Chapter 3 The Agreement
On Endor
Landing on the planet hasn't been something very complicated, they had landed on the plains near a large lake, nearby there was also a large forest. Once on the ground, the Eds alongside their squad of droids that disembarked started to secure the area before the Eds came in. The experience for them was the thrill of a lifetime since they were for the first time on an alien planet, it took some more than others since Ed immediately started to run away to explore while Double D in his cautious manner started with his 3 droid assistance to take samples in jars, in flowerpots and logs for both plants and some insects as well as pictures for his catalogue. While Eddy remained by the shuttle with other 2 droids, one of them holding a giant leave to keep the sun rays away from him.
"Ahh captain Eddy, shouldn't we go after Captain Ed, since immediately after leaving, he sprint our of the shuttle and surely is running around wild." Said the droid that was holding the palm to provide him with shade.
"Don't worry about this, Ed will return. He just needs to blow up steam, besides we know how to lure him." Eddy said pointing to a small crate that was used as a table and on it sited toast with butter and gravy while another one was opened and Double D was placing his specimens in it.
"And captain shouldn't we try to do something like building an outpost to keep us safe from possible attacks." Asked another one that was armed.
"Like we said we aren't here to stay." Eddy said getting on his feet adjusting his camera. "Besides, staying here for several hours shouldn't be trouble for anyone especially the natives."He said taking some picture of the sky and the lake alongside the forest. Somehow this place was reminding him of the lake near Peach Creek with the orchard but the place where they were usually swimming wasn't surrounded by grass and trees. By all accounts he thought that during the night things surely could look much more interesting. But they aren't however in the mood of trying to stay till nightfall. Then for Eddy a thought had emerged in his mind.
"I need to know by the way, what kind of resources one can get from this place aside from water, wood, trees and dirt or plants and insects." Eddy asked taking another picture.
"I don't think I understand the question sir."
"You know precious metals, diamonds and things like that."
"Well there surely is sir, but I believe that the natives wouldn't accept this."
"And where could they be?"
"Several miles deep in the forests." Said one of the holding the leave.
"I am really getting a bit nervous about Commander Ed right now." Commented another one that was armed, in the meantime Double D had managed to collect several more specimens of plants, by all accounts some of those plants that had been collected were similar to Earth plants, but they surely are looking very interesting to him.
"Oh such a lifetime opportunity of studying alien flora and fauna, one could write so many books, or translate them." He said getting another 3 more plants in the crate.
"Endor wasn't that much studied sir from what is known. Well I am battle droid not a lab assistant." Said the battle droid that was also carrying 3 jars of plants.
"Oh don't worry when we get home or back on the ship I will make sure you become more than just a mindless battle machine." Double D said.
"Sir since you reprogrammed us to serve you and the others we already have gained a better purpose." Said another one.
"I believe the confederacy doesn't have too much of great commanders known for compassion." He said closing the crate.
"There aren't all bad if we exclude Ventress and General Grievous." Said the other one painted in red on his chest.
"Urgh by all accounts the Confederacy I believe really does have good reasons to have seceded especially if they aren't represented properly and only milked for profit. And problem is also that the corporations that form the council also had usurped it to fill their pockets." Double D said before turning to a super battle droid.
"Please get this crate in the shuttle I believe we are done for now." Double D ordered.
"Roger Roger." Said the droid who lifted the crate in both hands with ease before the taller Ed came to his much shorter friend.
"Well Eddy it seems that we already got what we wanted. Maybe we should now get back to the ship."
"Already thought of that and did all the photos that I wanted for a possible future calendar about space travels. It will fetch big bucks." He said before Double D looked around but didn't saw their lumpier friend anywhere.
"Ahh where is Ed?" He asked.
"Don't worry he should be around."
"I don't know about this, from I heard there aren't only Ewoks here." Double D started while the droids were all gathering around. "Maybe we should organize a search party in the forest."
"Well we do know how to lure him out anyways, since we got his favorite dish of butter toast and gravy."
"Butter toast and gravy, yum." Said a voice from behind them and they all saw it was Ed who was now munching the butter toast and drinking the gravy.
"Ed, where have you been, you almost scared us all that I nearly shook in my makeshift astronaut suit."
"Sorry couldn't resist."
"yap-nup." A sound came and on their friend's back was a ball of fur with a small nose like teddy bear but with flat snout and dressed in a leather cape, an Ewok.
"Ed from where this one came from?!" Eddy asked demanded.
"From the village."
"Village? What village?" Asked Double D before Ed pointed to the tress and saw that there were several dwellings in the trees and Ewoks that were moving around them and they seemed to have enjoyed Ed's company.
"Oh my." Double D said.
"Ah what should we do now sir?" Asked a droid.
"Ah, no violence, go back in the ship only 5 to remain with us." He ordered and the droids obeyed while only 5 remained behind.
"Ed! What you don't understand from the idea of not tracking attention to us?!" Eddy asked.
"They came around guys and wanted to play and Ed obeyed their choice." He said.
"Indeed, even with that we might now have to go back to the ship we might have to go home now." Double D said.
"Ohh." Ed said disappointed.
"Don't worry Ed, they will always be friends for us now, wouldn't you all." He said and every one of them agreed not to mention that someone that looked to be their chief had showed a drawing with Ed and them alongside their droids, by all it seemed that they had been around concealed without any of them noticing, while another had a present for Double D wrapped in a bundle.
"What did you got for me here?" He asked the Ewok and the boy had opened it to see several more things like some other 3 plants and dirt that contained different insects.
"Oh my wonderful, thank you for your gift." Double D said with a smile although he might need to wash and disinfect himself afterwards.
"Wonderful gifts thank you." Eddy said before going near Double D to whisper. "Now can we go, don't want trouble with an entire village."
"Right away. We thank you a lot for your hospitality we really are grateful." Double D said going to their ship before turning to Ed and the droids outside.
"Alright guys all of you get in the ship." And they obeyed while Ed bid farewell to his Ewok friend.
"Wonderful meeting everyone, see you all another time." Ed said waving hands with his friends to the Ewoks while the door closed and the ship started to get into orbit.
"Well our first planet and we got some friends." Eddy commented.
"Hopefully others wouldn't disrupt this if you tell me." Said the pilot.
"You think this will happen?" Asked Double D concerned.
"It can always be a possibility in a war, unfortunately." Eddy commented getting in a sit in the troop bay, even he doesn't like the idea however.
"So should we go back home?" Asked Ed.
"Yeah for now if other things wouldn't happen."
On Anakin's flagship now in the hyperspace
"We are making good timing general, we will arrive on the Endor system in several minutes." Said the clone captain holding his helmet.
"Perfect let's hope we will still find it there."
"Yet I have to ask, why we should chase a single separatist frigate."
"Well for starters it is not control by the separatists anymore, but by some who probably put themselves in a hot spot." He explained.
"Still wonder if they would want to help us in clearing this sector from the raids." Galia asked still very skeptical before Yularan came.
"We are coming out of Hyperspace."
"Perfect we encircle them and prevent them from trying to run."
"Yet general don't you think they might have already hid that ship somewhere in the system, even an upstart commander would not attempt to expose itself." He said using his military logic before they came out of hyperspace and they saw the ship in the system above the forest moon in plain sight.
"Here it is." Ahsoka said and the admiral was thinking this was getting totally ridiculous, who is exposing his ship.
"Who in the entire galaxy is commanding that ship?"
"Maybe he is in the shuttle that is docking in the hangar." Ahsoka said with a sly smile.
The Eds in high spirits as if ready for everything that might come.
"Ahh, first planet aside from Earth that we saw with our own eyes, wonder what other planets we will visit." Eddy said all of them were in high spirits as if ready for everything that might come.
"For now let's get home, hopefully we will not encounter problems." Double D said.
"Let's go to the bridge." Eddy said moving throw the corridors and before a droid came.
"Ahh, sirs we got a problem." He started.
"If it is a transmission or engineering problem, send the droids to solve it. And get Double D's specimens from the shuttle." Eddy ordered.
"But sir it is not that thing."
"Whatever it is, tell me on the way if it isn't important."
"But sir it's very important." Said another one before Double D came.
"What exactly happened?"
"Captain Eddward we got a very big problem several ships had entered the system." He reported.
"If it is CIS ships we will continue to play along like the last time but without Ed starting to shoot everywhere." Eddy said turning to them walking backwards before the door to the bridge opened and in the view came the ships that arrived which made Double D and Ed nervous.
"Ahh Eddy." Double D started fearful.
"What is it Double D?" He asked before the smarter Ed started to point to the window and the leader of the trio turned to see to his horror 4 republic cruisers.
"Trouble, Bad, Big, I am not in happy place guys." Ed started to panic and go around the bridge.
"Alright maybe we can try to communicate."
"You know what they could do to us, you just saw it sockhead." Eddy said before starting to think of something on how to escape them as well.
"Ah sir they want to…." One of the droid pilots started.
"Not now!"
"But."
"I said not now." Eddy said more and more desperate trying to think.
"But maybe we should…."
"Fine, fine but leave me for now." Eddy said and the droid activated the communication and the holograms of Adi Galia, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex came out and Double D saw them. "I need to find a way on how to get away from them."
"Ah guys."
"Oh, oh, maybe find another system to jump to." Ed proposed.
"Yeah a good plan lumpy quick find a system where we could jump." Eddy said to the droids.
"I would advise against that." Anakin said before Eddy and Ed turned to the holograms that on one side looked baffled but now want answers.
"Ahh hello." Double D started trying to communicate.
"You three have a lot to explain now." Master Galia said crossing her arms and looking very strict wanting an explanation.
"Ahh well you see, they came to our system and…" Eddy started before Double D went to him.
"I better do the talking now Eddy it is very delicate." Double D said and he started to explain everything as much as he could bar things like Earth or where their system is.
"So you tell us that this ship came to your system, deployed a shuttle to the surface near where you live and you saw it, you heard the droids talking about landing, and not wanting that to happen you decided to capture the droids, reprogram them and then hijack the whole ship?" Asked the female Jedi master.
"What? It seemed like a good idea at first glance." Eddy said.
"At first glance till you came into a battle that you shouldn't have entered." Anakin commented.
"That wasn't expected really. It was either that or more of them would have come, as you can see we don't like too much visitors on our turf." Eddy said with a stressed smile.
"Sure you can say that. However you do realize that we have to confiscate the ship." Anakin said in which Eddy wouldn't take it.
"Hah, you try you saw what we did with the ones during that battle."
"That was out of fear from your crazier, dreaming friend over there. And sorry to tell you this but in this case you are outnumbered 12 or 16 to one this time. Since a Venator in theory needs 3 or 4 ships of the class you got to be taken out." Anakin explained catching Eddy now off guard.
"Hehe."
"However how about we make a deal, for you to keep the ship and everything in it, since you seem very resourceful." Anakin started.
"Ahh what do you suggest sir?" Asked Double D.
"Well we are trying for a time to find a separatist fleet that is disrupting our supply lines and several systems had already fallen. So the deal is next you go into the sector that we are struggling to find the fleet and if you find where it is you send a message to us to inform us of the location. If you manage the ship is yours." Anakin said.
"One moment." Eddy said dragging his friends around him behind the chair and out of their sight.
"Alright I personally don't want to lose this hunk of a ship so what could we do?" Eddy asked.
"Well we need it to get home but we also don't need them to find where we live." Double D said.
"Ed doesn't want war." Said Ed scared of this possibility before the commander battle droid came to them.
"Sirs we might also need fuel for the ship as well very soon. Without it we can't go back to the Sol system or any other system for that matter, we only got enough for at least 4 more jumps." Said the commander droid to them inside the circle.
"Well in this case we have to take the job?"
"I believe it is the only way for now." Double D said before they turned back to the Jedi.
"Well, we accept the deal, only if you will accept us to refill the ship if need be."
"Very well." Anakin said.
"Ahh to do the job can you give us some leads as to how things had worked with that fleet that attacks. So I can try to track it." Double D said.
"We will send you what you need, hopefully you will find it."
"We know because we also know the consequences if we don't find it." Double D said while his hands were sweating, this wasn't something they had wanted by all possible aspects.
Back in Peach Creek
After the flu epidemic was over, the kids were playing in the park once more. Kevin and Rolf were playing a game of basketball while Nazz watched. Sarah and Jimmy were playing in the sand box while Johnny and Plank were playing on the monkey bars. Kevin then stopped playing for a moment and looked around. He knew this couldn't be a perfect day since the Eds were about to show up any second and ruin it or that was what Kevin thought. Rolf wondered why Kevin had stopped in the middle of the game.
"What's wrong, big-chin Kevin boy?" Rolf asked.
"Rolf, have you seen any sign of Eddy or his dorky pals?" Kevin asked Rolf, ignoring his friend's question.
"Nope. No sign of nere do-well Eds."
Kevin growled he knew if the Eds were never around, it meant they were planning something big. Kevin handed the ball over to Rolf and walked over to Jonny, who apparently was stuck in the monkey bars again.
"Johnny, have you seen the Eds around?" Kevin asked the bald kid.
"Nope. I was at the lane and there were no Ed, Edd or Eddy around. Not at the creek, not at the junkyard, not in the sewers, not at the-" Jonny was interrupted by Kevin putting a hand over his mouth.
"Alright, we get it!" Kevin groaned. He walked over to Sarah and Jimmy, who were making a sand castle. "Sarah, have you seen your brother around?"
"No!" She replied ignorantly.
"What do you suppose they're up too?" Nazz asked, walking over.
"I don't know, but it can't be good. Nazz and I will go over to Eddy's. Rolf and Johnny will take a look at Ed's room while Sarah and Jimmy can go to Double D's house." Kevin explained, and they all gave off a nod, except for Rolf who gave a salute. They soon walked off in different directions in search of the missing Eds.
Kevin and Nazz were walking over to Eddy's house. When they finally reached the front door, Kevin attempted to turn the knob, only to find out the front door was locked.
"Maybe we should check the back―" Nazz was interrupted as Kevin kicked the door to open, stumbling a bit as he did so.
"What were you saying?" Kevin asked, ignoring what Nazz had said earlier.
"Nothing..." Nazz replied softly as she looked at the door.
"Eddy! Show yourself, you dork!" Kevin shouted. They first searched the living room, but it was also empty. They then searched the kitchen to no avail then finally, they walked over to Eddy's room. Kevin opened the door, only to find it was also empty not only that, there were even some things that were also missing.
"Maybe they're at the Junkyard in that old van?" Nazz suggested. "That's where they usually go."
"Let's go check it out." Kevin decided, they walked out the back door of Eddy's room and to the Junkyard.
Jimmy and Sarah were looking through the window of Double D's living room, they saw no sign of the Eds, as they could only see much through the window before they decided to go in. Sarah was about to kick the door down until Jimmy stopped her. He put a hand on the knob and turned it, opening the door, the two of them walked in, looked around the house before heading upstairs to Double D's room. Jimmy then opened the door so they could walked in to find a vacant room with no-one inside(they didn't noticed a bag of technologies that was kept out of view).
"Those idiots aren't here," Sarah noted.
"Maybe they're at the Junkyard in that old van," Jimmy suggested.
"You could be right," Sarah agreed. "Let's go."
The two of them left Double D's room and made their way to the Junkyard.
Johnny and Rolf walked up to Ed's bedroom window, Rolf kicked the window open and slid in, closely followed by Johnny. They started to looked around Ed's room, noting that it seemed somehow a bit less filthier than usual because of some things missing. They then looked under his bed, the bathroom, and even upstairs in the kitchen, but there was no sign of the Eds anywhere.
"What's that, Plank?" Johnny asked, putting his ear to the hunk of wood. "Plank says it is odd that there might are several missing things around."
"The hunk of wood might be right but where did the stuff and the big Ed-boy owner went." Rolf said noticing too that some things are missing.
"They might be at their usual hideout in the Junkyard."
"That will be where they could be. Onward!" Rolf shouted, carrying Johnny out of the house and to the Junkyard. The kids of the Cul-de-Sac soon assembled at the junkyard.
"Looks like you all thought the same thing, huh?" Johnny asked with a grin.
"Guess not," Nazz replied, they soon started to walk over to the old van with a mural on a side that had a teardrop in the center, and under it were hot rod flames. All of them surrounded the truck in case the Eds tried to escape. Kevin and Rolf stood at the back of the van while the others surrounded the left and right.
Kevin slammed the backdoor wide open only to find no one was there. He growled in fury. Sensing Kevin's anger, Nazz put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should look around the Cul-de-Sac to see if we missed anything?"
"Alright," Kevin agreed, walking over back to the Cul-de-Sac.
"Where do you think the Eds are?" Jimmy asked as they walked.
"They probably had some big scam planned," Sarah replied, Rolf stopped abruptly when something caught his eye. Noticing Rolf's actions, Kevin and Nazz turned around and walked back to him.
"What is it, Rolf?" Nazz asked. Rolf pointed in the direction where he was looking. When Nazz and Rolf turned their heads to look, their eyes widened in shock, the object they were looking at was the Eds' remaining and non essential part of the robot they had built.
Finally, the others turned to see it as well, before staring in silent shock. After a moment of silent, Kevin walked over to it as the others watched. Upon examining the machine, he saw it had a small blue label reading, "Lawn Clearing Bot 4000". He ripped it off and stared at it. Kevin knew where the label had come from: Double D. He always labeled the items he owned or happened to come across. Kevin waved his hand, signaling the others to come over to the charred machine.
"So, what is it?" Sarah asked.
"It's one of the Eds' handiwork," Kevin replied, still looking at the label.
"What does it do?" Jimmy asked curiously.
"Oh! Oh! Plank says it's a machine to help us with mowing the lawn!" Johnny exclaimed, holding up a piece of wood.
"So that's why it has a dumb name like Lawn Clearing Bot." Kevin muttered before Rolf snatched the label out of Kevin's hand.
"With this, we can find the Ed boys much sooner," Rolf pointed out, putting his fingers up to his mouth and whistling. As soon as he finished whistling, a pig came running up to them, Rolf grabbed the pig's snout and put the label over it. The pig started to sniff at the label. When he got the scent, he squealed extensively.
"Wilfred, lead us to the Eds!" The pig soon broke out into a run down the lane with Rolf running behind the pig quickly followed by others, the road and Wilfred's snout leading them in the forest right in the small opening where the shuttle had been.
"Rolf is confused. Wilfred should've found the no-good Ed-Boys here. His nose is powerful then any bloodhound." Rolf said.
"I don't get it where they could be." Kevin asked his angered getting more and more high.
"Well there should be an explanation of where they could be." Nazz said trying to look for clues of where they could be. Johnny then saw something in a tree something like a hole that was made by some fire.
"Hey what could this be?" Johnny asked trying to check, by all it really seemed like it was made by a laser or something since the wood really was charred.
"Hey guys look here." Johnny said pointing to the charred hole.
"What is this charred hole?" Nazz asked.
"I don't know it seemed like it was burned by something."
"What could burn the wood in this manner?" Rolf asked.
"Well surely the Eds couldn't have done something like this. Let's spread out and see what we can find." Kevin ordered and everyone went around the woods to see where they might be. Rolf and Wilfred, alongside Johnny went to another area before Wilfred seemed to have regained their tracks.
"Wilfred have you picked something?" Rolf asked before the pig started to squeal and started to move forwards.
"He really seemed to have picked up something." Johnny said.
"Onward." Rolf shouted while they were running behind him till they reached another clearing where they saw 3 shapes coming to what appeared to be a space ship and the figures looked like skeletons 2 of them were carrying some weapons while another was carrying a bag in one hand.
"It is still a twist of irony that we had refueled our ship in a Republic refit station." Said one who was carrying a weapon.
"We aren't declared Confederacy anymore with our captains." Said another one that was carrying a weapon.
"Even with that it seemed like a strange thing, and you know what, I am kind of happy about this." Replied the other.
"Say that again, well let's get going now, we need to get the materials to captain Eddward so we can work out and do the job the Jedi asked us to do so we can continue our peaceful existence." Said the one carrying the bag making a last check.
"Wow you see that Plank real aliens." Said Johnny said with shock and a bit of excitement.
"YYYAAAAAA IT IS HAPPENIG! THE CURSE OF THE LIVING SKELETONS IS UPON US!" Rolf shouted getting panicked.
"Rolf wait maybe we can talk to them, they might be friendly."
"There is no talking with the living skeletons, there is only one way to deal with THEM!" Rolf shouted before running away in another direction to probably get something.
"Hey who is the one shouting over there?!" Asked one of the armed one pointing its gun making Johnny to crawl with Plank in another direction also going near the shuttle while the droids investigated.
"I guess it was another animal." Said the other one.
"Roger Roger, let's get back to the ship." He said while the 3 of them went in the ship with Johnny following them and entering as well and the ship started to get in the sky. Didn't took too much to be out of sight that Rolf came back with a pitchfork and a spear with some runes on both of them.
"Yeahh SHAKLAHAM!" Rolf came but no more saw the robots.
"Where did the living skeletons gone to?" He asked before noticing that there was also another thing to take into account, Johnny and Plank were nowhere to be found.
"And where is Johnny wood boy?"
It didn't took too long for the shuttle to exit the Earth's atmosphere and was now approaching the Munificent with the droids onboard carrying the materials, by all accounts there were only 3 droids in total on that shuttle and while 2 were in the cockpit the third was in the troop bay holding the box of what one of the captains had asked to bring. None of them knew that on the ceiling of the troop bay there was also a stowaway or rather 2 stowaways. Immediately landing on the bustling hangar with the droids working around the shuttle's door had already opened and the droids started to move out of it to meet up with the slender boy that was waiting for them.
"I hope you had managed to find what I had required?" He said.
"Roger Roger captain." Reported on of the droids showing him the bag and the boy started to look in it to confirm it was what he needed.
"Excellent now I can work properly and to finish the task that was given to us." He said with a smile before turning to the droids. "You come with me."
"Right away sir." They said and the 3 of them started to move while Johnny let himself go and landed on the floor of the ship with Plank before peaking outside and the sight was aw inspiring, however his gaze had moved towards the one who was without any doubt Double D.
"It seemed that we had found them buddy. But now we should find out what they are up to isn't it Plank." Johnny said to his friend who seemed to reply something.
"Do you think they aren't interested to pull a scam? Why do you think that?" She asked not knowing that he had just tracked attention of the droids present.
"Not the time to explain right now why is that?" He asked before hearing the clanking of metal and what seemed to be weapons been checked.
"Halt! Right there where you are!" Called a droid and then the boy realized that he was in hot water surrounded by at least 20 regular droids and 7 more bulkier ones.
"Gulp."