From Lantilles, a second-tier hyperspace drive could reach the edge of the galaxy in four days, while a first-tier drive required only two.
The Consular-Class Cruiser Star Falcon far surpassed the speed of most active spacecraft in the galaxy. While its current second-tier hyperspace drive was sufficient, it was far from optimal.
Solo wanted a sub-zero-tier drive. The lower the tier number of a hyperspace drive, the faster its jump speed.
But technology was constantly evolving, and the tiers sometimes shifted. What was once considered first-tier might be reclassified as second-tier by new standards.
The corridor leading to Hangar 47 in District D was crowded with various alien races. Two Matukai warriors carrying war pikes caught the attention of the Clone Trooper guards. Only after recognizing Solo did they lower their guard.
"General, what's going on here?"
"Just some... friends. No need to worry. Just conduct a routine inspection."
As they walked, Solo remarked to the two warriors, "Your war pikes are too conspicuous."
"We are Matukai!" Sheldon declared, each word resonating with warrior pride. "Warriors need not hide from anyone. We always face danger head-on!"
"Hmph." Solo chuckled softly beneath his hood. "But sometimes, stealth is necessary—like a snake approaching its prey, to avoid alerting the enemy."
Sheldon raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting a sneak attack from behind?"
"It's the most efficient method of attack." Solo stopped, swiped his terminal card through the slot on the hangar door, and said, "A successful assassination can end a battle swiftly."
"Despicable and cowardly," Sheldon retorted, turning his head arrogantly. Curious glances from nearby Clone Troopers swept toward them in the corridor.
"Only losers complain about fairness." The hangar door slid open slowly, revealing the cold, bright interior. "You can boast about your noble principles, but the consequences of failure won't change. You'll lose the battle, lose the war, and those you care about will pay the price with their lives."
Solo strode into the hangar. The Star Falcon stood quietly at the center, its ramp lowered. The hull gleamed as if it had never seen battle.
"You might lose the entire war and cause suffering to those who trust you, all because you stubbornly refuse to use every means at your disposal, including deceit."
"You might win, but what about your honor?" Sheldon followed him in, his gaze resting on the ship. "How will you restore your honor?"
"Just tell a story," Solo said, approaching the ramp. The Aerospace Robot emitted a cheerful binary trill. "I'll declare that all dirty tricks were used by the enemy. He's dead, and his allies have been defeated—who would believe the losers? The victors write history. I'll simply claim I fought with honor, like the bravest Jedi Knight. The survivors will believe it, and I won't feel a shred of guilt."
"Pragmatic," Taidor said, his tone approving. "Perhaps your pragmatism will help us survive."
"Master! But he—"
"Calm down, Sheldon. Solo is right about some things."
The interior of the ship was unchanged from when Solo had left, except for the alarm from the Aerospace Robot: "Master, the diagnostic shows three hidden tracking devices on the hull."
Little Yellow's programming, specially modified by engineers at Solo's request, included hacking, tracking, and electronic detection capabilities. It had already infiltrated the Terminal and uncovered all traces of external interference.
"Hmm, interesting," Solo murmured, his fingertips brushing against his lightsaber hilt.
"There's nothing unusual here," Taidor said, shaking his head. "Solo, do you really understand the Jedi Council?"
"I know very little," Solo admitted. "But I anticipated they'd plant a beacon. They never sacrifice valuable Jedi easily."
Taidor scoffed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "What a joke. Sometimes the Jedi will sacrifice anyone to achieve their goals, no matter how talented or valuable you are to them. Sometimes they don't just view non-Jedi Force-sensitives as mortal enemies—they've even killed women with Force bonds to them."
Solo, unaware of the feud between Taidor and the Jedi and uninterested in learning about it, simply shook his head and said, "Victors win, losers lose."
Jedi Knight Mo and Rick Dagon remained silent.
"But who can guarantee we'll win?" Taidor walked to the cargo bay door, standing sideways with shadows obscuring his face. "For all we know, we might end up fleeing from the Zei System in disgrace."
"Is this enemy truly that dangerous?"
"It doesn't matter," Sheldon interjected, tightening his grip on the war pike at his waist. "The five of us working together can definitely handle him."
"Oh hey, it's six of us, not five!"
Solo paused. "Ahsoka? What are you doing here?"
Ahsoka hmphed. "Master, trying to ditch me again? You seemed off all day. I've been waiting here ever since you left. You're not getting rid of me this time!"
"Ugh—" Solo put his hand to his forehead. "Making you wait like this was really unfair. Alright, you can come along, but absolutely no acting on your own!"
"Yessir!"
With Ahsoka's unexpected arrival, everyone settled into their seats.
"Alright, let's take care of these beacons first." Solo's gaze fell on the detection report handed over by the aerospace robot. He didn't want to be constantly monitored while venturing out alone.
He was genuinely curious about the enemy's identity and knew this operation might have been too hasty. Whoever could take out an entire Shadow Squad was clearly no pushover.
Fear was present, but Solo preferred action over retreat.
The robot quickly located three tracking beacons. They weren't buried deep, but removing them would immediately send an alert to the ones who planted them.
But this posed no challenge to Solo's meticulously modified robot, which effortlessly bypassed the trap.
Taidor asked, "What do you plan to do with these beacons?"
"There's nothing to hide." Solo smiled and gave the robot an order. "Roll out a few empty crates."
"Ah, I see." Taidor blinked. "You want to leave them in the hangar crates, simulating they're still operational."
"Exactly." Solo used telekinesis to float the three disk-shaped beacons before him. "If we destroy them with ionization or any other method, the Warrior Order will definitely become suspicious. Even though there's nothing inherently wrong with that, I just don't want to risk it."
The robot rolled over an empty case, and Solo placed the beacon inside.
"Leave the case in the hangar," he instructed, simultaneously contacting the control tower to request takeoff.
The hangar's roof gate slowly opened, and Grallia's moonlight flooded in, casting a cold, silvery glow over the metallic hull of the ship.
"Mission completed, Master," the robot chirped.
"Captain, begin pre-flight checks," Solo said as he stepped onto the ramp. "Test all systems, check fuel and weapon status, input the jump coordinates, and after we leave Lantilles' atmosphere, immediately initiate Yellow Alert status."
This spacecraft had three alert levels. Green indicated safe airspace, with weapons disengaged and missile silos empty, allowing for an instantaneous switch to Yellow. Yellow mode raised the shields and put weapons on standby. Red mode was for actual combat.
Nearly all of Solo's battles had been fought in Red mode.
Additionally, after his trip to London, he had engineers set up a "Mirror Mode." When activated, it would engage the ship's camouflage systems, allowing for secret infiltration and sabotage missions. He planned to activate it upon reaching the Zei System.
"We're heading into Wild Space," Solo's voice echoed through the ship, intertwining with the low hum of the engines. "There are no rules, no rescue, only unknown dangers waiting for us."
The robot emitted an affirmative binary signal. The Star Cluster slowly departed the hangar, heading toward the darkness beyond the atmosphere.
The Star Falcon's hyperspace drive began charging, preparing to leap into that uninhabited wilderness.
"Lylos is the last known inhabited planet we'll pass. Should we stop by to check out the Twi'lek beauties?"
"Don't joke like that, Solo," Taidor said sternly.
"What about our size debate? Perhaps we could find some tangible evidence to settle it once and for all."
Taidor retorted mockingly, "Our debate can be settled by experience alone. Or are you suggesting your experience is lacking?"
"Creator above," Sheldon sighed. "Why must you torment me like this?"
"Enough nonsense," Solo dismissed Sheldon's complaints. "My experience is more than sufficient!"
"Master, what size?" Ahsoka asked, her face innocent and curious.
Solo stared at her, speechless.
Taidor's weathered face turned aside, and he cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business—we don't have time. Once we've dealt with the enemy, we'll definitely go to Lylos. But for now, we must head to the Zei System in the S-19 Sector. The jump coordinates from Lylos have already been prepared."
"Then, may fortune be with us." Solo yanked the hyperspace manipulation lever, and the stars instantly stretched into lines as the Star Falcon plunged into the indigo tunnel of hyperspace.
The journey with the Matukai proved highly productive.
Solo and Ahsoka joined their training, which centered around war pike combat, giving them unique experience in handling enemies with long weapons.
Additionally, Sheldon and Taidor were passionate about bare-handed, full-contact sparring. Their combat style was crisp and powerful, highly entertaining, reminiscent of certain anime techniques Solo remembered.
They excelled at channeling the Force into their opponents' bodies during attacks, amplifying their effects.
To be honest, if wielding a lightsaber at full strength, Solo could hold his own against Taidor. But the seasoned old Matukai, with his wealth of experience and astonishing endurance, always managed to wear down Solo, whose stamina drained too quickly.
In hand-to-hand combat, Solo struggled even against Lien Shenden. He had focused too heavily on weapon and Force-based combat, leaving him reliant on his natural agility, Force-enhanced reflexes, and predictive abilities to barely hold his own in pure unarmed combat. Against Taidor's martial arts, he was utterly defenseless.
Ahsoka was similarly unprepared, but her innate combat talent allowed her to adapt quickly to close-quarters fighting. She even learned to abandon her lightsaber, channeling the Force to amplify her unarmed attacks.
"The Matukai training is divided into three levels," Taidor explained in the cargo bay. "The first level focuses on mastering the body through foundational forms and movements, with minimal reliance on the Force. The second level emphasizes mastering the Force, using it to predict combat movements and enhance physical attributes, concentrating on Matukada techniques that strengthen the body. The third level integrates the first two, achieving seamless unity between the body and the Force."
"You separate the understanding of the Force and physical movements?" Solo asked curiously. "I always thought you channeled the Force through your movements."
"Just a Jedi misunderstanding," Sheldon snorted.
"It's not entirely a misunderstanding," Taidor said, looking at the apprentices. "The first two levels are designed for those who haven't yet received Force training. Solo, Ahsoka, you completed your foundational training in the Warrior Order, so you essentially started at the third level of cultivation. If you can help us with this mission, I'll give you the manual for the fourth level after we succeed."
"The fourth level?" Solo's interest was piqued.
"Correct. That's the level where you can control almost all bodily functions through the Force," Taidor explained. "With proper training, you could even resist the most lethal diseases in the galaxy. But that's not the end; there's a fifth level."
"A fifth level?"
"That's like your Jedi—merely a legend," Sheldon added. "Only the Founder, Zailin, and some of her descendants are said to have mastered it. Rumor has it that those who reach the fifth level can regenerate lost limbs."
"What?!" Solo shot to his feet, glancing toward Rick Dagon's quarters. "The fifth level can restore severed limbs?"
"When you master the Force and your body to perfection, miracles become possible," Taidor said, his gaze unwavering. "If we can find the library in Isan, the capital of the Zei System, we might grasp the techniques of that level."
"You're really going to let us access this knowledge?" Solo asked, his gaze skeptical.
"Yes," Taidor replied without hesitation.
"Teacher—" Sheldon began, trying to protest.
"Silence!" Taidor interrupted sharply. "When we face that Force-sensitive, they can provide assistance we can't match. Unfortunately, our allies won't arrive in time to help. If we delay out of cowardice, we'll lose everything. But even with just you and me, victory isn't guaranteed. Given the current situation, we need their help."
He locked eyes with Solo, his voice heavy. "I swear on my life that I will give you all the knowledge from the Ishan Library and translate it for you. Even if the Master Council of the Path of Exploration judges me for this, I will accept it without complaint."
"That monster has already killed too many. I'm willing to accept any consequence, even death, to kill him."
"Taidor—" Solo gazed at the old Matukai, deeply moved.
"This is my solemn vow. I have nothing left to withhold." Taidor bowed slightly. "So, do you agree?"
"I won't speak in grandiose terms," Solo said, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them with conviction. "But I will do everything in my power to help you, and myself."
"Thank you for your honesty," Taidor nodded in acknowledgment.
The azure glow of the hyperspace tunnel gradually faded as the Star Falcon emerged from hyperspace, revealing the outline of Zhai Planet in the observation window.
The planet's surface was dominated by vast expanses of ochre land, with sparse cloud cover that allowed a clear view of an enormous ancient city sprawled across the landscape.
On a raised plateau, a figure shrouded in a black cloak stood silently, gazing down at the empty city below.
The dusty streets stretched deserted, devoid of life.
Yet the shield that once protected the capital of the Kingdom of Zai had long since failed.
"The Kingdom of Zai," a deep voice resonated with a sinister amusement. "The legendary realm established by Caiyiyang, son of Zailin, a sanctuary for all Matukai people—a mysterious polity hidden beyond the gaze of the galaxy. What a pity these fools brought about their own demise. Each Emperor married thirty-seven wives, encompassing every clan. But within five generations, the kingdom fractured and collapsed—hahaha—I've finally found you."
His gaze turned toward the grand palace-like structure atop the highland at the city center. The glazed tiles on its roof shimmered with a dull luster in the sunlight.
"Master," a robotic voice spoke from behind, "a spacecraft has been detected entering the planet's atmosphere one minute ago."
"Send the data to my data pad." He raised his left hand, and the data pad screen lit up, displaying an image of a Consular-class frigate.
"Oh? The Star Falcon? Is it him?" A crimson lightsaber suddenly shot from his right palm, its blade humming in the air. "What is he doing here? It doesn't matter. My goal will be achieved in the end."
The "treasure" he spoke of was hidden in the basement of the Ishan Library: a scroll containing the Matukada's highest secret arts, including methods for regenerating limbs and cultivating organs through the Force.
"We'll see what surprises tomorrow brings." The lightsaber blade retracted into its hilt, and the figure vanished in an instant, leaving only a gust of wind swirling dust across the barren highland.
(Note: This is a derivative work with no direct correspondence to existing canon.)
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 10+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon