Just as the doors to the hanger opened, King Mobbs approached Solin and Keira.

"How can we get past the blockade?" he asked. "It will be near impossible to get through it without my ship suffering damage."

"My apprentice will handle that, Your Majesty," Solin replied. "She is well-versed in a Force skill known as Battle Meditation. She will use the Force to inspire the pilot of your ship, while at the same time weakening the will of the blockade. As long as Keira maintains her concentration, we should be able to successfully get through the blockade without taking much damage."

King Mobbs nodded. "I will trust your judgment in that matter," he said as they reached the golden royal starship. The ramp was lowered and King Mobbs led his entourage onto the ship, leaving Ngema behind with Solin and Keira.

"Who's the pilot of this ship?" Solin asked.

"That would be Captain Young Senih," said Ngema. "He'll have gone ahead with the rest of the entourage. I'll take you to the cockpit and you can get acquainted with him."

Solin and Keira followed Ngema up the ramp and into the ship. They didn't have time to admire the luxury of the ship as they hurried into the cockpit as most of King Mobbs' entourage made its way to the ship's throne room. Meanwhile, a handful of officers took their positions in the ship, including three gunners. In moments, they had reached the cockpit, where a man was starting up the ship.

"Captain Senih, I presume," said Solin.

"That's right, Jedi," Senih replied, not looking up from his controls. "I hope you're right and we're able to get through that blockade. Flying is hard enough without someone shooting at you."

"What kind of defenses does the ship have?" asked Solin.

"We have some shields, but they won't stand up long against a barrage of laser bolts from the blockade. We also have those three gunners on standby. They can't do any damage against the bigger ships, but if we have any small one-man fighters coming after us, they'll be able to dispatch of them easily."

"That will do," Solin said.

At that, the ship was fully powered on and Captain Senih sat down in his seat. Another man, who Solin had not seen enter the cockpit, sat down in the seat next to him and started to press some buttons to prepare for flight. In moments, the ship had lifted off the hanger ground and floated toward the hanger's exit.

Just outside the hanger, Solin looked toward the capital city of Ord Mantell as the ship flew over it. He could see hundreds of transports descending on the city and thousands of soldiers marching in the streets.

"Malastare has begun the invasion," Solin said. "We're getting out just in time."

"What will happen to those advisers who stayed behind?" Ngema asked. "Will they be able to handle an invading army?"

"Malastare won't try anything too drastic until the Senate legitimizes its occupation of Ord Mantell," Solin said. "While the blockade is within Malastare's rights, a full-scale invasion is not. They will have to answer to the Senate for that and if they try anything, they would have the might of the Republic coming after them."

"I hate to break up the cozy discussion of politics, but we're about to head toward the edge of the planet and into the blockade," said Captain Senih. "If I were you, Jedi, I'd get ready to start defending us with that power you mentioned earlier."

"I can handle it myself, thanks," Keira said, sounding rather annoyed.

"Be mindful, Keira," said Solin in a warning tone. "Don't let your confidence in your abilities get the better of you."

"Yes, Master," Keira replied, still sounding annoyed, but she instead sat down at the back of the cockpit, crossing her legs and shutting her eyes.

In moments, they had left Ord Mantell's atmosphere and found themselves in space. Solin had a second look at the Malastare blockade. From this angle, it appeared to Solin to be endless. He shook off that thought and instead tried to center himself in the Force in order to assist Keira if needed.

"There's the blockade," Captain Senih said as they approached the sea of ships. No sooner had he said it that General Nute's flagship started to fire on the Royal Starship. Some of the laser bolts hit the ship, but thanks to the shields, did not cause any damage. The starship rocked violently as the laser bolts came close, but none of them were able to make contact with the ship. Solin glanced over at Keira and was pleased to see her engulfed in her concentration.

As the starship got closer to the blockade, fewer of the laser bolts hit the ship. It was as if the laser bolts firing were being misdirected away from the Royal Starship before they could reach their target. The crew was also aware that Malastare was not sending smaller ships after it to attack it up close..

"Whatever she's doing, make sure she keeps doing it!" Captain Senih. "It's gotten a whole lot easier to get through this blockade with them missing us like this!"

"Keep concentrating, Keira!" Solin yelled over his shoulder. He was happy Keira did not respond verbally.

Several minutes passed and the firing from the blockade continued to miss the ship. Once Captain Senih had piloted the ship over the top of the command ship, the firing stopped abruptly. He kept glancing at his screen, making sure nobody was coming after them. Soon, they were out of range of both the blockade and Ord Mantell's orbit.

"We're all clear!" Senih exclaimed. "Nobody followed us and they can't hit us from this distance. Standby for lightspeed!"

Senih and his co-pilot spent several seconds calculating the coordinates for the jump to hyperspace. As they did, Solin turned around and saw Keira opened her eyes and stand up.

"Well done," Solin said as Keira walked back over to him.

"That was amazing!" Ngema added, sounding excited.

Keira grinned. "Thanks, Ngema! I appreciate that. It's no easy feat getting through a battle like that, even with full concentration, so I'm always happy to get out of them without any damage."

At that, the ship jumped into hyperspace. Captain Senih and his co-pilot then put the ship into auto-pilot mode before Captain Senih turned around in his seat and faced Solin, Keira and Ngema for the first time.

"Heck of a job, kid," he said to Keira. "I'm amazed you were able to get us through that blockade without getting damaged."

He turned back around just as Keira made to slap him across the head. Before she could, Solin grabbed her arm and lightly pushed it out of the way.

"Keira, you know better than that," he said, sounding annoyed. "Please at least act like you're a Jedi."

"Fine," Keira grumbled as Ngema giggled.

Solin shook his head as he spoke. "Well, enough of that. We should go and tell King Mobbs that we made it past the blockade and are bound for Coruscant."

"I'll take you to his throne room," Ngema said. Solin and Keira followed her out of the room. The throne room was a couple of hundred feet from the cockpit. Ngema opened the door and motioned for Solin and Keira to follow. Solin noted how the throne room was set up nearly identically to the throne room back in the palace. The only part missing was the entourage of advisers and governors who had remained behind on Ord Mantell.

"Your Majesty," Solin said as he and Keira bowed and Ngema took her spot in the room. "I have good news: We were able to get through the blockade successfully thanks to Keira's Battle Meditation and Captain Senih and his co-pilot's extraordinary flying skills."

"Thank you for a job well done, young Keira," King Mobbs said, giving her what she thought was one of his rare smiles. "I'm glad you were able to get us through the blockade safely."

"The ship has entered hyperspace and we should reach Coruscant in a matter of hours," said Solin. "I wonder, though, your Majesty, if Keira and I could have a private word with you for a moment?"

King Mobbs nodded and turned to his entourage. "Please give us a moment, everyone. I will let you know when to return."

King Mobbs' entourage obeyed wordlessly. Ngema, though, hesitated, looking over at Solin for guidance. He motioned for her to go as well and Ngema nodded at him before following the rest of the group out of the room.

"What is this about, Master Jedi?" asked King Mobbs, sounding concerned.

"Well, first, I wanted to let you know I saw the Army of Malastare starting to descend upon the capital city as we were departing. That means Malastare has begun its invasion."

King Mobbs sighed. "I suppose it's a good thing that we were able to get out of there so quickly," he said, shaking his head slightly. "But you could've told me that in front of my staff. Is there something else, Master Solin?"

"Yes, it's about your guard Ngema Resor," said Solin. He ignored the quizzical look that Keira gave him. "I must say that she has extraordinary abilities, Your Majesty. She proved herself capable of handling her own against Dark Jedi. That's certainly no easy feat for anyone, especially someone who is not a trained Jedi."

"I thank you for that, Master Solin," King Mobbs said, sounding confused. "But I still don't know if I see why you called this private meeting."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I merely wanted to inform you that when she was battling the Dark Jedi and other guards outside of the palace, I sensed a powerful awakening of the Force within Ngema."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that she is capable of using the Force and becoming a Jedi," Solin said, causing King Mobbs' eyes to widen slightly in shock. "She doesn't know it yet, but she is strong in the Force. There was no mistaking that when I sensed it in her."

"So, what do you ask of me, Master Solin?"

"With your permission, Your Majesty, I should like to have Ngema report to the Jedi Council when we are on Coruscant. Such Force Sensitivity ought to be enough to merit training for someone as gifted as Ngema. I would like your blessing to allow the Jedi Council to test Ngema's abilities to see if she would be worthy of Jedi training."

King Mobbs considered Solin for a few moments. Solin and Keira waited patiently, though Keira could sense the tension building in Solin. Finally, King Mobbs nodded.

"If you think Ngema is well-suited to be a Jedi, then you have my blessing," he said. "While it would be shame to lose her abilities in the Ord Mantell Royal House, becoming a Jedi would mean a great future for Ngema. There's nothing more I can ask for from somebody who is dedicated to serving her people as Negma is."

"Thank you, King Mobbs," Solin said as he bowed. Keira bowed, too. "I shall let you inform her of this matter, and to leave you in peace for our journey to Coruscant."

With that, Solin and Keira turned and left the throne room. They nodded at King Mobbs' entourage, which had lined up outside the doors, waiting to be readmitted. Once they were out of earshot, Keira turned to Solin.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"What?"

"About Ngema! Why didn't you tell me you could sense the Force in her, too?"

"Too?" said Solin, sounding impressed. "Are you saying you could sense it in her, Keira?"

"Oh come on, Master," Keira replied. "I'd have to be blind and deaf to the Force to have not sensed it! I didn't want to say anything because I know it's not my place to point that out, but it felt odd keeping that to myself."

"Well, I'm proud of you for sensing Ngema's abilities, Keira," said Solin. "They tells me you are listening to the Force, which is one of the final main hurdles for you to overcome in your training with me. I think this means you might be ready to complete your training."

"Really?" asked Keira, sounding excited.

"Of course, that is ultimately up to the Jedi Council, but I am prepared to recommend you for Knighthood as soon as this mission is over."

Keira beamed as Solin smiled at her, feeling prouder than he ever had in his life.