The two X-wings and Talor's GR-75 exited from the hypergate to arrive at the Endor sector. As they began their approach to the forest moon, Luger has some thoughts on Tuka and her now-razed home.

"Glad to be back on Endor. Whew!" Max sighed. "Luger, feeling okay?"

"Ummm..." Luger tried to say a word.

"Still haunted by what happened back there?"

"Yeah. Losing a father or an entire parent is the most heartbreaking moment a child could ever experience."

"Many of us do lost our parents back at the time the Empire was still around, kid." Max explained. "I've lost mine when the Imperials launched an attack on Naboo via weather manipulation. That's why I've joined the Navy, to set things right."

"I see. I've never lost any of my family but...it feels sad."

"Don't worry. We have nothing to fear now that the bucketheads are restrained."

Luger began to slowly smile. The beeping of Rocky helped calmed him down also.

"Thanks, Rocky."

"You're starting to feel better now." Max observed. "We can relax when we get back."

After entering the atmosphere, the three spacecraft began their final approach to the Republic base, where it was sitting at the site of the Death Star's shield generator. The GR-75 landed at its landing pad while the X-wings landed at the hangar. As the transport began to be serviced, Tuka followed Talor as they exited the spaceship. The former was suprised by where she is.

"Welcome to Endor, Tuka." Talor said to her.

"Whoa! What is this place?"

"This here is our base of operations, one of many in the galaxy."

"What is a "galaxy" anyway?" Tuka asked.

"It is a place where countless worlds inhabit. Endor is one of them."

Tuka was satisfied by Talor's answer as they enter the base. Inside, species from different worlds shocked her, ranging from Rodians to Mon Calamari and Sullustans, as they roam freely with their human counterparts.

"EEEEEKK!" She shouted in fear while attracting attention from personnel. "HELP ME, PLEASE!"

"Calm down, Miss Tuka." Talor assured her. "None of them are going to hurt you."

"Huh?"

"They have the same goals of preserving peace and freedom, so there is no discrimination within the ranks."

A Besalsik, known for their characteristic four arms, began to approach Tuka to say encouraging words.

"Do not be alarmed." The Besalisk assured her. "We are here to help regardless."

"Really?" Tuka cautiously asked.

"Yes."

"Oh by the way, his name is Krel Daslik of the Besaliks." Talor introduced. "He's one of our heavy weapons specialists."

"Nice to meet you, young lady. I'll be keeping you safe and confortable in any situation."

"O...okay." Thr girl answered nervously. "I'm..."

"Uh...is she okay, sir?" Krel asked.

"It's her first time getting out of her world." Talor said. "She's kinda shy."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...didn't know it was your first time here."

"That's okay. I'm Tuka."

"Krel Daslik, at your service." The Besalik introduced himself.

"Can you show her the room she'll be staying?"

"Of course, sir. Tuka, follow me."

The girl nodded as the two began to head for the room. Talor, for his part, began to use the holographic communication system to discuss their findings to General Han Solo.

"General Solo, sorry to bother you on short notice." He greeted.

"Ah, that's okay." The former smuggler replied. "I had other things to worry about outside of marriage and all."

"I know it's kind of hard of you but...we need you to come to Endor when you have the time."

"What to do you mean, general?"

The moan of his fellow co-pilot Chewbacca indicates that he has to continue the refitting of certain components of the famed Millennium Falcon.

"Alright, Chewie, I'll be there. Sorry general, but I have to attend important matters."

"Okay, but if you are interested in another world, we could send Chancellor Mon Mothma and Leia Organa to launch..."

"Wait!" Solo reacted. "You said "another world," right?"

"Yes, Solo." Talor confirmed. "But to get there, we have to cross the hypergate."

"I thought hypergates were from an old age. Why would they activate all of a sudden."

"That, we don't know."

Solo has some hard time with the discovery. With marriage and a few other things keeping him busy, he decided to adjust a few of them.

"Alright." Solo agreed. "I'll be there to see the new planet."

"We'll do."

The hologram transmission ended before beginning to do another one with General Lando Calrissian.

"How are you doing, General Talor?" Lando greeted.

"I'm fine, thank you. I need you to assemble an expedition fleet and report to Endor."

"It should be no problem. We are currently at Sullust with three star cruisers and smaller ships on stand-by."

"Excellent."

XXXXXXX

In the Imperial Senate at Sadera, a meeting was held to discuss economic policies for the Empire. Senators began to exchange some small bickerings while the emperor, Molt Sol Agustus, was listening quietly.

"How much should the tax rate be implemented for all imports?" One senator asked.

"About six percent for initial imports and onto eight percent ten months after implementation." Another answered.

"Are you sure this would work? We need to recoup the suwani we used mostly for grand construction projects. Our people are beginning to suffer."

The emperor began to intervene.

"Silence!" He demanded and the senators complied. "With our economy slowing down and our reserves almost dry, we need to pray that a miracle can happen."

"And what miracle can we get after it is granted?" Marquis Casel doubted the emperor's words.

Suddenly, a dragon rider approached the Senate with a disturbed look on his face.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Your Majesty, but I have disturbing news for you!" He said.

"Young rider, can you explain what "disturbing news" you have brought here before me and the Senate?" Molt asked.

"My liege, yesterday, I have spotted two unusual flying creatures flying right beside me and my wyvern. They have those red patches and they emitted a strange and loud roar as they flew away from where I'm flying."

"Where have they went?"

"I don't know. I didn't see them but I do heard from locals that they are near Koan Forest at the time the flame dragon is unleashing its rage. When I returned to check them once more, all the villagers could recover is the body of the foul beast with unusual injuries, one of which having the largest in its chest."

The senators were shocked by the revelation.

"What unusual force could do such a thing?" One asked.

"Did magic became involved with the slaying?"

Molt was calm in the face of the news and decided to prepare the next course of action.

"Rest up for now." Molt suggest. "When you are done, inform Piña and the rest of the Rose-Order of Knights to investigate the area. You can leave."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The rider replied gratefully.

The senators were praying for his success as the rider left. A guard began to wonder about the emperor's daughter and her ability to do the task.

"Are you sure your daughter would achieve the goal as you suggested?"

"I hope Piña can do well alongside her plaything. She was obsessed of being a knight when she has other things to worry about." Molt didn't give a clear answer.

XXXXXXX

In the far reaches of space, a Vengeance-class Star Dreadnaught was leading an Imperial fleet as the officers began to perform their duties. In the bridge, an officer began to report their findings to Admiral Hun Axier.

"Admiral Axier, I have brought interesting news for you." The commander said.

"You found something?" Axier asked.

"Yes, sir. Our sensors have detected two energy signatures followed by one more on the Hulkark system. I'm not sure if it's a stray ship but it could be that the New Republic has managed to find the hypergate to Hulkark."

Axier began to show a slight smile of interest.

"So they did found it, eh? Pretty interesting."

"What should we do, sir? Should we launch an ambush?"

He then began to plan his next move.

"Send probe droids to Hulkark for further surveillance. Prepare your troops on stand-by and have our TIE squadrons ready at short notice. For now, all we can do is to keep watching and see what they are up to."

"Yes, sir. But...I fear that the Republic would respond to our advances."

"That won't be much of a concern." Axier assured. "With the Civil War lost, they will launch massive military cuts in hopes the past mistakes of the Old Republic won't be repeated. We can use that to our advantage."

"As you wish." The officer saluted before leaving. Outside, the probe droids were launched to Hulkark as the surveillance mission begins.

XXXXXXX

Krel led Tuka to her room, a small-sized one originally meant for stranded crewmembers of starships. Ironically, Endor was closed to intergalactic shipping due to the hypergate which would attract attention.

"Here you are, Tuka." Krel said to her. "Nothin' but the essentials for a warm stay."

"Thank you, Krel. I'm grateful that you would provide help."

"I'll get you some clothes and food for you. Wait here."

As Krel left, Tuka sat on the warm bed which is close to the one in her home. She began to reminisce her time in the village before a familiar voice can be heard.

"Tuka? Tuka, you there?"

"Yeah." She responded. "Come in."

Luger arrived to see her.

"I see that Talor has provided you with a refuge while you are here."

"Yes. When I saw those unusual creatures in this place, one of them extended a hand...well, one of his four hands. He was so kind to me that I began to wonder if the others share the same to me. Madine wasn't even afraid."

Luger began to understand her story.

"Well, everyone in this base share the basic things of freedom and love." Luger explained. "Before, we are at war with an oppresive entity known as the "Galactic Empire." Non-humans were being discriminated based on their traits. Their policies were a burden to many of us. Eventually, we rallied against them and although we've lost many of our friends, they were defeated."

"Is the "Empire" here big?"

"Yeah. They almost took control of the galaxy and some systems were fractured. Over time, we stand together."

Tuka was having a bit of a hard time understanding Luger's story. While she wasn't around, the Rebellion and the Empire fought to either free or control the galaxy. Then, Krel arrived with food and clothihg.

"Here you go, Tuka. Food and..." He then saw Luger beside Tuka. "You're with her, right?"

"Yep. Ever since I first met her." Luger answered.

"Oh, Luger, he is Krel. The four-armed guy."

"Luger Sternbolt, nice to meet you." The pilot introduced himself while shaking hands with the Besalik.

"Krel Daslik, nice to meet you." He did the same.

"So I'd guess we are all helping her, eh?"

"Pretty much."

XXXXXXX

The next day, selected soldiers of the Republic were inside a briefing room as Talor and Admiral Gial Ackbar in hologram was preparing the information needed before heading out for the other side of the hypergate.

"How's your sleep, Luger?" Krel asked. "It may be a long day ahead of us."

"Pretty much okay, in my opinion." Luger replied. "Tuka's preparing to come with us for the trip."

"You sure command would do that?"

"She was missing home when she first left. But one more thing that worries me is the locals. Would they welcome us warmly or attack us?"

"Let diplomacy do the work first."

Max then arrived.

"I see that you two are getting to know each other." He greeted.

"Oh, Max. You know Krel, right?"

"Yeah, when we first met back at Jakku." He began to explain. "Before I left, the engineers were having a problem with my S-foils. Eventually, they traced it to the servo actuators. We can't get a replacement in time for the fight, which would mean that the cruiser we were on could be destroyed at any moment."

"I noticed the problem and told them that faulty wiring could be the cause." Krel said further. "The engineers found the wires and luckily, we have spares. Max then left to fight the TIEs."

"So you know about schematics, right?"

"Not just that, but I ripped apart many other machines to study for their weaknesses. That's why I decided to specialize in heavy weapons."

"Wow. I would like to try that out."

"You will." Krel finished.

Ackbar began to start the briefing.

"All rise." He said and the soldiers complied with a salute.

"Please be seated." Talor followed.

When everyone was in their seats, the briefing commenced.

"I would like to say good morning to you people here. Now that Talor has selected you for this daunting task, he will explain the details for the mission."

Talor stepped forward before showing a hologram of the planet and the hypergate.

"Yesterday, our two X-wing pilots standing here today has discovered a planet beyond the hypergate near the system. Currently we don't know much about both of them and we are about to send scholars and technicians to study the latter. As well, Chancellor Mon Mothma has made preparations for a diplomatic mission to the planet."

"That brings us to you, people. You are selected because of your skills, talents, and resolve to fight for peace. You will need to be prepared for any encounters with probable hostiles as I fear that the Empire may have remnants still fighting."

"As of now, you will be under Dragon Company of the New Republic Special Forces. You have two weeks to prepare for this task."

"Good luck and may the Force be with you." Ackbar finished before the hologram transmission ended."

XXXXXX

Two weeks after the briefing was held, Dragon Company has made preparations for the expedition. Chancellor Mon Mothma was there to hold a speech of inspiration. Surprisingly, Tuka, after spending some training with New Republic soldiers and instructors, joined the company wearing the standard uniform.

"Talor told me to come with you for this." She said. "I could help."

"You did training?" Krel asked her to which the latter nodded in reply. "Good."

"Tuka, we'll stay close to you should you need help." Luger offered.

"Thank you."

Mothma began to start the speech.

"Good morning, soldiers of the New Republic. I have came here to see you prepare for a potentially dangerous task. In the days since the Galactic Concordance was signed, we are in the process of bridging wounds and divisions left behind by war. However, we believe that remnants of the Empire could still be out there waiting for the right time to strike again. That's why the New Republic has picked you to aid our diplomats in securing the peace we always wanted. To finally end the evils plaguing the galaxy for far too long. May the Force be with you all."

The soldiers saluted as they began to head out for the transports. Above the planet, Ackbar's fleet was also preparing to head out for the unknown. Luger and Max were in their X-wings to serve as escorts. Onboard the MC80 Star Cruiser Home One, Ackbar was in the bridge overseeing the fleet when Talor came.

"Admiral, all ships and diplomats are accounted for." Talor reported. "We should be heading out shortly."

"Good work, general." Ackbar lauded. "All ships, head out for the hypergate at sector 5."

"We are on our way." Solo said while piloting the Falcon. "Chewie, time to get going."

The fleet began to head for the hypergate, which is big enough to fit large capital ships like the Imperial Star Destroyer. When they entered the hypergate, they could be awed by the lasting technology the builders created. When they exited the hypergate, the planet is in sight.

A/N: The second chapter is done. As suggested by Mandalore the Freedom, other cultures and races from GATE will appear to help the heroes in their finest hours.

See you.