Chapter 15: 4TH. The Birth 

“Ewok jerky?” Ventus’s brow furrowed. 

These people were talking about hunting Ewoks, killing them, and turning them into jerky. He knew this kind of food was popular in some corners of the galaxy, but he couldn’t stomach it. Ewoks were a sentient species. Sure, they were primitive, but they could think, and they had their own culture. 

From what Ventus knew, Ewoks might be stuck in the New Stone Age, but their brains and bodies were nearly fully evolved. They were a clever species, quick to adapt to new things. And despite their small size, they were strong and agile. In Ventus’s eyes, Ewoks were perfect candidates for scouts, jungle warriors, or even mechanics. 

That’s why, under his orders, the Fourth Civilization’s colonists were showing kindness to the Ewoks. They shared food, helped build simple wooden huts, and were working on decoding the Ewok language—though progress was slow since their speech was still rudimentary. 

Given this relationship, Ventus wouldn’t tolerate anyone hunting Ewoks for jerky. 

Still, this kind of thing wasn’t uncommon in the Star Wars universe. Plenty of sentient species ended up on someone’s menu. Maybe it was just the divide between species. Back on Earth, people ate beef. If cows suddenly gained sentience, would everyone stop? Most folks would probably say, “I’m human, they’re cows—smart or not, I’m eating.” 

“And this is a job for Jabba the Hutt,” Qennto added quickly, noticing Ventus’s hesitation. “You know I can’t afford to cross him.” 

“Jabba…” Ventus’s expression darkened as he mulled it over. If Jabba was involved, things just got complicated. 

Jabba was one of the biggest crime lords among the Hutts, a member of the Desilijic Kajidic {Note 1}. He ruled from Tatooine, running a sprawling criminal empire. Crossing someone like that was a bad move. 

Ventus studied Qennto for a long moment. This guy was a rare find—a native of the Star Wars universe who’d stumbled into their lap. As a smuggler who’d been around the block, Qennto was exactly the kind of guide they needed to navigate this galaxy. 

“Alright,” Ventus said, nodding. “You can deliver the cargo to Tatooine. But there’s a condition—from now on, you work for the Fourth Group. That includes your ship. It’s ours now. And someone from our side will go with you to Tatooine.” 

“No way! The Cheap Hunter is my life! You can’t take her!” Qennto shouted. 

“You bastard!” Mars-Ferasi roared, lunging at Ventus. Before she could land a hit, he raised a hand, and an invisible force sent her flying back. 

Ferasi hit the ground hard, dazed. She scrambled up, staring at Ventus in terror. “You’re… a Jedi?!” 

Ventus didn’t confirm or deny it. He held up two fingers. “You’ve got two choices. One: I kill you, and your bodies get dumped into space like trash. Two: You work for me. Do a good job, and I’ll make sure you get a better ship.” 

“Do I even have a choice?” Qennto muttered, helping Ferasi to her feet with a bitter smile. 

“Working for me has its perks. You’ve already seen a taste of it—think about the easy life you’ve had here these past few days. That’s something you’ll never find anywhere else in the galaxy. Now, convince your crew.” Ventus stood, ready to leave. 

“What about our pay?” Qennto asked, mustering some courage. 

Pay? I’m flat broke myself! Ventus cursed inwardly but gave a cryptic smirk, spreading his arms. “You think there’s anything the Fourth Group can’t provide?” 

Qennto and Ferasi glanced around the spacious, pristine office and quietly lowered their heads. 

“Get ready,” Ventus said. “I’m going with you to Tatooine. Ferasi, you’ll stay here and… rest.” 

Qennto instantly understood—Ferasi was a hostage. He opened his mouth to protest, but Ferasi shot him a look, silently stopping him. 

Two days later, with Ventus’s approval, Fourth Civilization became their official name. To operate more smoothly, they planned to establish a company called the Fourth Group. 

The colony under construction was named Dawn City by Ventus. This would be the capital of the Fourth Civilization. 

He also introduced a new policy: every family had to adopt a child from the 5 billion frozen embryos stored on the mothership and raise them as their own. These embryos had been genetically modified to mature into adults in about five years—more advanced than clones. Families would provide warmth and care, ensuring the children grew up as part of society, not just tools from a lab. To keep up with their rapid growth, the kids would receive knowledge uploads during sleep. 

This policy made use of the embryos, helping them integrate into society. Since resources were distributed under a ration system, affordability wasn’t an issue. 

But Ventus had another, secret plan. He ordered the engineering team to build a hidden base in a remote part of the planet Dawn when conditions allowed. This base would be strictly militarized, raising batches of embryos trained solely in warfare and killing. 

The first group of 100 warriors was already growing there. As the base expanded, so would their numbers. 

This was Ventus’s ace in the hole for the wars he knew were coming. The unit had no name, only a designation: Fourth Legion. 

Every soldier’s uniform bore a single mark: 4TH. 

These 100 warriors were just the seed. The Fourth Civilization couldn’t yet support more soldiers or larger training facilities. But Ventus was certain that one day, 4TH would become a force to make the galaxy tremble. 

{Note 1}: Kajidic is a Hutt organizational structure that shapes its members’ mindset, daily life, business, and criminal activities. The Hutts have many kajidics, each with its own rules, leaders, and structure. Jabba’s Desilijic Kajidic is one of the largest. For simplicity, kajidics will be referred to as “clans” in the future.