a remote system like Endor is something the Galactic Republic needs to take notice of.”

“Master, it’s confirmed—that massive thing isn’t a station, it’s a ship!” another voice cut in.

Qui-Gon’s face grew deadly serious. He locked eyes with Ventus through the hologram and said slowly, “And that’s why I’m here.”

It’s only been a few days since I arrived in this universe, and now Jedi are knocking on my door? Something’s seriously off!

Ventus sighed. “This ship doesn’t have hyperspace capability, and it’s purely a civilian vessel used for colonizing Endor. The paperwork for this colony is being processed with the Republic.”

“We don’t interfere with legitimate business, as long as you can prove it’s legal,” Qui-Gon replied.

“If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to stop by my mothership. I’ll be back soon,” Ventus offered.

“I’d appreciate your hospitality,” Qui-Gon said with a slight nod.

As the call ended, Ventus took a deep breath and shook his head. Things were getting way more complicated than he’d expected. He’d planned to head to Tatooine to find Anakin Skywalker, but Black Sun’s job had derailed that, and now Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi were showing up!

How had they even found this place? Doubt gnawed at him.

But one thing was crystal clear: the galaxy-wide upheaval was coming, and there was no hiding from it. Even if he tried to stay holed up, someone would find him. And if he was still cowering at home when that happened, he’d be at a massive disadvantage.

He had to step out and find that slim chance of survival in the chaos!