Disclaimer – all original Star Wars characters in this fanfic (excluding my OC's) are the property of Lucasfilm and Disney.

Chapter 34 "The Centerpoint Station."

Exploring the ancient artifact! After reaching an agreement with the Federation of the Double Worlds, ArchKnight Deiven Virlo and the alien scientists were given permission to examine the mysterious space station and keep it in exchange for letting the planets Talus and Tralus join the Kingdom of the Force.

With only the technical knowledge of the ancient species and hope in their hearts, the forces of the Kingdom need to activate the station and relocate their planets to a safe distance or fall victim to the devastating weapon of the Dread Masters.

The Lagrangian Point of Talus and Tralus, Centerpoint Station.

Deiven docked the Allanar N3 Light Freighter in the hangar bay of the station. No one came to see or greet them, so all the members of the Kingdom simply left the freighter. Spotting only one door that led out of the hangar bay and deeper into the station, the ArchKnight and the scientists used it, cautiously exploring the ancient artifact.

Deiven thought that the humans lied about the people living here. As the group walked down the dark, must-filled corridor with dust and webs covering almost everything, nothing indicated that anyone lived here besides spiders and moths.

When they reached the end of the corridor, they spotted a broad platform, that seemed to go on forever in two separate directions with countless turbolifts. "Hmmm..." Cem'lul began to inspect the elevators. "They seem to be in working order."

"But where to go?" Deiven asked, entering one of the turbolifts and looking at the long control panel. "There's at least hundreds... floors, I think? Where do we wanna go?"

One of the Gree entered the next elevator and looked at the panel. He began to speak in his native language, while the Rakata closest to him spoke, translating his words. "It seems these turbolifts can take us to around two thousand decks that surround roughly two hundred concentric spherical shells located in the central sphere of Centerpoint Station, which surround the Hollowtown."

"So where are we now?" Deiven asked, leaving the elevator.

"In the external hangar dome," Cem'lul answered as he examined the datapad. "The whole station is built like a multi-layered fruit. Surely it was the Kilik's idea. At the heart of the station, we have the Glowpoint. Next we have the Hollowtown, which is surrounded by the shells, which are surrounded by the decks, which are surrounded by the external hangar dome. Everything is connected by the airlocks through which the turbolifts can pass. We should head to the Glowpoint."

"What's this Glowpoint?" Deiven arched his ginger eyebrow.

"A large, star-like reactor that supplies power to the Centerpoint Station," explained the Rakata. "It was an artificial sun that was suspended in the exact center of the sphere. We should check if it works before we even attempt to use the station."

"Alright," Deiven agreed and looked at the turbolifts. "I don't think everyone can fit inside one turbolift so pair up and we all meet at our destination."

Fifteen minutes later – Centerpoint Station, Hollowtown.

Despite the turbolift moving fast, Deiven began to become impatient. He knew the station was big, and they were heading to its center, but he wanted to have this station at working order as fast as possible. When he and Cem'lul arrived first and left the elevator, the young Firrerreo blinked a few times to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

The Hollowtown was an open sphere, measuring sixty kilometers in diameter, in the exact center of the station. The walls of Hollowtown were filled with homes, parks, lakes, orchards, and farmlands as if everything was glued to them. Even when the young Firrerreo looked up, he also spotted a city above him. It was a strange yet fascinating sight.

"Normally, I would say that the walls are filled with artificial gravity generators," stated Cem'lul, who also looked around. If one would walk straight, he or she would eventually make a large circle and reach the starting point, just like walking inside a large ball. "But the station was built before the invention of artificial gravity, so I'm guessing that the rotation of the station simulates gravity. Old, but equally effective way."

On both sides of the Hollowtown sphere, positioned along the spin axis, was a large cone ringed by six smaller cones, the sets were called the North and South Conical Mountains.

The Glowpoint illuminated everything in the Hollowtown and Deiven even felt the warm rays of the artificial sun. That explained the greenery, farms, and lakes. Thanks to the Glowpoint the center of the sphere was habitable.

When the rest of the scientists joined the two, an older human male accompanied by a group of much younger humans approached them. All of them observed the aliens with clear mistrust. "You're the aliens from the Kingdom?" asked the oldest human. "I'm the elder Bono Vazadi, leader of this city."

"Greetings," Deiven turned towards the humans and nodded. He noticed that the humans were clothed like normal farmers and some of them even had dirt on their attire and faces. "I'm ArchKnight Deiven Virlo, I assume you've been warned about our arrival."

"Yes," the elder Vazadi replied and spat on the ground. "Wretched government!"

The young Firrerreo noticed that the elder was pretty bulky for his age. Despite the grey hair and tired pale-blue eyes, he still had some strength in his thick arms. "By your reaction, I'm guessing you don't get along with the two planets?" he asked.

"With the planet's inhabitants we get along, with the government, no," replied Vazadi. "Corrupted politicians and greedy corporations. The wealthy have everything while the poor either are left to die or are used for the amusement of the powerful. It makes me sick."

Deiven squinted his eyes. "That makes two of us," he replied. "But for the good of all the people in the galaxy, the Kingdom had to let the two planets join their alliance. In exchange, the Federation of the Double Worlds has given us this station to move our planets away from our enemies."

"You'd rather run than fight?" asked one of the younger men.

Deiven smirked. "It's not so simple, listen..."

The young Firrerreo explained the situation to the elder and the clustered group which began to grow in numbers as more and more inhabitants of the station approached their 'guests'. He told them about the Kiliks, the destruction of Alderaan, the weapons of the Dread Masters and even about his conversation with the Federation of the Double Words. When he finished, the elder nodded. "I see," he said with a grim expression. "That's a serious problem."

The ArchKnight noticed that many of the people were now looking at them with softer expressions, while the children watched the aliens in awe with wide eyes.

"Is there a main control room somewhere?" Cem'lul asked. "Do you know if it still works?"

"Heh, while we live here, we never dared to tamper with the station's technology or even try to understand it," replied Vazadi. "We never actually knew that it was capable of moving planets in the first place. If I would take a wild guess, there's a large room with a large, round holotable and a lot of consoles. It may be the place you're looking for."

"Can you lead us there?" asked Cem'lul.

Vazadi turned his head, looked and nodded at one of the men, who stepped forward. "This is Juntar, he'll take you there," stated the elder and immediately added. "ArchKnight Deiven, I would like to speak with you in private."

The young Firrerreo agreed. Since the Rakatan and Gree would take care of the control room, and would understand the technology better than him, he could talk with the elder. As the gathered people scattered and the scientists followed the young human, the ArchKnight walked right beside the elder, who began to show him the Hollowtown.

"Tell me what do you plan to do with us?" the elder asked suspiciously as they entered a nice, peaceful park.

"If you're worried about the Kingdom throwing your people out from the station you can be sure that won't happen as long as I have something to say about it," Deiven reassured. "It's a nice and peaceful place. The farms, lakes, parks blend in with the advanced technology very nicely. I like it. It is a nice mixture, a balance of nature and technology."

"Thank you," replied the elder. "What do you plan to do with the corrupted politicians? Some may try to use this station if you manage to figure out how it works. I know their kind, always looking to get their filthy hands on everything that could make them more wealthy or powerful."

"We have cunning politicians as well," assured Deiven. "They don't mind knocking a couple of heads together if necessary. Plus, we can take more... radical, yet subtle approach if the politicians or anyone from the Federation even tries to do something harmful to your people."

As the two walked, Deiven noticed two young boys, who played tag in the park. As they run around the trees, they were told by her mother, who watched them, that they needed to go home because it was time for sleep. That surprised the young Firrerreo and actually made him wonder.

"Because of the Glowpoint there's no night here," he said out loud and looked at the elder. "How do you sleep or even know when it is time to sleep?"

"We placed programmed blocks of transparisteel above our houses that dim on a day-night cycle," replied the elder. "We call them 'shadow-shields'."

Deiven raised his ginger eyebrows and smiled. "Heh, nifty," he remarked as the two continued their walk.

After approximately ten minutes, the young Firrerreo's comlink beeped and Cem'lul's voice issued from it. "ArchKnight Deiven, come in."

Deiven raised his wrist to his mouth and replied. "I'm here, tell me you have good news," he said hopefully.

"I have," answered the Rakata. "Please, join us at the control room. We have much to explain, and it will be easier to do it in person."

"I'm on my way," Deiven replied and ended the conversation. The moment he did, the elder proposed. "I'll take you there so that you won't get lost."

"I would be very grateful," Deiven nodded with a smile.

Twenty minutes later - Centerpoint Station, The Decks, Main Control Room.

The elder led Deiven to a large control room, where the scientists from the Kingdom were tirelessly tinkering with the consoles and other devices while the young human was standing in the corner observing them silently. The room was lit thanks to the rectangular lights on the ceiling, and many screen and consoles were working and beeping despite being covered in dust.

Cem'lul, who stood near a massive holotable, looked at Deiven and grinned, which was always a good sign. "Does it work?" Deiven asked approaching and almost mirroring the expression of the Rakata.

"Yes, the whole station is in perfect condition!" the Rakata replied excitedly. "We can start moving planets once we've calculated everything!"

"Just like that?" Deiven asked in disbelief.

"Moving planets is easy, but for them to remain hospitable and with the same conditions as before we must calculate everything very carefully," pointed out Cem'lul. "For example, we can change Tatooine into an icy planet if we move it to another system too far from the sun."

"So we need to experiment on planets?" Deiven frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't like the sound of that."

"We have a solution for this," Cem'lul reassured and turned towards the holotable. He pressed a button on a console, and a large holographic image of the galaxy appeared before them.

"This is a self-updating program which shows every planet in our galaxy, but it also works as a simulator," explained the alien. "We can create scenarios and see what would happen to a specific planet if it was moved to a system in a specific position without risking anyone's safety."

"So this station has all the information about every planet in the known galaxy?" Deiven asked.

"That's not a surprise considering it's the oldest artifact in the galaxy," replied Cem'lul. "The station was at least forty thousand years old even before the Je'dai Order was founded."

Deiven scratched his chin clearly curious. "Okay, so... hmmm... let's say I was to move Korriban from Horuset system to the same orbit as planet Lehon in the Lehon system. Would this simulator show me the effect it would have on the planet?"

"Of course," Cem'lul began to input data into the holotable's console. The holographic image zoomed on the Lehon system, and Deiven noticed planets around Abo, the sun of the system. When Cem'lul pushed another button, Korriban appeared in the same orbit as the planet Lehon, but on the opposite side and began to circle around Abo with the same speed so they would never hit each other.

The Rakatan scientist zoomed in again, this time on Korriban so that the holographic image of the planet filled the whole holotable, and information screen appeared right next to the planet. Every possible bit of information was there: the surface temperature, escape velocity, rotational period, orbital period, surface gravity, density, mass, and even the age.

The ancient world of the Sith was originally cold and dry, but Deiven noticed that temperature on the surface began to increase due to being closer to the sun than in the Horuset system. He also saw the moons around the planet.

"The moons of the planet Korriban were moved as well?" Deiven asked looking at the Rakata.

"Yes, all seven of them," Cem'lul confirmed not taking his eyes of the console. "The station moves natural satellites along with the planet."

"What happens with the planet during the travel?" Deiven asked again. "I mean the planet leaves its system and during the travel it has no sun to keep it warm."

"If the sun would suddenly disappear the temperature would indeed begin to drop, but the planet would not freeze in a couple of seconds," replied the Rakata. "It would take a week or so for the temperature to reach zero, and the travel from one point to another would take at the longest two hours, so the inhabitants would barely notice the change in temperature. They would witness the same effect as if they were aboard the ship that entered hyperspace. The sky would become like a large viewport in which they'll see the blue light of the tunnel. The gravity of the planet would hold everything in place just like the artificial gravity aboard a ship."

"Excuse me," Vazadi approached Deiven and Cem'lul, who looked at him. "If you use the station to move planets, would that affect our city and its people in any way?"

"During the activation of the large tractor beam through a hyperspace path, the Glowpoint would generate an immense flare," replied the Rakata. "I would not recommend looking at it, but the biggest problem would be when the Kingdom decides to use the station as a weapon."

"What do you mean?" Deiven turned his head back to look at the Rakata.

"The station can harness its power for the actual destruction of stars and planets, collapsing their cores through massive gravitational fluxes," answered Cem'lul. "The weapon is called the Starbuster. When it's activated, the Glowpoint will flare to several thousand degrees. The structures and farms would be incinerated, leaving nothing behind but scraps of melted metal and charred bones. Simply speaking, nothing in the Hollowtown would survive."

"In that case, we won't use it," Deiven stated decisively. "Enough people have lost their homes because of this war."

"You have my deepest gratitude," said the elder.

Deiven smiled and once again turned his head to look at Korriban. He got an idea, but he needed to see if everything would turn out okay. "Check what would happen if we would add Tython and Shili on the same orbit," he asked.

"So you want to have four planets on one orbit, Lehon, Korriban, Tython and Shili," Cem'lul squinted his eyes and nodded. "Let's see," he turned towards the display and once began pressing buttons.

The young Firrerreo began to pace around the room his gaze fixated on the floor while the Rakata experimented with different outcomes. Vazadi observed the young alien and noticed that he was in deep thought. Seeing much in his long life, the elder could tell that he was nervous, tired and tensed. All of this due to a heavy burden.

"I think this could do, yes," Cem'lul announced proudly after a couple of minutes.

Deiven was snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the holographic image. Four planets circled around the sun of the Lehon system on the same orbit and with the same distance from each other.

"They won't collide with each other or push each other out of orbit?" Deiven asked. "They won't become desert planets or icy rocks?"

"No," Cem'lul shook his head. "The distance between them is too big so they won't affect each other. Plus, Shili and Tython are roughly in the same distance from the sun in Lehon system as in their respective systems, so the temperate climate of the two planets won't change. Korriban would become warmer, and of course, Lehon wasn't moved, so it remained the same."

Deiven took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Alright," he nodded. "I think we can start planning our little relocation. Can the station move on its own?"

"Yes, but first, I would suggest moving the two planets around the station because, without it, they would fly away into space," said Cem'lul.

"Okay," Deiven agreed. "Use the simulator, calculate and move the two planets to Lehon system."

"So we're moving all the planets allied with the Kingdom to the old system of the Rakata species," stated Cem'lul.

"Yes," the young Firrerreo confirmed. He approached the holotable and leaned his palms against its edge, gathering dust on his gloves. "We're going to create a new system with Lehon, Korriban, Shili, and Tython being the four main worlds of our new region in the galaxy. After this strategic retreat, the Kingdom will switch to offensive."

All the Rakatas and Gree in the room along with Vazadi and the young Juntar looked at the young ArchKnight in silence. Deiven had a spark in his eyes, and a mischievous smirk had formed on his lips.

Please R&R ;)