The Jedi Adventure
--sparkvallen

Lucasfilm owns all the characters except those which are obviously original and based on – with permission – people from my life! So there. 

Chapter Six

Coruscant. The center of the galaxy, the pinnacle of decadence and disorder all at once. The capital for a thousand worlds calling themselves a part of the New Republic, built upon the ashes of what had been known as Imperial City not so long ago. As the Jedi shuttle landed on the city-planet at one of the many spaceports, the trio of trainees had their faces pressed to the viewports, hardly able to believe what they were seeing. They knew of Coruscant because of their fictional media on their distant homeworld; to see it in person… they were awestruck.

Their Jedi pilot didn't need to herd them off the shuttle. Z'Trooper, Falco and Joni were all too eager to see Coruscant for themselves. They were hard-pressed to keep their look of wonder contained as they wandered the lanes for foot-traffic, staring up at the whitewashed durasteel buildings that stretched further than the eye could see into the sky.

"You know… the Jedi Council used to be located here," Falco said. "Well, duh, of course you knew that… But, do you think we could go and find that site after we've finished with WayneTech?"

Joni raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "If we're successful in our mission, it could be an interesting exercise."

"I thought it was destroyed," Z'Trooper reminded.

"Well, yeah," Falco replied. "But like… with the Force, wouldn't we be able to feel where it used to be? Wouldn't that be cool?"

The others nodded their agreement. First though, they had to infiltrate WayneTech's complex and learn the plans behind the datapad's microchips. They set up surveillance and reconnaissance at first, determining just how tight the facility's security was and learning how they would go about gaining entry. They watched the shift changes for the techs who worked in a rotating system around the clock. They also watched the executives come and go by morning and night hours, learning when and if there was a way they could slip in during these changes.

"I don't suppose we could just be direct and make an appointment, could we?" Joni finally asked, after two days of studying the comings and goings from WayneTech.

Z'Trooper shook his head but Falco's eyes widened. He looked back to the facility and said quietly, "They'd be able to recognize false docs but I wonder if their guards are smart enough to beat out a Mind Trick? Or maybe both at once? We could engineer some fake identification… Or, a diversion?"

Joni said wryly, "I couldn't manage to keep my computer back home working properly. That being said, perhaps if I distracted their guard staff long enough for you two to enter, that would work… Hmmm…"

"Then Falco and I could go in and slice into their system and get the data we need…"

Their plan decided, they waited for evening hours as the bulk of the WayneTech employees would be leaving for the day. Joni walked alone up the walkway to the security check-point. His Jedi robes drawn about him tightly to hide his lightsaber and any other symbol that would identify him, he looked simply like any other traveler or visitor to Coruscant.

"Excuse me, do you have a moment, please?"

The silvery-skinned humanoid glared back at him. "Move along."

"I was just wondering if you know the way to…" Joni paused, as if trying to recall the address he needed to find.

"We're not tour guides here or an information kiosk. Move along!"

"Yes, sir, I understand that but you're the only ones about right now who could help me," he went on, undaunted.

The guard touched his snub blaster in its holster. "For the last time! We're not here to help you!"

Joni smiled. "You will help me though, more than you know." Drawing on the Force, he said, "You would like to help me find this address."

Having realized that the guard was more bluster than brains, Joni saw he could influence him with the Force. And as hoped for, the security guard muttered back, "I would like to help you find this address…"

Joni started to give a long, drawn out story as to why he was trying to reach the fictional address as Z'Trooper and Falco saw it was their cue to move. The distracted guard was forgetting his place and purpose in checking WayneTech ID's for the incoming workers which allowed the two Jedi to slip in undetected with the throng of night-shift employees. They moved quickly, slipping into a 'fresher and locking the door to buy them time.

"Okay, so we're in. Now we have to get some sort of cover because it won't take their cams long to pinpoint the two Jedi that don't belong," Z'Trooper said.

Falco nodded and said, "If we ditch these outer robes, we'd look more like any low-level tech who'd be working the night shift. Were you looking at what these people were wearing? No sense of fashion. Erm… anyway, that's what I think."

"Works for me."

Meanwhile, on the backwater of Tatooine, Ebony, Sapharin and Spark were just arriving at the Mos Eisley spaceport. The trio gasped as they were hit with a wall of hot air. The temperature and sunshine was stifling.

"Well, this place is certainly fun," Ebony snapped. "You better believe I'm going to be hovering over the subspace receiver and our comlinks waiting for word from the guys so we can get on with this."

Despite her sour mood, Sapharin and Spark were spell-bound at seeing Tatooine with their own eyes. Much like the guys' experience on Coruscant, they were already familiar with the hot, desert world with its twin suns overhead. It was surreal to be standing in Mos Eisley at Docking Bay 94 where so much history had taken place.

"Let's have a look around here while we wait for word from the other team," Spark suggested quietly.

Saph nodded eagerly and took the lead for the trio, walking through the city of Mos Eisley as though she'd lived there all her life. It was of little surprise when she led them to a particular cantina to get out of the sunshine and heat. She and Spark barely hid their beaming smiles as they entered the dark, gloomy cantina, descending the few steps into its cool bar.

"What's good?" Ebony whispered.

"Corellian Ale, Tarisian Ale…" Spark suggested.

"Wine from Naboo if they have it at this place," Sapharin added. She giggled at knowing so much about galactic liquor for never having tasted it herself.

The bartender was the same, surly and dingy looking man who had served Luke and Obi-wan so many years before. His hair was grayer but he was still easily recognizable by his appearance and temperament. The ladies were stuck with the varieties of ale as Nabooian wine was not available – Wuher explained – due to heavy taxation. Ebony had the feeling then that the ale was brewed on Tatooine rather than brought in… not that she would've known the genuine article from what was placed before her anyway.

"So now we just wait…"

Sapharin grinned. "Well, we could rent a 'speeder and take a ride out to the Dune Sea or to the old Lars farm…"

"Burnt out, remember?"

Saph shook her head, smiling knowingly. "After Master Skywalker became so famous, the locals here decided to renovate the farm and use it as a tourist stop, trying to draw business to Tatooine."

"For real?"

"For real," she said. "What do you think?"

Ebony made a face as she contemplated her Tarisian Ale. "Would be better than sitting around here, that's for sure…"

With that settled, the Jedi paid their bill and left the cantina, returning to the scorching streets of Mos Eisley. Renting a speeder was unnecessary. Not only had Tatooine restored the homestead, but they offered transportation out to the moisture farm in guided tours. Paying for their tickets for the tour, the trio boarded the over-sized landspeeder that would shuttle them out past Anchorhead to the Lars homestead where Luke's journey had begun.