I'm not good at inventing names, especially Star Wars names, so all of the Imperial Officers in this chapter are the last names of some of my coworkers whose last names seemed like they would fit into Star Wars, including one who lets me talk his ear off about SVTFOE and actually watched the show so that he could read this story. I thought that warranted inclusion as a character. (Hi, José!)

Anyway, this is the longest chapter yet and I was really happy with how it came out, so I hope you enjoy it!

"So what you're telling me is that, after all this time, none of you have any leads whatsoever?"

The three Imperial officers shifted nervously, each thankful to be on the other end of their individual holotransmission and not in the same room as the person they were speaking to. The inquisitor spoke to them without the slightest twinge of emotion in its electronically-altered voice, and the helmet on its head kept facial expressions hidden. They had no idea how the inquisitor was going to react.

"Um, as I said, Inquisitor," began Commander Emond, "we were able to identify the YV-model freighter as a suspected smuggling vessel and have been checking known smugglers' hideouts and spaceports in areas where trafficking of illegal goods is known to take place."

"But, sir," continued Security Officer Rosado, "we've turned up empty-handed everywhere we've checked so far. We still have a few more places to look, though."

The inquisitor was not impressed. "If it's a suspected smuggler's ship, then there are records on it. Who does it belong to?"

"The ship came up as being a YV-560 light freighter registered to one Lucy Lucille Lucitor," Captain Rowell answered.

Security Officer Rosado crossed his arms. "Sounds like a fake name, if you ask me,"he interjected.

Rowell continued. "I did run the name through all the old Republic records and found nothing, so that's probably true. Anyway, the ship and it's owner, whoever they are, have never actually been caught smuggling or breaking the law in any fashion, which is why we don't really have any information on it. We've already checked every place on record that it's been sighted, but-"

"What about Mewni? And Butterfly's parents?"

"I questioned the King and Queen about their daughter's whereabouts, sir. They said they had presumed she was dead when they heard about Order 66 as they had not been in contact with her at all,"Emond explained. "Their comm records confirm that they were telling the truth. As you know, we left a surveillance ship there when we left the system, but it hasn't picked up that YV-model freighter."

"And Diaz's family?"

"I was unable to locate them," said Rowell. "The Jedi records show that Padawan Marco Diaz was originally from Dantooine, but the locals we interrogated there said his family left the planet some time ago and didn't tell anyone where they were going."

"...So we have nothing."

The three holographic men looked at each other nervously.

"Not yet," Emond said, trying to sound confident. "But we're still-"

The inquisitor ended the transmission and all three holograms disappeared, growling in annoyance. The looming presence that had been watching the holographic conversation from the corner took a few steps closer. The inquisitor did not turn to face him.

"The Emperor is expecting me to give him an update," Darth Vader said. "I do not wish to disappoint him with nothing but bad news."

"How can the news be bad if there is no news to give?" the inquisitor countered, not intimidated by the Sith Lord.

"Because he expects results."

Finally spinning around, the inquisitor threw up its arms in frustration. "What else am I supposed to do? I can't track a ship through light speed. The clone pilot that was leading the pursuit of that ship as it fled Coruscant said he's certain his missile impacted the freighter right as it jumped, so it could have blown up while in hyperspace and we'd never know. How else could they have disappeared so completely?"

Vader did not accept that as an answer. "The Emperor has instructed me to inform you that you will remain tasked with hunting down Padawan Butterfly and Padawan Diaz until they have been destroyed or until you can prove that they are already dead."

"And if they are already dead, how am I supposed to prove that?"

"That is not any of my concern. What is of my concern is the resources you have been using."

"Resources?"

"The Emperor granted you significant resources for the purpose of tracking down the two Padawans, but his priorities have changed. Since you have made no progress in locating them, the ships and crews under your command are being recalled immediately and reassigned to more pressing matters."

Beneath the mask, the inquisitor scowled at Vader, who went on.

"You may keep Security Officer Rosado and his squadron, but the surveillance ship orbiting Mewni and all of Commander Emond and Captain Rowell's ships will return to Imperial Center for refitting and reassignment."

The inquisitor fumed, but did not express the anger toward Vader. "Fine. Who needs them? I'll find those two twerps myself."

Vader pointed a finger at his compatriot. "You had better. The Emperor does not look kindly upon failure." And without another word, he stalked quickly out of the room.

Vader had other matters to attend.


Captain Matonti sat at the helm of his MRX-BR Pacifier, the Interceptor, with his feet kicked up on the control panel, his nose buried in a holobook. He and his crew of two were bored. They had been in orbit above Mewni for weeks on the lookout for a YV-560 light freighter carrying two fugitive Jedi and hadn't seen a single interesting thing. Mewni did not have much space traffic. While it wasn't a world that was exceptionally rich with natural resources, which would have immediately attracted the interest of the Empire, it was mostly self-sustaining and did not require frequent supply shipments. A cargo ship came twice a week carrying off-world goods to an importer and they'd occasionally spot small pleasure craft, but that was it.

In fact, the captain estimated that they be seeing that cargo ship in the next hour. It adhered to a very regular timetable.

"Excuse me, Captain." The comms operator spoke up from her station.

Matonti did not even look away from his holobook. "Yes, Hultch?"

"There's an incoming transmission from Commander Emond."

Matonti tossed aside his holobook and swung his feet down to the floor. "Oh, good! Maybe he's calling to tell us we can get out of this dumb system. Put it through."

Hultch pressed a few keys and the small holoprojector on the control panel lit up, a six-inch tall Commander Emond floating just above the projector. "Captain. How goes the surveillance?"

"It's going. Not much to report, sir, there's hardly any space traffic in this system and we haven't seen that YV."

"I suspected as much. Well, we're being reassigned. Return to Coruscant immediately."

"Yes, sir. Right away." Matonti turned around to look at Hultch and waved his hand across his neck. She understood and cut the transmission. The second the holoprojector went dark, Captain Matonti leapt up. "Yes! We're getting out of here! Finally!"

"Sir?" called the radar technician. "There's a ship coming out of hyperspace."

"So what?"

"So...shouldn't we be checking it out, sir?"

"It's just that same cargo ship we always see. He's a little ahead of schedule today." Matonti was already flipping switches and programming the navicomputer with the coordinates for their destination. "Besides, we've already be reassigned, it's not our business anymore."

"If you say so, sir."

Matonti grabbed the hyperdrive control lever. "Alright, let's get out of here!"

And the Interceptor jumped to lightspeed.

Approximately two and three-quarters seconds after the Imperial shipvacated the system, the Raventalon dropped out of hyperspace.


The swirling colors of hyperspace outside of the Raventalon's viewport shifted back into streaks, and the streaks shrank back into stars. Janna breathed a sigh of relief.

"Woo! We're not dead!" Marco yelled, pumping both fists in the air.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, an alarm started blaring and a red warning light lit up the cockpit. PY-HD squealed and Tom quickly looked at his terminal readout. "Welp, the backup hyperdrive is on fire," he said, remaining relatively calm while Star and Marco froze in fear behind him.

Janna barely reacted either, flipping switches to kill power to the hyperdrive. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Pony, fire suppressors, please."

The droid twittered that it was already on it, and a moment later the alarm ceased as the compartment that housed the hyperdrives filled with fire-choking gas.

"And that takes care of the fire," Tom announced. "Good work, Pony." He flipped his monitor to a different screen. "Not picking up any ships on the scope, so I guess that means the Empire isn't here waiting for us." Ahead in the distance directly out the viewscreen was planet Mewni. Tom turned around to face his Jedi friends. "Welcome home, Star."

"Home..." Star's mouth curled into a small, nervous smile. "For a while there I thought I'd never see this place again."

The Raventalon had dropped out of hyperspace quite a distance away from the planet, and the gang rode in silence as the ship erased the distance.

When Mewni had nearly filled the entire viewscreen, PY-HD bleeped again.

"Incoming transmission from the planet's surface," Tom announced.

Janna nodded. "Put it through, Pony."

The holoprojector illuminated and a hulking male Mewman with a large scar on both sides of his face in military regalia appeared. "Attention unidentified space craft. This is Corporal Scarsgaurd of the Mewni Militia. Please identify yourself."

"This is Captain Janna Ordonia of the freighter Raventalon. We request permission to land, please."

"This planet is currently on lockdown to all ships not already possessing a clearance code. Your request to land is denied."

Star got out of her seat and crouched down beside Janna. "I'll take care of this, Janna. Hi, Scarsgaurd!"

The Corporal's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "Princess Butterfly?! You're alive?! What are you-"

"Star?! Star Butterfly?! Out of way, Scarsgaurd!" Scarsgaurd was shoved out of the holoprojection and replaced by an equally hulking giant green amphibian who was smiling ear-to-ear. "Star Butterfly!"

"Buff Frog!" Star greeted excitedly.

"I am not believing my own eyes! I am so happy to be seeing that you are not dead!"

Star giggled. "It's good to see you, too, Buff Frog. Can my friends and I please land?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course! Come to airbase by castle, I will be waiting for you!"

"Thanks, Buff Frog!"

The holoprojector blinked off and Star returned to her seat. Tom and Janna exchanged a confused glance. Marco shot Star an equally lost look. "Um...'Buff Frog'?"

"Yeah! He's the best!"

Tom lowered all three eyes. "That...that's not actually his name, right?"

"Well, it's what I call him. C'mon! Let's get down there!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Janna said. "I just want to get this heap on the ground before something else breaks."


Two Mewmans waving illuminated poles directed Janna as she carefully guided the Raventalon onto the landing pad at Skywynne Airbase. The base had existed for centuries, built by and named after the Queen of Mewni who commissioned its construction and serving as the primary defense for Butterfly Castle, just a few klicks away.

As the ship's landing gear gently touched down, Star could see Buff Frog standing a dozen meters away, patiently watching as the ship touched down. "C'mon! Let's go!" she yelled, hopping out of her seat and bolting from the cockpit, brimming with excitement.

"Star, wait!" Marco begged, staggering to his feet. "I can't...move that fast."

Star was already out of earshot, down in the hold where the boarding ramp extended from the ship. She threw the lever down and hopped up and down with impatience and excitement as she waited for the ramp to lower. Before it was even on the ground, Star was racing down, jumping off the end and running toward her friend.

"Buff Frog!"

The big frog man waited with open arms. "Star Butterfly!"

She launched off of the landing pad and into her friend's arms, hugging him back with just as much crushing force as he bestowed upon her.

"My little Sweet Potato!" Buff Frog boomed. "It has been too long!" He dropped Star back onto her feet.

"I know! How long has it been? Three years?"

"I believe so. Look at you! You have grown so much!" Then Buff Frog lowered his voice. "Star...when Senator Eclipsa tell us all about Order 66...we all feared that you were dead."

"I'm sorry, Buff Frog. I was kinda too focused on escaping Coruscant to think about contacting home to let you all know I was okay."

Buff Frog smiled at her again. "Is okay. Am so glad to see you alive."

A clanking noise caught their attention and they turned to see Marco clomping down the Raventalon's boarding ramp, his prosthetic leg punctuating every step with a loud clang! Tom, Janna, and PY-HD followed close behind.

"Oh! You have to meet my friends!" Star exclaimed. "Come on!" She grabbed Buff Frog by the hand and dragged him in tow behind her, meeting the others halfway.

"Everyone! Everyone!" Star began excitedly. "This is General Yvgeny Bulgolyubov, the highest ranking leader of the Mewni Militia that isn't one of my parents. But I call him 'Buff Frog.' Because he's a frog." She reached up and squeezed his upper arm. "And he's buff. Buff Frog, these are my friends! This is Janna Ordonia, Captain of theRaventalon, this beautiful ship we arrived on."

As if on cue, one of the Raventalon's landing struts gave a pop! as it lost hydraulic pressure and the ship listed over to port.

"This is Tom Lucitor, her copilot. Pony Head, the best astromech droid in the whole galaxy-"

"Why does droid have horn?" Buff Frog interrupted.

PY-HD twittered angrily.

"Because it's awesome," Janna said simply.

"-And last but not least, my very best friend and fellow Jedi Padawan, Marco Diaz!"

Buff Frog bowed. "Is pleasure to meet all of you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, General," Tom said, choosing to avoid Buff Frog's last name for fear of mispronouncing it. He extended his hand as the General stood back up.

Buff Frog accepted Tom's handshake. "Please, please, call me Buff Frog. No need for such formalities. Any friend of Star's is friend of mine!"

Buff Frog looked hard at Marco. "You must be boy who is very skilled with lightsaber."

Marco waved off the comment. "Psssh. Nawww. I'm not that good."

Star gently elbowed Buff Frog in the ribs. "Yes, he is."

"Star tell Buff Frog all about her best friend, 'Saber Boy, on her last visit. Am so happy to finally meet you!" And Buff Frog shook Marco's hand as well.

"Nice to meet ya, Buff Frog," Janna said, taking her own turn to shake the General's hand. "I'm hoping maybe you can help us. Both of my ship's hyperdrives are out of commission and we need to get to Corellia to buy replacements."

"And a new starboard sublight engine, too," Tom added.

"Of course! Mewni Militia will help in any way we can." He waved to a pair of Mewmans who were working nearby, and they hopped into a large air speeder. "But first we must go to Butterfly Castle and see Queen and King. Have not yet told them Star was here. Am sure they will be very, very surprised!" And he laughed heartily.

The Mewmans pulled up alongside with the speeder.

"Oh, yeah! If Mom and Dad think I'm dead, they're probably gonna freak out!" Star laughed.

"My thoughts exactly," Buff Frog winked.

Star helped Marco climb aboard and Buff Frog easily lifted PY-HD into the back as if the droid were made of cork. Then Buff Frog instructed the Mewman pilots to take them to the Castle, and they quickly left the airbase.


Queen Moon Butterfly sat at the desk in her study, idly signing her name with a stylus on various digitized documents that required her attention. Normally she would have poured over every single word of every single page of every single order and legislative script that came across her datapad. But ever since Eclipsa had informed her of everything that had happened on the night the old Republic fell to the Emperor's hand and Palpatine ordered the execution of the entire Jedi Order, Moon could not focus. The most attention she could muster toward any one of these documents was a brief skim before signing it and moving on to the next one.

Could anyone blame her? Her daughter, her only child, that which she treasured more than anything else in the galaxy and yet barely knew because that daughter was a Jedi, was dead; Dead because a power-hungry politician who just happened to be a Sith Lord ordered the execution of every single Jedi Knight and student. On top of that, her sister was now on the run. Eclipsa had not been at her office the night of Order 66, but had come to the Senate building early in the morning of the day after Palpatine's announcement of the Imperial reconfiguration to find Clone Troopers and Imperial Guards ransacking her office. Luckily, she had bolted so quickly that they had not seen her. Fearing that the higher powers were seeking her out as a family member of a traitor to the Republic in the Senate, Eclipsa had sent Moon a quick communicate telling her of the situation. Then she had boarded her personal spacecraft alone and making herself as scarce as she possibly could, completely cutting off all contact, worried she may be tracked.

Then had come a squadron from the Imperial Army, asking if she had been in contact with her daughter.

"What?" Moon could not believe her ears. "My daughter is dead! How could you even ask such a thing?"

"We are aware, Queen Moon," Commander Emond had said politely. "There was so much destruction at the Jedi Temple that some Jedi's bodies were lost in fires and explosions and we were unable to account for Padawan Butterfly. We simply are trying to confirm her death."

"How dare you come in here asking about our daughter as if she were livestock!" River had yelled.

"I apologize, your majesties. It's not a question I would ask if it were not my job. Just the same, though, to appease my superiors, I will need to see your communicate records. Then, I promise, we will leave you be."

Obviously there was nothing for the Imperials to find, and good to their word, they left soon after. Well, except for that surveillance ship that had been in orbit for weeks now, but it hadn't bothered anyone. In fact, she'd been alerted about an hour ago that the Imperial's spy ship had suddenly left the system.

And so it had been for weeks now: Moon and River, mostly isolated in the castle, not really making much of an effort to pull themselves out of the deep depression they were lost in. It was bad enough they had lost a daughter, but they had also lost an opportunity to even get to know their daughter, as most of her life had been spent at the Jedi Temple. The only memories they had of Star were her infancy and a few times that she was allowed to return home for traditional Mewnian events as the Princess.

Moon removed her spectacles and looked up at the sound of a knock at the door. "Yes?"

"Just me, dear."

"Come in."

The door opened and River stepped into the office. Moon was surprised to see that her husband was actually dressed. "Manfred says we have a visitor," he said solemnly.

"A visitor? Who?" Moon was not in any sort of mood to entertain a guest.

"Buff Frog, apparently."

"Buff Frog? Buff Frog never drops in unannounced unless it's really important."

"I thought that, too."

Moon slowly stood up. "I suppose we had better go and see what he wants."


"Lucy, what are you doing?" Janna whispered, trying not to let her voice echo in the massive dining hall. She was fairly certain this was the largest interior room she had ever been in that was not a hanger or a warehouse.

Tom was carefully folding a silk handkerchief he had taken from his pocket. "Just...you know..." He glanced at Star, who was standing beside Buff Frog and anxiously tapping her foot. "...preparing for tears."

Star seemed to have been hit by a wall of emotion the second she had set foot in the castle. Gone was her excitement and jokes about how her parents would surely freak out when they saw that she was still alive. Instead, she had become very quiet, staring at the door a few paces away from where they waited at the end of the table, wishing she looked a bit more presentable. Despite having been washed a number of times in the clothing cleaner on board the Raventalon, her "I'm not a Jedi" sky blue dress had become faded and tarnished from her adventures and the hem was tattered in several places. She straightened her horn headband for the umpteenth time.

"Don't you think it'll be kinda weird for a total stranger to suddenly offer the King and Queen of Mewni a handkerchief in the middle of them reuniting with their thought-to-be-dead daughter?"

"What? It's not for them! It's for me."

Janna very slowly rolled her eyes. "Ohhhhhhh."

Tom scowled. "Hey, just because you have less emotion than a droid doesn't mean I'm not allowed to feel things."

PY-HD chirped indignantly.

"Will you guys please be quiet?" Marco urged. He had turned around one of the chairs from the comically long dining table and taken a seat, his heavy prosthetic having tired him out. "You're gonna embarrass yourselves."

The two smugglers ignored him.

"I do not!" Janna shot back, her voice becoming a little bit louder.

"You do, too! At least Pony Head gets mad at me! You didn't even get the tiniest bit angry when I crashed the ship into the side of a mountain! You have no emotions whatsoever!"

"Well, maybe I prefer it that way!"

Under his breath, Marco tried to get their attention. "Guys."

"It wouldn't kill you to show a little sympathy now and then!" Tom spat.

"Guys."

"And it wouldn't kill you to actually stand up for yourself in front of our clients instead of letting them walk all over you! It makes us look bad!"

"Guys!"

"What, Marco?" Janna snapped.

Marco pointed in Star's general direction and Tom and Janna followed his indication. Queen Moon and King River were standing in the doorway, their mouths slightly agape, their eyes wide, astounded at what they were seeing.

The room fell eerily silent.

Star slowly walked toward them, and they hesitantly stepped closer to her until they met in the middle.

"Star?" Moon's voice cracked, her vocal chords clogged with emotion.

Star gave a tiny wave with her right hand. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," she quietly greeted.

For a moment, no one moved, everyone else in the room scarcely daring to breathe.

And then the royal parents swooped in and engulfed their daughter in a tight hug, Star throwing her arms around each of their necks. Mere seconds passed before tears began to stream unchecked from all three members of the embrace.

"We thought we'd never see you again," Moon cried.

"We thought you were dead," River said much less tactfully.

Janna heard sobbing behind her and turned to see Tom individually drying each of his three eyes with his handkerchief.

The Queen and King loosened their grip on Star enough to see their daughter's face.

"I...I have so many questions," Moon stuttered. "I don't even know where to begin."

"How in the galaxy did you escape?!" River cried, knowing exactly the question he wanted the answer to most. "We heard the Jedi Temple was torn apart trying to execute everyone inside!"

"Well..." The explanation would be long. Star knew that. But she didn't want to leave the others awkwardly watching while she told the whole story. After all, they were a part of the tale. Shouldn't they help tell it? "It was quite an adventure. It's a really long story, but..." Star looked back at her friends behind her with Buff Frog. "I definitely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my friends."

Her parents looked over at the group waiting a little ways away. Marco got to his feet expectantly and Buff Frog stepped to the side, out of the way.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Captain Janna Ordonia, Tom Lucitor, their droid, Pony Head, and Marco Diaz. If it wasn't for them...I'd...almost definitely be dead."

Tom quickly wiped his nose and stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket as the royal family of Mewni approached. The King and Queen greeted each of them and shook their hands reservedly, Moon beginning with Marco.

"So you're Marco," she said with a smile. "Star told us all about you the last time she was here. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Marco swallowed nervously. "Um, likewise, your, uh, your majesty."

She chuckled. "You can just call me 'Moon,' dear."

Marco relaxed slightly. "Oh, um...thank you, Queen Mo- hurk!" Marco groaned as he suddenly had the air squeezed from his lungs by a crushing hug from behind.

"Marco Diaz!" River boomed as the short man lifted Marco clear off the ground. "Thrilled to finally meet you!"

"You...*gasp*...too!"

"Dad!" Star laughed, "you're choking him!"

"Oop!" River let Marco go, and the drop to the floor threw the young Padawan off balance, causing him to land in a heap on the floor. "Ooh! Sorry, my boy!" The angle at which Marco landed allowed River to catch sight of the metal leg beneath the boy's trouser leg. He held out a hand to help Marco back to his feet. "You know, with everything Star told us about you, I thought she would have mentioned that you only had one leg."

"River!" Moon scolded.

Marco took the King's hand and found himself hauled easily back to his feet. "Well, it's a, uh, very recent development."

When all of the introductions had been made, the Queen and King turned again to Star.

"I still can't believe you're here, Star," Moon said as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes again.

"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you to let you know I was okay."

"That's alright. We're just thankful that you're alive."

For a long moment, no one was sure what to say.

"Why don't we get Star's friends set up into the guest rooms?" River suggested, taking note of how disheveled and tired Star and her friends appeared. "And while they get cleaned up, we'll have the royal chef prepare a grand feast, and then they can tell us all about their adventure over a hearty meal?"

"Mmm, a feast sounds good," Marco whispered to himself. "I am so sick of emergency rations."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, River," agreed Moon. "General Bulgolyubov, would you like to join us for dinner?"

Buff Frog rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Oh, I could not. I have big stack of important, boring paperwork to look over at base."

"Aww, please, Buff Frog?" Star pleaded, looking up at him with shimmering eyes.

"Um...well..."

"What if my mom gave you a direct order to stay for dinner?"

Buff Frog laughed. "Well, then I suppose I would not have choice."

Star looked back at her mother. "Mom?"

"Star, I can't just-" Moon suddenly found herself looking back into the same pleading eyes her daughter had used on Buff Frog. She chuckled. "Um, General Bulgolyubov, I order you to join us for dinner."

Buff Frog grinned. "Seems I have no choice but to leave big stack of boring paperwork until tomorrow."

And everyone laughed.


The Royal servants prepared guest rooms for Tom, Janna, and Marco. Star didn't think her parents would approve of Marco sharing her childhood bedroom with her and was disappointed that she would have to spend the nights alone again, but was already making plans for how she would sneak out in the night to see him.

After a very long, hot shower, Star returned to her bedroom wrapped in a towel to find something to wear. She was rather disappointed that she had outgrown all of the clothes in her room, having grown at least two inches since the last time she had been home on Mewni. She was just about to put her ragged blue dress back on when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?"

"Princess Butterfly, it is I, Sir Lavabo."

"Lavabo!" Quickly making sure that her towel was secure, she hurried to open the door. There stood Sir Lavabo, Knight of the Wash. He bowed to her politely.

"M'lady, I welcome your return home."

"Thanks, Lavabo! I missed ya, ya weird laundry knight."

"Um, thank you, Princess. I missed you, as well."

"How are things down in the subbasement?"

"Nothing much ever changes, m'lady. I bring to you a gift from your parents." He held up a thin box. "I was instructed by your parents to bring you and your friends a change of clothes for dinner."

"Aw, how sweet!" And perfectly timed, too. "Thank you!" Star took the box and Lavabo bowed again as if to leave. "Oh, wait! Lavabo! Hang on one second!" She skipped over to her bed and snatched up her blue "not-a-Jedi disguise" dress. "Do you think you can fix this ol' thing up at all? It's been through the wringer, but I've survived so much wearing this that I'm starting to think it's lucky."

Lavabo smiled. "I will give nothing less than my best work, Princess."

"Thanks, Sir Lavabo!"

The Knight of the Wash bowed again. "It is my honor. Long live the wash!"

When Lavabo had gone and Star had safely closed the door again, she set the box on her bed and removed the lid. Inside was a long, dark green glittery dress. "Wowwwww! This is beautiful!" Star whispered aloud.

As she slid into it, she wondered to herself what her friends would look like at dinner. She'd never seen Marco in anything more formal than a Jedi robe, and Janna and Tom both had their own very specific styles that they pretty much never deviated from.

Come to think of it, that blue dress is about the only thing Marco's ever seen me in other than my Jedi robe and that cloak thing I'd put on whenever we went for tacos.

Star looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the fancy new getup. It was quite easily the most beautiful article of clothing she had ever worn.

This oughta be interesting.


"Wow, Pony Head!" Marco exclaimed. "You're so shiny I can see myself in your dome!"

The droid twittered happily, and Marco wished he could understand what it was saying. PY-HD had been taken down to the basement (above the laundry room in the sub-basement) to the castle's droid maintenance shop, where the blue-and-pink astromech was charged, lubricated, cleaned, and polished to a mirror-like shine. When Marco said he could see himself in the droid's dome, he was not exaggerating.

Marco himself had traded his hoodie for a white three-piece suit graciously provided for him by some guy who introduced himself as "the Knight of the Wash." He was incredibly surprised to find that it fit him perfectly despite no measurements being taken.

He'd returned to the dining hall where he found PY-HD already waiting. Tom was the next to arrive, dressed in an almost identical suit to Marco's. His hair, normally spiked straight up, was slicked down around his horns.

"Hey hey! Lookin' good, Tom!"

"Thanks, you too," Tom replied hastily, looking like he was trying not to laugh. "Wait until you see Janna, though."

"Why, what's-"

Marco fell silent as Captain Ordonia entered the dining hall, dressed in a floor-length, very poofy, bright pink dress. She had forgone her hat and her hair had actually been brushed.

"Holy bantha crap, Janna..." Marco gasped as she came up to them.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day that you'd wear that color," laughed Tom. "Or, you know, a dress. I'm surprised you're not, like, seething mad right now."

Janna smirked mischievously and gave her hair a flip. "You just never thought I'd be able to pull this off." Then she turned more serious. "But really, when I saw this thing, I thought I was gonna hate it, and then I put it on and I was sure I was gonna hate it."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "So...do you hate it?"

Janna shrugged. "You know, I usually don't care in the slightest what I look like. I just wear what I think is comfortable. And this-" She motioned to the poofy thing on the bottom of her dress. "-definitely not comfortable. But then I saw myself in the mirror and I was like 'dang, I look good!" She shrugged a second time. "I thought about changing, but, it's only for one night, and I've never been to a feast in a royal castle before. I'd probably feel super out of place in my normal clothes, so I figured, what the heck?"

Marco and Tom laughed. "I kinda hate to admit it," Tom said, "but you do actually pull that off far better than I would have expected."

Janna smirked again. "Flying, smuggling, hitting a moving target with a blaster pistol from 50 meters, totally pulling off a poofy pink dress, I do it all."

"You're a very multitalented individual," Marco chuckled. "Don't forget totallyowning a giant cave monster with a lightsaber and custom metal prosthetic crafting."

"Thanks for reminding me, Marco! I left out the two coolest things."

"And you're so humble, too," Tom quipped.

"And I have the emotional range of a horned melon," Janna shot back.

"Janna, I didn't mean it like that."

"You still think it's true, though, don't you?"

"Wha-! Na-! Uh-!"

"You do!"

"No! I don't!"

"Marco, do you think I'm emotionless?" There was no response. "Marco?" Janna turned to look at him.

Marco was staring at the doorway where Star currently stood, having just arrived. She had pulled up her hair into a huge top knot on the back of her head, leaving a few curls dangling on either side of her face, and retained her horn headband. The slim, sleeveless, glittery dark green dress made her bright blue eyes sparkle even more than usual.

"Oh, boy," Janna muttered, catching the dumbstruck expression on the Padawan's face. "We've officially lost Marco." Tom nodded in agreement.

Star slowly made her way over to her best friend. "What do you think?" she asked shyly.

"You look...amazing."

The skin beneath the hearts on Star's cheeks blushed pink. "You don't look so bad yourself." And she giggled softly, looking into his eyes with reverence.

The urge to kiss his best friend had never been stronger, but Marco resisted, feeling that it was probably inappropriate to do so here. He didn't know who might be watching besides Tom, Janna, and PY-HD. His judgement call turned out to be a good one as the door to the dining hall opened one last time and the Queen and King, accompanied by Buff Frog, entered.

Star quickly spun around at the sound of the door opening.

"Oh, Star," her mother cooed, "You look lovely!"

"Thanks, Mom!"

River stepped up directly in front of her, the corners of his eyes moistening again. He gently caressed her cheek. "Look at my little girl, all grown up."

"Dad," Star sniffled. "You're gonna make me cry again."

River gave her cheek a gentle pat. "Me, too." He stepped back. "Alright, c'mon, everyone! Let's have ourselves a feast! I want to hear all about your adventures!"


And so, the King and Queen, the pair of Jedi, the captain and her copilot, and Buff Frog took their seats at the table. The servants brought out a dozen plates of food, many of which bore dishes involving Mewni corn as a main ingredient. Star, Marco, Tom, and Janna dug in hungrily, thrilled to have anything to eat that was not ration packs or nutrient bars.

As they ate, the four teenagers took turns telling the story that ended with their eventual arrival on Mewni. The two Padawans struggled to keep their composure as they recounted their final conversation with Kit Fisto and subsequent encounter with Darth Sidious in the Chancellor's office. Janna and Tom told the story of how they rescued their friends from Coruscant, and Buff Frog was very interested in hearing about how they had built their hyperdrive "slingshot." They edited out a good portion of their time lost in space as there wasn't much to tell, and Janna greatly embellished the story of how she saved Marco from the various monsters they encountered in the cave in Moraband.

Star and Marco chose to leave out the latter's meeting with Darth Bane's ghost, and their romantic confession was foregone, as well. There would be a more appropriate time to tell Star's parents about their requited love later, when they'd gotten to know Marco a little better.

All the while, the Queen and King hung on their every word. Moon would often cover her mouth with her hand as she gasped in shock, but River cheered and applauded at every daring escape and near miss.

Finally, long after the plates had been cleared away, the story came to a close.

"...and the backup hyperdrive caught on fire when we dropped out of hyperspace, so its totally destroyed, too, now," Janna said.

"So your ship now has no means of hyperspace travel at all, then?" Moon asked.

"Yup. Unfortunately."

Tom cleared his throat. "We actually were hoping that perhaps we could ask you for a favor, your majesties."

"Well, by all means, ask away!" River urged.

Janna took over. "We'll have to go to Corellia to get replacement hyperdrives. And a new starboard sublight thruster. We were hoping that, since theRaventalon is out of commission now, that you might have a ship we could borrow to go there and pick up the parts?"

"Of course!" River exclaimed, but Moon cut him off.

"Hold on a moment, River. Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"Oh, boy, here we go," Star whispered to Marco beside her.

"I'd never go there if I didn't have to. But it's the only place where we can get the proper replacement parts, unfortunately," Janna explained.

"You probably haven't heard since you've been out of contact with the rest of the galaxy for quite some time, but the Corellian Engineering Corporation has been contracted by the Empire to build their new starship fleet," Moon explained. "They've stationed quite a large number of troops there as protection for the ship yards and implemented all sorts of new protocols and control zones for the whole planet. It's not safe."

"Mom, have you even been listening to the whole story we've been telling?" Star interjected. "We've been anything but safe for weeks!"

"There's a difference between being in danger beyond your control and knowingly jeopardizing your safety, Star!"

"If I may, Queen Moon," Janna said quickly before either mother or daughter could say anything further, "Tom and I are smugglers."

Tom cringed and smacked his face with his hand, and Star and Marco both held their foreheads as if in pain. They had purposely avoided telling Moon and River Tom and Janna's profession in the telling of the story out of concern that the royal leaders of Mewni would not approve of their presence in their castle or being friends with their daughter.

Janna, apparently, had no qualms about it whatsoever.

"Sneaking in and out of places without being noticed is what we do. I've been avoiding detection by the Republic since I was nine. Evading the Empire will be no different."

"Alsooo, Marco and I were planning on staying here," Star added quickly, hoping that detail would help sway her parents' minds.

Moon's mouth hung slightly open, unsure how even to react. She never had a chance to react at all, though, as River spoke up.

"As I was starting to say before, of course you can borrow a ship! I'm sure General Bulgolyubov has something you can use! Isn't that right, Buff Frog?"

"Oh! Um, yes! Of course! Mewni Militia have small, unassuming cargo ship that will be perfect thing. And will give you clearance code so we don't almost shoot you down again when you return."

Buff Frog's last statement caught Marco off guard. "Wait, what?"

"Thank you very much, General, your majesties," said Tom, not about to allow Queen Moon a chance to change her husband's mind. "We appreciate your help very much."

"You're quite welcome, Thomas!" River replied. He stood up from the table and clapped his hands together. "Now, who wants desert?"


Conversation during desert was more lighthearted. River was very intrigued by Janna and Tom's profession and begged Captain Ordonia to tell some stories of their smuggling adventures. He was very entertained by her tales. Moon and River then filled in Star on what had been happening on Mewni since she had visited last three years ago.

Eventually, Tom yawned. The trip from Moraband to Mewni had been long with the slow backup hyperdrive and his stuffed belly was making him sleepy. He looked beside him and saw that Janna appeared to be slumping over in her chair and leaning heavily on the table. He yawned again, and this time Queen Moon noticed.

"Well," she said at a lull in the conversation, "it is getting rather late. Perhaps we should turn in for the evening."

"I should be getting back, too," Buff Frog said. He looked at Janna and Tom. "Come to Skywynne Airbase tomorrow, around noon, and I will have ship ready for you."

Janna nodded gratefully. "Thank you very much, Buff Frog. And thank you, too, your majesties, for everything."

"Think nothing of it!" River chuckled heartily.

"And please," Moon added with a friendly smile, "call us 'Moon' and 'River.' There's no need to be so formal."

The smugglers chuckled. "Thank you, Moon and River, for everything," Tom said, standing up from the table as Janna did the same beside him. "Goodnight, everyone."

There was a rousing chorus of goodnight wishes in return as Tom and Janna left the dining hall. Buff Frog also rose to his feet and bid everybody goodbye before heading out the door to return to Skywynne Airbase.

And so, Star and Marco were left alone at the table with Moon and River.

"Are you ready for bed, dear?" River asked.

The Queen blinked. "Yes, I suppose..." She looked at Star, almost as if she were afraid her daughter would disappear if she looked away.

Star saw the look on her mother's face. "I'll still be here in the morning you know, Mom," she laughed.

The Queen smiled and stood up. "I know." Star and Marco got up, as well, and Moon and River stepped around the table to their daughter, each taking a turn hugging her. Marco respectfully stepped back to give them space.

"Goodnight, Star," Moon whispered. "We're so glad that you're home."

"Me, too, Mom."

Then the King and Queen bid goodnight to Marco as well and they headed off to bed.

"Your parents are nice!" Marco said when they'd gone.

Star smiled at her best friend. "I think they like you."

"You think so?" Marco asked happily.

Star roughly threw her arms around Marco's neck. "I know so." She pulled her best friend in for a kiss, melting into Marco's arms as he lovingly pulled her close against his body. "Do you know how long I've been waiting to do that?"

"Hours?"

"Hours!" She took Marco by the hand. "Will you go for a walk with me before we go to bed? Just once around the castle?"

Marco gave her hand a squeeze. "Of course."


Tom and Janna slowly climbed the stairs up to the second floor of Butterfly Castle. In their very sleepy state, the staircase seemed like it would go on forever.

"I promise," Tom panted, "I will never, ever take a turbolift for granted again."

Finally, they reached the second floor landing.

"Which way are our rooms again?"

"That way," Janna said, pointing down the corridor. "This place is like a maze."

Tom followed Janna through the various corridors all the way until they found themselves right outside of the door to Janna's room. Tom's was the next one down.

"Here we go," Janna announced. "I am gonna sleep like a rock."

"Me too."

Janna tapped the button on the activation panel and the door quietly slid aside. She stepped into the guest room and was very confused when Tom followed her.

"Uhh...Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"What, uh...what are you doing?"

Tom looked around, his three eyes suddenly widening as he realized what he had been thinking. "Oh! This...your room." Janna nodded slowly. "Right! Uh...I forgot...that we're not, you know...still on the ship...and I have my own...room again."

"Yeah."

Tom rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry. I'll, uh, go."

"Okay."

"Goodnight," Tom called awkwardly as he evacuated the room and closed the door behind him.

That was weird, Janna thought, but any further dwelling on the strange occurrence was pushed from her mind by the thought of slumber.

And of getting out of that horribly uncomfortable pink dress.


The Mewni sun had sunk beneath the horizon over an hour prior. The night was clear and the stars sparkled brilliantly overhead as Star and Marco strolled about the castle grounds hand in hand. Neither had much to say. For the first time in weeks, they had no need to run, nothing to hide from, and nothing to repair in order to ensure their survival. For Star there was only Marco, and for Marco there was only Star, standing under a sea of twinkling lights shining down on them from the sky above.

They circled the castle from the main entrance, along the side and out to the expansive castle grounds behind.

"So," Marco said quietly, "How is it being home again?"

Star did not answer right away. For a moment, Marco was not sure she had heard him. "It's nice. I hadn't realized that I had missed my parents so much." She looked all around at the surrounding landscape. "And I forgot how beautiful it was here." She stopped and took both of his hands in hers. "But having my best friend here with me, that truly makes it home."

Marco's heart soared as he laughed. "That was really corny, Star."

She giggled. "I know. But it's the truth." She imitated her mother's voice. "And as a Princess, I must never tell a lie! It wouldn't be proper."

This elicited laughter from both, which was cut off as Star happily pressed her lips against Marco's.

Home, she thought as she melted into her best friend's embrace. It's never felt so nice.

I sure hope the Empire doesn't find out we're here...


"This is not good! We're gonna get caught!"

"I told you we should have hid out on Mon Calamari, but you didn't listen to me!"

"Will both of you please shut up?!"

Rhombulus peaked through the narrow gap between the planks that made up the wall. Outside, scores of stormtroopers in brand-new identical armor marched past in perfect formation, their footsteps thundering in perfect rhythm. And behind them, their leader, the last being in the galaxy that Rhombulus wanted to see:

Darth Vader.

Next: Something you were definitely not expecting.

I hope you enjoyed this very lengthy chapter! Don't forget to review!

By the way, the number of views this story has had more than *doubled* in the month of November. Thank you all so much for reading! As I've said before, I've never put this much work into one of my fanfics before, so I am so happy that people are enjoying this tale that came out of my imagination, and I hope you will all continue to enjoy where the story goes next! (I consider this chapter to be like the end of Act 1. Act 2 will have more locations and a lot more action.)

Thank you all sooooo much! May the Force(s Of Evil) be with you...or...something...

Chapter 22 coming soon!