In a matter of time, Satine brought the children to the spaceport, where there were many ships coming and going.
Boba and Gabby looked around in awe at the many beautiful ships.
"They're so big!" Gabby said.
"Which one is ours?" Carousella asked.
"That one." said Satine.
The kids' eyes went very wide as they looked at a huge ship of bronze and yellow with a sail that had a Jedi symbol on it. One of the most prestigious clans of voyagers in the known galaxy. And this ship was known as the Jedi Cruiser. There was already a crew boarding it too.
"Is that a real Jedi ship?" Boba gasped. "They're the greatest sailors in the history of the galaxy. How did you get them?"
"I have a connection to one of them." Satine said.
"Meaning her new boyfriend is the first mate." Korkie said simply.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go on an adventure!"
Everyone boarded the ship, and saw a crew of people of different species. Those who were definitely Jedi carried special weapons on their belts called lightsabers. But it appeared a few civilian members had been recruited as well.
Boba looked around at the crew. He saw some pretty suspicious looking folks.
There seemed to be quite a few Weequay members, and some scarier looking types. Among them were Aurra Sing, Embo, Castus, Cad Bane, Trench, and a woman named Silvaria.
Boba did not have a good feeling about some of this crew.
A little girl named Lamenta got a little too curious as she watched Aurra sharpen a sword.
"That's a big sword." Lamenta said nervously.
"I know." Aurra sneered. "Care to see how sharp?"
"Mommy!" Lamenta screamed, running away to her mother.
"Is this really the crew you hired?" Boba asked.
"Obi-Wan said he entrusted the selection of crew members to an old friend." Satine answered, looking around and seeing him. "Oh, and there he is."
"Dr. Satine." Obi-Wan greeted, kissing the doctor's hand. "Lovely to see you again."
"Where is the Captain?" Satine asked.
"There is actually more than one on this voyage." Obi-Wan said. "My old mentor Captain Qui-Gon Jinn has agreed to oversee this voyage along with his son, a newly appointed captain. He should be coming out shortly."
In the captain's quarters sat a young man by the name of Anakin Jinn.
"Anakin, come on." said Qui-Gon. "We've talked about this. It's time to go out and be an adventurer again."
Anakin was perhaps the youngest captain in the history of sailors. He'd faced many pirates in his youth and sailed to many places with his father and twin brother. But he was very sad and lonely.
Anakin looked into an old pocket watch he held. Inside was a picture of him with a beautiful woman, and she was holding a baby in her arms.
The reason he was sad? It all began on a voyage like any other. He'd been with his family on a great voyage... until a terrible storm broke out.
Four years ago...
"It's going to be okay, Baby Girl!" Anakin said, trying to calm down his baby as she lay down in her basket. "You're gonna be okay!"
Anakin quickly exited to get to the helm and steer the ship out of the stormy waters, only for the boat to rock really hard and throw Anakin toward the mast of the ship.
Anakin held onto the mast, trying to get back to the helm.
The wind was blowing violently, thunder and lightning struck, and rain poured down, down, down, rocking the ship back and forth as everyone tried to get to safety.
"Hold on tight!" Qui-Gon shouted, grabbing one sailor's hand before they could fall overboard.
Anakin's wife, Padme, however, was desperate to get to her baby girl inside the boat.
As the ship rocked, the ship's loyal horse Armorous struggled to keep himself up as water splashed into the ship.
Armorous had a young filly of his own, who was whinnying like crazy as she got splashed.
"Where's our baby?" Padme said, looking around.
Suddenly, the door to the Captain's quarters was blown open, and out slid the basket with the baby girl inside.
"My baby!" Padme said, trying to get to her baby, but the basket slid back and forth with the boat rocking.
Anakin tried to grab the basket but fell down.
The baby cried as she was thrown all across the ship, and then... the basket went overboard.
"NO!" Padme cried as she witnessed her baby fall into the ocean.
Armorous' filly whinnied and ran across the ship, then she bravely or foolishly jumped into the water, trying to swim to the little basket.
Padme, on the other hand, went to an escape boat to try and rescue her baby and the filly.
"Padme!" Anakin called. But his wife had already fled to sea. And soon everyone began fleeing to lifeboats, as the boat was filling with water and going to sink.
However, before anyone could do anything else, an enormous wave rocked the boat harder than before, and turned the whole thing over... with Anakin still on board.
Anakin thought he was a goner, but he managed to swim back to the surface.
After a coughing fit, he looked all around for any signs of life.
"Carousella? Princess? PADME!" He cried out desperately.
Anakin could see neither his wife nor his daughter anywhere in sight.
"Anakin!" called another voice.
"Father?" Anakin called out.
Anakin could see the rest of his family on lifeboats. Armorous swam to him with a life preserver and got him to a boat on which Padme was, having been rescued.
Anakin asked if anyone had seen his baby. But none of them did.
When the storm finally let up, Anakin left his wife in the safe hands of the rest of the family while he searched desperately for his missing daughter from Armorous' back, high up in the air. But she was nowhere in sight.
Anakin cried and cried. He'd found many amazing artifacts and precious treasure in his travels. But on this voyage, he and his wife had just lost their most important treasure of all. He hadn't led a voyage since.
A tear fell from Anakin's eye as he looked at the picture. The only reason he'd agreed to do this voyage was because he'd learned a boy who'd lost his father at sea was the one who started this whole thing. He couldn't save his baby on his last voyage, and he wasn't going to let any other children be lost at sea.
"I can't do this, Dad." Anakin said, trying to hold back from crying. "I lost my daughter on the last voyage. I can't risk Carmine's or anyone else's child's life by going on another. Why couldn't I just stay back home with Padme?"
"Anakin Gabriel Jinn, you already have been protecting your wife all these years since the loss of your child." Qui-Gon said. "You're not the only one who's grieved for the loss. I lost a granddaughter that day, and many other sailors lost their lives as well. But that is no reason to be living in fear. Now is the chance to travel again as we used to."
Meanwhile, Carousella started sniffing about the ship, not getting a good feeling about some of the people around here. She didn't even see too many other equines around here.
And then she bumped right into Armorous and fell onto her rear.
"Hey, watch it!" said Armorous.
"Sorry." Carousella picked herself up and shook herself out.
And then, Armorous got a good look at the young alicorn before her. He was frozen for a moment, and so was Carousella when she got a look at him.
The two equines sniffed each other's manes.
"Carousella?" Armorous gasped.
Carousella gave a huge smile and cuddled with her father.
"Daddy!" Carousella exclaimed.
Armorous couldn't believe it. He licked Carousella and nuzzled her happily.
"I thought you were gone forever." He said. "Where have you been?"
"At an inn." Carousella said. "Boba found us on the shore and brought us in."
"Us?" Armorous said, confused.
"Dad, I just can't do this." Anakin said. "Lead the voyage if you want, but I can't do this."
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Captains!" Armorous exclaimed. He was speechless for a while.
"Armorous? What is it?" asked Qui-Gon.
"It's her." said Armorous.
Anakin looked up at the alicorn in confusion. "Her who?"
Qui-Gon soon came out and greeted the cabin children personally, as well as Dr. Kryze.
"It's nice to meet all of you." Qui-Gon said. He looked at some of the suspicious characters on the ship and requested a private audience with the financers and starters of the voyage.
The eldest captain brought the children and first mate to his office and had Boba bring out the map.
"Remarkable." said Qui-Gon. "This is a valuable treasure. And given the rather... unsettling sense I feel from some of these crew members... I shall keep this safe in here."
Qui-Gon then placed the map into a chest for safekeeping.
"Boba Fett. In the future, you may address me as Captain or Sir. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Captain. Sir." Boba said.
"Little one." said Qui-Gon, kneeling to Gabby's level. "Would you come to my quarters immediately?"
"Why?" Gabby asked. Being only four, she didn't know all protocol for addressing captain's or every type of authoritary member.
"I cannot say right now, but it is important. Come."
And so, Gabby walked with Qui-Gon to his quarters for whatever this 'important thing' was.