We left Yavin 4 at sunrise the next day. It was right after we reviewed the history of Christophis that it was best to know where we were headed, and we gathered all the necessary information on them. Oh, and of course, we borrowed a ship.
I say borrowed, because we had the opportunity to choose one of the Order's vehicles for the mission, but it wasn't something we would own. So, I hope this time around, we won't encounter any issues with ancient Dark Side monsters or anything like that, and we'll keep it intact and undamaged. I don't think I can pay it back if we lose it...
The landing platform outside the Temple was quiet at this hour, and it was just as we wanted. Only Master Ben and Master Katarn came to see us off as they stood near the ramp, arms behind their back, looking at us proudly. While Master Katarn was talking with Vila, Ben also came up to me.
"You'll be fine," he said, watching as HK was walking up the ramp beside us, "Just remember: listen before you speak, especially now. Trust each other before you trust anyone else, and don't be afraid of your gift... It will show you the correct course to take... And if HK starts ranting too loudly, power him down."
[Statement: I heard that.]
"Good," Ben smiled faintly, looking at him, "Then I don't need to repeat it. Don't bring trouble to my Padawan, or I will find you."
HK said nothing, just stepped into the ship, rifle slung over one shoulder, wrapped in a makeshift cloak to hide its sharper, more aggressive silhouette. I think he was trying to blend in, but... He looked about as subtle as a reprogrammed murder toaster could look, and it just made him more obvious.
"Master Skywalker," Vila walked over to us without ceremony and slapped my arm lightly. "Don't worry! I'll keep Kael safe!"
"Like I'm the trouble maker," I rolled my eyes, "Still! Appreciated."
"Keep yourself alive, too," Master Katarn joined us, playfully slapping the back of her head, prompting her to let me go and walk up into the ship.
I lingered for just a moment longer before moving my legs, taking a few steps, and looking back again.
"Kael," Ben said, glancing at me. "You remember what I said to you when you came to me the first time you had an issue?"
"...That you were proud of me?" I asked, remembering that day, when I was still a kid.
"Mhm." He nodded once. "I still am."
I swallowed, nodded back with a smile, and finally, I felt ready for whatever was coming, so I followed Vila inside, slapping the ramp's closing button.
From the outside, our ship looked like a leftover junker from a ruined scrapyard that we somehow saved and tried to repair. Well, it was an old ship, that's true, a J-type diplomatic barge from Naboo. As far as my knowledge went, this was a rare find as these were usually used by the royal family of Naboo. As for how this one got here... I had a few guesses, but it wasn't important. By now, the hull plating was scratched and dulled, the original, silver-colored, typical, stylish Naboo curves being rusted by decades of travel and complete cosmetic neglect. Or just the work of Yavin's rainy seasons, eating away at it. Maybe all of the above... One engine pod of the four had carbon scorching near the intake that looked suspiciously like it had survived a minor fire... Or an attack.
Anyway, it was probably intentional because it was perfect, no matter how much HK scowled as we walked into the belly of the ship.
[Disappointed Observation: We are flying in a museum piece. How appropriate. Shall I prepare funeral rites now or later?]
"Shut it, Rusty," Vila rolled her eyes. "You are a grandpa, compared to the ship's actual age. If anyone can criticize anybody, it's the ship saying you are as cranky as you are old!"
"And the inside and the main systems were kept at perfect conditions," I added, "Not to mention the upgrades. It looks like this because it helps us get into systems without drawing attention to us. Not everybody likes the Jedi."
I wasn't lying. Inside, there were smooth metal floors, polished consoles, and soft, slightly golden lighting coming from the lamps overhead. Entering the cockpit, it had been restored with care, its curved, almost panoramic windshield and silver controls shining like they were newly polished, with a stark contrast to the outside of the ship. Every button, switch, and readout was either lovingly preserved or replaced with unobtrusive modern upgrades, keeping the ship perfectly capable by today's standards.
These vessels are usually unarmed, but we received an upgrade that included a twin-mounted, rotatable laser cannon deployable at the bottom of the left wing and an ion cannon at the right. As a bonus, we had one forward and one backward-facing torpedo launcher, too, for emergencies. It wasn't anything fancy, at most, putting us at a proper starfighter capability, but it was good enough to defend ourselves. Not to mention, this ship was fast. Super fast. If we encounter something big, we can try outrunning it, since our weapons wouldn't be effective against anything that's actually big and built for warfare.
"Well, this is nice!" I dropped into the pilot's chair and ran a hand across the controls.
"That's a creepy smile," Vila said, flopping sideways into the co-pilot seat, kicking her boots up on the panel with zero regard for the cleanliness of this beauty. "You are really into ships, aren't you?"
"My dad made me fly before I could lift a vibroblade," I said, tapping the ignition sequence, "So yes. He kept saying no child of the Valtherion line would be useless in a dogfight, not when the Navy is in our blood."
"So... that means you are a good pilot, eh?" she chuckled, teasing me.
"Probably," I said as the ship hummed to life under my fingers and we took off, without as much as making the ship shudder, only when we left the atmosphere. Taking a deep breath, Vila closed her eyes and smiled, humming.
"Feels smooth," she murmured. "I was ready to tease you. Tsk!"
"Like butter through silk." I grinned, "Told you, I'm good."
"Gross metaphor. I approve!" She laughed, reopening her eyes, "Aaah... First time going at it alone... Exciting!"
Before I could say anything to her, our party's third voice echoed from the entryway to the cockpit.
[Grumbling Remark: I will sit in the back with the power coupling. At least if it explodes, I'll go quickly.]
"Isn't this what you wanted, HK?" I flicked a switch. "Relax! We are finally going to do something. Hmm... Alright. Pre-jump configuration complete. Yavin control is giving us clearance, too."
"I see it," Vila straightened up, just a little, looking at the incoming message from Ben and Kyle, saying the exact phrase every Jedi knew from heart. "Any last thoughts?" She muttered, glancing at me.
"Just one," I answered, looking towards her, seeing her lekku twitch only a little, "Let's not screw this up."
"Heh!" She grinned. "Speak for yourself."
Then, I pressed on the lever, and the stars bent into a blue swirl as we made the jump to hyperspace.
Inside the cockpit, the lights dimmed slightly, the nav console adjusting to the drift we picked up, leaving the local star's gravity, entering interstellar space. I always loved that moment, the precise, peculiar hum the engines gave out, the flicker of stars into streaks of light, and then the perfect silence and smoothness of the ride. It helped me deal with the pressure. It's fine, Kael... This is nothing serious... Just two not-quite-Jedi and one moody droid, flying into the unknown in a ship older than some planetary governments... Okay, Kael... you can do it. Don't start panicking now.
"Um," Vila leaned back with her hands behind her head. "So... Christophis."
"Yeah?" I asked, doing the same as her, turning my chair to face hers.
"Any bets on what's actually happening?"
"None!" I shrugged, "Distress calls are pretty normal, it seems. Not the first, and certainly not the last, that we will receive without much detail. We will know more after we get there and get in touch with someone."
"Yeah, but how do we know who to look for?" She asked, shrugging again, "There is not even a sender attached to it!"
"Well, I think I will know." I pointed at the side of my head, "We will trust the Force."
"True!" She grinned, stretching her legs out, kicking off her boots, and landing her feet in my lap. "You can now sniff out who is looking for us~!"
"Kinda. And then, we can decide what to do." I continued, beginning to massage her feet, "It could be pirates, it could be petty politics, and it could be a malfunctioning coffee machine that scared the locals."
[Hopeful Interruption: Or Rakatan remnants, Sith cultists, irradiated crystal parasites. Or—]
"Weren't you going to the power couplings to flirt with them or something?" I grunted, throwing him a slanted look.
[Statement: I am not a meatbag, like you.]
"We get it, HK," Vila and I said in unison, holding back a laugh.
[Resigned Statement: At least this will be more interesting than another week of Jedi philosophy scroll scanning. Addendum: I just hope there will be targets to shoot.]
"I don't!" I argued, "You see, if a peaceful mission were the first we took, it would mean we could pass our Knighting with flying colors. And I had enough dangers this year already..."
"Aaaaaand," Vila moaned, stretching again, enjoying the massage, "You just jinxed the whole thing, bright-eyes!"
"Ugh..." My hands flinched, making her giggle from the sudden tickling.
"Now," She continued, one eye closed, the other watching me, biting her lip, "We are going to face a bunch of enemies who are out there, trying to kill us."
[Nostalgic Statement: Just as I like it.]
...
....
...
It took us three and a half days to reach the Christophis system.
Three days of hyperspace travel, HK muttering to himself about 'wasted time and the sad reality that no pirates try to attack us,' and Vila alternating between lounging in the co-pilot's chair and trying to get me to play sabacc with her for actual money.
"Flying straight is boring," she'd declared on the second day, moaning, bored.
"Be happy we can travel the galaxy in the first place," I'd replied. "I read that the Grandmaster used to do it in his X-Wing. Now imagine being stuck in that small fighter for even more time than this...
"Ugh, no thanks..." She grimaced.
Today, as the ship's chrono ticked over to our estimated arrival window, I slid back into the pilot's chair and began the reversion sequence. The streaking blue tunnel of hyperspace rippled first, then it slowed, and collapsed into a field of stars... And there it was.
Christophis.
Even from orbit, the planet had a glittering quality to it, coming from its crystal-coated surface catching the light and throwing it back in shards of blue, green, and silver. It looked like an actual gem. I watched as a thick cloud cover swept angrily across the northern hemisphere, probably throwing a proper storm at the surface, broken up by the jagged silhouettes of crystalline mountain ranges that poke through it.
"Looks normal," Vila said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the dashboard. "Pretty too."
"Yeah…" I murmured. "It is." While looking, my hand drifted to the comm panel to send our arrival ping. "Alright, here we go... Let's let the locals know we're here and keep to our act."
A moment later, a crisp, professional voice cut through the cockpit speakers, responding to our ping.
"Unidentified vessel, state your identity and purpose."
"This is the Silverlight, registry 8-Zero-Four-Theta. Crew of three, inbound for resupply and refueling. Requesting docking clearance for primary orbital customs station."
There was a pause, long enough for me to glance at Vila, who was giving me a look that said Are they always this slow? Or was there an issue? I didn't think so, but when we were answered, it was another voice that came through, older and rougher.
"Silverlight, registry confirmed. Maintain the present heading and reduce speed to approach velocity. Docking berth to be assigned shortly. Transmitting vector data now."
"Copy, Christophis control," I replied, switching us to the designated vector after receiving it and ending the transmission. "Huh... Look at that... Something's not right."
As I lined us up for the approach, I noticed it and told Vila... There were too many defense platforms.
From here, I could see the orbital ring around the planet's equator, dotted with massive Golan III platforms, star fortress-grade stations, each one packed with heavy turbolasers, missile batteries, and fighter hangars. In between them floated the smaller but still formidable Golan II models, their sensor masts slowly rotating, looking out for... enemies. Otherwise, why would there be so many of them? It just didn't make any sense.
"Wow," Vila said, pressing closer to the viewport. "That's… a lot of big floating stuff with guns."
"Golan platforms," I said again, correcting her.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those. So... It is not normal, huh? I never really paid attention to it, as when we traveled, I was in a cage."
"Not like this, no." I adjusted our course slightly as the autopilot took over for final alignment. "By the documents, Christophis has always had orbital defenses, but…" I gestured at the sheer density of platforms. "This is way too much for peacetime."
"How can you tell?"
"Because in addition to all this," I said, flicking a toggle to bring up the trade traffic monitor, "look at the lanes."
"Hm?" She squinted at the screen. "Looks… busy?"
"Half-busy," I corrected her. "This system usually pushes twice this much traffic. Christophis produces a lot of refined crystal and industrial goods. Normally, their outbound lanes are stacked end-to-end with freighters and cargo haulers. Look closely!"
"Huh... But now it's not?"
"Nope. This is, at best, half capacity. Either they've cut back production, or…" I glanced out the viewport again at the heavy fortifications. "Or a lot of their shipments aren't making it out of the system."
"Pirates?" She frowned, her lekku twitching. "Or something else?"
"..." I didn't answer right away. "Yeah," I said finally. "Could be pirates. But if it is pirates... why call us? I don't know..."
"Huh..." She looked back at the viewport, chewing her lip. "So basically… whatever they sent for us about, it's already worse than we expected."
"Yeah," I said quietly, watching one of the Golan III platforms pivot to track our ship as we drew closer to the station. "And that's just what we can see... I have a bad feeling about this, Vila."