It's July 11th, 2020. One year ago today, I posted the first chapter of this ambitious project of mine. For those of you who have stuck with me all this time, I thank you ever so much for reading.
Security Officer Rosado took a deep breath. The frequency was set, all he had to do was push the button.
He really, really did not want to push that button.
Please don't let this end with me being Force-choked to death...
Almost completely unaware of his own action, he sent the call. A few moments later, his transmission was received and the holoprojector illuminated, the vaguely transparent blue image of a female Imperial Officer, a dark-skinned female with short, black hair beneath her gray cap, floating in the air before him.
"Security Officer Rosado. How may I help you?"
Rosado swallowed nervously. "My associate, Inquisitor, um..." He blinked, suddenly realizing that he had no idea what the Inquisitor's name was. "...The inquisitor asked me to make contact with Lord Vader. It is of utmost importance."
The Officer looked at him questioningly. "And where is the inquisitor, exactly?"
"En route. Should be here shortly." He looked away from the holo slightly, muttering, "I hope," to himself.
"Mhm." The officer looked less than impressed. "I will alert Lord Vader."
Rosado gulped. "Ah...Thank you." Please hurry up, Inquisitor. Don't make me have to talk to Vader alone.
The image of the Officer disappeared, the holoprojector showing nothing but a blank glow. No more than ten seconds passed before the image of Darth Vader, about half his real life size in the Mentis Mal's holo but somehow just as intimidating, appeared before him. Rosado jumped, not expecting Vader so quickly.
"Security Officer Rosado," Vader droned. "What business have you?"
"I-I-I, uh, Lord Vader! Um, t-the inquisitor asked me to make contact with you, sir."
"And where exactly is the inquisitor?"
"Returning from...from, uh..."
"I'm right here." The altered voice of the inquisitor was accompanied by heavy footfalls as the Jedi hunter stormed its way onto the bridge of the Mentis Mal.
Rosado breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took a step back to make way for the inquisitor and hopefully place himself out of Vader's sightline. Oh, thank heavens.
"Lord Vader, the Padawans are on Mewni, Butterfly's home world," the inquisitor practically yelled. "I am not about to give them the chance to escape me again."
Vader remained silent for a moment, as if considering the inquisitor's words. "What is it that you recommend?"
"A full-scale invasion of the planet. We'll trap those little nerf-herders before they can flee again, and show those lousy Mewmans what happens when you cross the Empire."
"Indeed. The citizens of Mewni must pay for their insolence. I will dispatch a Destroyer there immediately."
"Excellent. Have the Destroyer send coordinates for a rendezvous point."
"The invasion force will be instructed to attack as soon as they arrive, inquisitor. As you said yourself, Diaz and Butterfly must not be given a chance to escape."
Behind its mask, the inquisitor's eyes widened in shock. "But Lord Vader-!"
The holotransmission abruptly ended, the signal cut. The inquisitor saw red, seething with anger. This is my mission, I've been doing all the dirty work. I should be the one who gets the satisfaction of destroying those little pests! ME!
Rosado saw the inquisitor's gloved hands tightening into fists, the leather material groaning as it was ground against itself. "Um...inquisitor?"
"Get this ship in the air, Rosado. Get us to Mewni as fast as this bucket will go." It turned toward him. "NOW!"
"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!"
When Star awoke, a mild but very aggravating headache radiated from her temples and across the back of her head. Realizing she was inexplicably back in her bedroom, she sat up slowly, wondering how she had ended up there.
And, as she looked around the room and her eyes fell on Marco still sleeping soundly beneath the covers beside her, she wondered how he had ended up there, too.
"Marco?" she softly groaned, gently shaking him by the shoulder. "Marco, wake up."
He moaned as he opened his eyes and rolled over to face her. "Star?" He touched his hand to his temple, wincing. "Oh, I have such a headache." He abruptly removed his hand from his head and cautiously sat up. "Hang on...how did I get here?"
"I have no idea. I remember being out in the forest with Glossaryck last night, and...I remember we were using the Force together. Your cheeks had cute little crescent moons on them, and they were glowing."
"Oh, yeah, I remember that. Your hearts were glowing, too."
"We threw a log suuuuper high...I think. And that's all I remember."
"I don't remember anything else, either. I definitely don't remember us coming back here and getting into your bed." The color suddenly drained from Marco face. "Ohmygosh. Did we...?"
Star's eyes went wide. They lifted up the covers and were relieved to see that they were both still fully dressed.
"Oh, thank Mewni," Star breathed as Marco let out a long whoosh of air from his lungs. "That still doesn't answer how we got back here, though."
A cloud of green, glowing mist suddenly appeared across the room and Glossaryck manifested from the ether. "Oh, hey! You guys are awake!"
"Ohhhhhh," they chorused. That was part of the mystery solved. It was obvious that Glossaryck had put them to bed.
"Glossaryck," Star began slowly, "What happened last night?"
The little blue man hovered above the bed in front of them. "Well, you two were successful in cleaving yourselves in order to use the Force in tandem. Unfortunately, it seems that when you used the Force together like that, it literally drained the life out of you, enough so that you fainted. So I magicked you back here."
Marco shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing. "It drained the life out of us?!"
"Oh, yes. Your life-forces began restoring themselves as soon as your connection to the Force was broken. I imagine that if you had used that power for too long...iiiiiiiiit probably would have killed you." Once again, a nervous expression was exchanged between the two Padawans. Glossaryck, on the other hand, did not seem particularly concerned. "I'm sure with practice, though, you could learn to use your powers without passing out."
"Oh, yeah..." Star said apprehensively. "That's...greaaaaat."
The Force-guru did not seem to notice Star's insincere tone. He was busy floating toward the door. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I believe I detect the alluring aroma of pancakes!"
When Glossaryck had gone again, Star turned to Marco beside her and he met her anxious gaze. "What are you thinking?" he asked.
Star's mind raced. Her dull headache sure didn't make straightening out her thoughts any easier. "Just wondering...if it's worth it," she said slowly.
Marco said nothing. He had been wondering that himself.
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!"
"OH, YES! GO, PILOT GIRL, GO!"
Despite the jubilant cries from the captain of the Raventalon and her passenger, Tom was hanging onto the sides of the copilot seat with a white-knuckled grip, his teeth gritted and bared. He dared not touch the copilot control yoke as Janna juked and slung the YV-560 freighter through an asteroid field.
"Man, this thing feels like a brand new ship!" Janna yelled. "She's never handled this smooth!"
"Yeah, very smooth. Sooooo smooth," Tom squeaked through his clenched jaw as Janna banked the ship to starboard and narrowly missed a head-on collision with a massive chunk of space rock.
Buff Frog had come to Butterfly Castle the previous evening with PY-HD in tow, happily announcing to the teenage smugglers that the repairs to the Raventalon were complete. "Not just new hyperdrives and thruster installed," he had said through his thick accent. "We repaired everything!"
"Everything?" they asked.
"Everything! Leaking seals fixed, rebuilt compressor, aligned power converters, fixed landing gear...should be like brand new ship now! Aside from big hole you patched, which was beautifully repaired, by the way, everyone very impressed. We touched it up a little bit, though."
"Wow!" Tom exclaimed. "You didn't have to have your mechanics do all of that!"
The Mewni general waved off the demoncite's comment. "Is my pleasure. Cannot thank you enough for saving Princess."
"Thank you so much, Buff Frog," Janna said. "That was...incredibly kind of you." A strange feeling of warmth spread through Janna's heart. She wasn't used to people doing anything for her just out kindness, let alone something as generous and time consuming as revitalizing her whole ship.
Bright and early the following morning, before their friends awoke, the smugglers and their astromech returned to Skywynne Airbase. Buff Frog greeted them at the entrance and led them through the base. "Captain Ordonia," he said gallantly, opening the door from the main building to the landing pad and giving a flourishing gesture toward Janna and Tom's craft. "Your ship awaits."
From a distance, the Raventalon looked largely the same. As they climbed aboard and walked through the cabin, however, Janna could see here and there where parts and pieces had been replaced and repairs had been made. In addition, the entire ship had been cleaned from top to bottom. In the years she had owned it, the old freighter had never looked so good.
She was awestruck.
"Wow, Buff Frog...this is..." Janna ran her fingers over the control panel in the cockpit, freshly polished by the Skywynne Airbase Staff. "...Amazing." She met the big frog man's eyes. "Thank you!"
"Absolutely no trouble at all." Then, his expression abruptly became hardened and serious. "I have one favor to ask in return."
Janna was taken slightly aback. "Uh, yeah, sure. Anything."
Buff Frog's serious face suddenly became jovial. "Will you take me for ride? Please please please?"
Tom and Janna laughed. The demonicite gave the General a slap on the back. "Of course! We gotta take the old bird on a test flight, don't we?"
Janna excitedly hopped into the pilot's seat. "What are we waiting for?" PY-HD bleeped a sarcastic answer to the rhetorical question, which Janna ignored. "Let's go!"
Now the General of the Mewni Militia was seated behind Captain Ordonia, watching through starry eyes as Janna wove her way through an asteroid field a few dozen parsecs from Mewni. He held his hands above his head, crying, "Wheeeee!" as if on an amusement ride while Janna rolled the Raventalon to starboard around yet another chunk of space rock.
As they cleared the outermost edge of the asteroid field, Janna briefly glanced at her copilot, the purplish complexion of the demonicite's face having turned nearly white as he clung to the sides of his seat.
"I think Demon Boy is not doing so well," Buff Frog whispered to Janna with a chuckle.
She grinned, feeling quite pleased with herself. "I know, isn't it great? I love scaring the poodoo out of him." Then, louder, "Alright, alright, I've had my fun. Let's head back to Mewni." She banked the ship in a wide arc, making the ship about-face.
Tom's grip on the seat slackened and he sucked in a deep breath, completely unaware that he had been holding his breath. "Oh. Good," he sighed.
Janna flicked a few switches on the control panel to prepare for the return trip.
"We'll use the backup hyperdrive on the return trip, make sure it works, too. Got our course programmed, Pony?"
The astromech bleeped an affirmative from it's terminal.
Still adhering to her personal rule of never averting her eyes from the forward viewscreen, Janna placed her hand on the pilot's hyperdrive lever. "Ready?"
A still quite tense Tom took hold of his designated control lever just beside Janna's. "Ready."
"Three, two, one, now," Janna counted down.
They pushed the levers forward and the stars stretched into streaks as the Raventalon jumped to lightspeed and into the swirls of hyperspace. Finally, Tom was able to gradually relax.
"Everything still green, Pony?" Tom asked once they were well underway.
The astromech replied that all systems were operating as intended. Janna removed her hands from the yoke and pumped her fist into the air. "Excellent! The Raventalon is officially back in action!" She looked back at Buff Frog. "All thanks to you and everyone on Mewni, General."
The frog man smiled. "You do not have to keep thanking me, Pilot Girl. Happy to be of help."
Janna turned halfway around in the pilot's chair, her features now turned somewhat somber. "Well...I guess now that the ship is fixed...we'll have to talk to Star and Marco..." Her voice trailed off.
Buff Frog raised an eyebrow. "What about?"
"Tom and I...have to get back to work," Janna said, her voice hesitant. "We have customers waiting for us. So we have to talk to them about..." She faced forward again. A deep sigh escaped her lungs. "...splitting up."
The door to the royal family's private dining room slid open to reveal a sleepy-eyed Eclipsa, still clad in her pink robe. She yawned as she stretched her arms lazily above her head. "Good morning, Sis. River," she greeted, taking a seat beside Moon. The King and Queen were already dressed in their usual royal attire, River reading the morning galactic news on his datapad, and Moon daintily sipping from a tiny teacup.
"Good morning, Eclipsa," Moon replied. A mumbled morning greeting drifted across the table from River, who was too engrossed in the news to look up at his sister-in-law.
The servants had been up at the appointed hour to cook breakfast and delivered a sizeable spread for the royal family and their five guests. The delicious scents of baked confections and warm breakfast meats wafted to the former senator's nose, and she inhaled deeply. "Mmmm...doesn't that smell delicious!" She quickly began helping herself from the serving dishes, filling her plate with an assortment of food.
Moon looked toward her sister happily helping herself to breakfast as if nothing were out of the ordinary. And nothing was...yet. But there was a very necessary conversation that needed to be had, an awkward one that Moon certainly was not looking forward to. She slowly set down her teacup. "Eclipsa? It's been a week since Thomas and Janna returned from Corellia. Now that they're back, I think it's time that...that we discuss safer living arrangements for you and the children."
Setting her full plate down, Eclipsa solemnly nodded. "I know. Truthfully, I've been avoiding bringing it up."
"So have I. I know Star and Marco have been receiving lessons from Glossaryck, that is the only reason I have put off bringing up the subject." Moon sighed. "But I'm afraid it simply cannot wait any longer. I do not wish to send them away, but I also cannot knowingly put our people in danger." She picked up her teacup once more and took a hesitant sip. "When Star and Marco come down for breakfast, we will discuss it wit-"
"Yum!"
The exclamation came from an abruptly present Glossaryck, the little blue man diving into the stack of pancakes on the table as if he were diving into a pool of water.
Marco having previously returned to his guest room so that they could each prepare for the day, the tension in the air was thick between the two Padawans as they reconvened. Neither wanted to discuss what Glossaryck had told them, Star especially. She didn't even want to think about it, but thoughts of draining her own life-force as well as her best friend's while training to use a power she never asked for was all that swirled around her subconscious. And she wanted those thoughts gone.
"Heyyyy, Marco," she began as they headed for the dining room. "What do you say we head right on out to the woods for some more lightsaber practice?" she suggested, trying to sound enthusiastic instead of nervous.
Marco shrugged. "Sure, if that's what you want to do. We'll go out right after breakfast."
"Cool, cool, cool, but, hear me out, what do you say we skip breakfast, huh? Just...straight outside!"
That was a clear indication that something was bothering Star if there ever was one. Marco had never once known his best friend to turn down food, especially breakfast food. He could see the distress in her shimmering blue irises as they walked. Nothing much ever spooked Star, but right now, she was definitely not her usual cheerful self. He couldn't honestly say he blamed her. He knew exactly what was on her mind. If immediate lightsaber practice was what she wanted, then that was fine with him.
"Alright, Star. We'll go outside." He slid his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers.
She gave him a weak smile and squeezed his hand affectionately. "Thank you, Marco."
A faint growl came from somewhere nearby. Star raised an eyebrow, and Marco chuckled nervously. "Can we maybe just grab a piece of fruit or something for the walk? I am actually hungry."
That was enough to elicit a giggle from Star, and she bumped her shoulder against his. "Sure thing, Marco. Let's just make it really fast, okay?"
Marco nodded. "Sure. 'Fast' is my middle name!"
"I thought it was 'Ubaldo.'"
"...it is. I just...really, really hate that name."
Approaching footsteps reached the queen's ears. "Here come the children."
The door slid open and Star and Marco bounded inside, talking as fast as their mouths could form words.
"Good morning, Mom! Good morning, Dad! Good morning, Aunt Eclipsa!"
"Good morning, everyone!"
The pair each quickly snatched a jogan fruit from a plate on the table.
"Ah, Star, Marc-" Queen Moon began, but the Padawans were already whirling around and breaking for the door.
"Sorry, Mom! Can't stay to chat! Marco and I have a lot of training to do! Gottagobyyyye!"
"Star, wai-!"
And the door slid down closed again behind them, leaving Moon with her jaw hanging open, blinking in confusion.
Glossaryck chuckled through a mouthful of pancake. "Looks like they've got big plans."
Moon sighed and turned to Eclipsa. "Well, I suppose we'll try again at dinner."
The plasma blades of blue and green crashed and hummed as their wielders dueled yet again. Star was doing her best to clear her mind and give herself to the Force. In addition to improving her technique by letting the Force guide her lightsaber, it also kept her from having to think about whether or not she and Marco were unnecessarily risking their lives attempting to learn their newfound "Force-cleave" power.
Back and forth, alternating parries and blocks, minute after minute they dueled, their skills equalizing with each time they practiced.
A particularly violent clash of their blades sent both opponents staggering backwards, pausing their battle for a moment and allowing each combatant a chance to catch their breath. A faint but high-pitched rumble pricked at Star's ears. "Hey, Marco, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" he was expecting some kind of trash-talk, so he added some of his own. "Is it the sound of you about to get your butt kicked?"
"No, not that. It sounds like the Raventalon."
Their battle now forgotten, the Padawans scanned the heavens, spotting their friends' freighter descending from the clouds overhead. They waved their lightsabers back and forth skyward in greeting.
"Hey, look." Tom pointed below. "There's Star and Marco."
Janna and Buff Frog followed his indication and spotted the glowing emerald and azure blades of their friends waving to them from the ground below. The pair of young Jedi stood on the edge of a clearing in the forest just beyond the grounds of Butterfly Castle.
"Why not set down in field there?" Buff Frog suggested to the smuggler pilots. "I have meeting at castle with Queen and King soon, anyway. Closer than coming all the way from Airbase. There is even footpath from field right to castle."
"Why is there a footpath?" Tom asked.
"Is very nice picnic spot."
"Looks like a perfect landing field to me," Janna agreed, flipping switches to power down the space flight systems and prepare for landing. "Got the landing gear, Lucy?"
"Yup, I'm on it."
Star and Marco extinguished their lightsabers and slowly strolled toward the Raventalon as the freighter touched down on the opposite side of the clearing. Janna, Tom, PY-HD and Buff Frog met them at the bottom of the boarding ramp.
"Hey, guys! How was your test flight?" Star asked. "Everything all ship-shape or whatever?"
Janna nodded. "Oh, yeah. This baby is ready for anything now."
"Aw, yeah!" The princess turned her attention to the Mewni General. "Did you have a fun ride, Buff Frog?"
The frog man smiled. "Indeed! I had wonderful time! Thank you for ride, Pilot Girl and Demon Boy."
"The pleasure is all mine," Tom said. Captain Ordonia rolled her eyes and PY-HD bleeped sarcastically behind them. Tom thumbed a gesture at Janna. "No, it really wasn't. The pleasure was all hers," he said dryly.
Buff Frog laughed. "Now I must be off to castle for boring meeting with Queen and King."
The teenagers laughed and waved goodbye to Buff Frog as he walked away to the dirt path that led in the direction of Butterfly Castle.
"So," Tom began as he turned his attention back to the Padawans, "haven't gotten bored of lightsaber practice yet?"
Star looked down at the hilt in her hands, running her thumb along the edge of the wing-shaped blade guard. "Hehh ehh...nope. Not bored yet. Exactly."
Marco clipped his lightsaber back to his belt. "This morning it's more like a distraction."
Janna raised an eyebrow. "A distraction? A distraction from what?"
Star sighed. "From what happened last night."
PY-HD gave a whistle-bleep that translated as the completely serious question, "What happened? You guys do it?"
Star's cheeks turned redder than Tatooine's suns as she blushed furiously. Janna snickered. "Pony! No!" Star yelped. "We fainted while using the Force!"
"Yeah, Glossaryck said if we did that for too long we could have died!" Marco added. "Also, what did Pony Head say?"
The astromech whistled that that was boring and that they could have just lied and gone along with her suggestion. The droid's musings, as well as Marco's question, went ignored.
Tom shook his head, "Hang on, back up. You guys were using the Force and it almost killed you?"
Star groaned in frustration and recounted the entire story, finishing with Glossaryck's explanation to them that morning.
"So, what?" Janna asked. "Now you're wondering if you should use that power at all?"
Star nodded and slid her lightsaber back into her purple bag. "Is it a power worth learning to use if there's a good chance it will kill us?"
"Absolutely."
Three heads slowly turned toward Tom, who himself was surprised that everyone was staring at him as if he had four eyes.
Marco raised an eyebrow. "Um...what?"
Tom swallowed. "I mean...guys. There's an insane, super-powerful Sith Lord and his new crazy apprentice who just killed all the Jedi and took over the galaxy. If you've got a power that can defeat him, shouldn't you use it? You guys are Jedi, maybe the last ones. Isn't saving the day what Jedi do, even if it's potentially dangerous?"
Star and Marco looked at each other. In the span of only his last sentence, Tom had managed to make both of them feel guilty and selfish. Simultaneously, they took each other by the hand.
Tom went on. "I mean...I don't want to lose you guys, but..."
A defeated sigh escaped Star's lips. "I hate to say it, but you make a really, really good point, Tom." She looked to Marco. "I didn't want to get involved in any part of the Clone War, but this isn't war anymore. This is different."
Marco nodded. "Palpatine needs to be destroyed and you and I might just be the only ones who can defeat him."
"Yeah. Much as I hate to admit it...I may not exactly love being a Jedi, but if we're all that's left, it's our duty to do whatever we can to restore the Republic." She squeezed Marco's hand. "Even if that means sacrificing ourselves."
Janna clenched a fist, trying to force herself to decide whether or not the idea in her head was a smart one. It isn't, she decided. It's a dumb decision. But it's the right one. She moved slightly closer to her Padawan friends. "And we'll help you however we can. Right, Lucy?"
"I thought you said-"
"I never said anything." The stare she shot into his eyes was a hard one. Tom nodded, an almost imperceivably tiny movement, but Janna detected it and knew that he understood.
"Right," he said. "We'll be with you every step of the way. Together, we can take down that Sith Lord." He put his hand out flat, palm down. "Team?"
Without a lick of hesitation, Marco placed his hand on top of Tom's. "For the Jedi."
"For the galaxy," Star said, adding her hand to the pile.
Janna finished the stack with her own hand. "For some other third thing."
PY-HD tilted it's dome forward and touched it's horn to the side of the pile, beeping out, "For the pile of money those of us that survive will definitely get for killing a Sith Lord."
Star translated to Marco, and all four teenagers laughed, grinning confidence-laced smiles between themselves.
Suddenly, Star shrank back, a shiver convulsing through her body. She looked at her bare forearms and saw her skin dotted with goosebumps.
"Star?" Marco asked. "Are you okay?"
The princess rubbed her arms, her lower lip trembling slightly as if she were about to cry, eyes half closed as if wincing in pain. "I...I'm not sure...there's a weird disturbance in the Force. Something feels...wrong."
As the others looked toward the ailing Star, Tom glanced around. A strange chord was hanging the air that his friends hadn't seemed to notice. "Hey, does anyone else hear really ominous music?"
"Ahhh!" The abrupt cry of pain came from Star, who put a hand to her forehead as she sank to her knees. Marco quickly knelt beside her, taking hold of her upper arm to hold her upright as she swayed back and forth. "Marco! It's-!"
The words were cut off by a loud squeal from PY-HD. Turning their eyes upward, the group spotted what had caused the droid such distress:
The triangular hull of an Imperial Star Destroyer interrupted the tranquil mid-morning Mewnian sky, a myriad of landing craft already spewing from it's hanger.
Marco's mind whirled, his brain unable to form more than one coherent thought. "They found us," he said mournfully. "Come on, Star." With haste now of the utmost importance, Marco helped Star to her feet. "We've gotta get out of here."
The last word of his sentence was drowned out by the deafening whoosh! of an Imperial landing craft zooming over their heads, heading in the direction of Butterfly Castle.
"My parents!" Star yelled. Without even a moment's hesitation, she took off at a dead run, the distraction eliminating her pain.
"Star!" Marco cried as he took off after her. "Wait!"
Janna and Tom followed after him. "Pony, stay with the ship!" Janna quickly told the astromech.
The droid squeaked in reply, watching it's organic companions sprint away toward the opposite side of the forest clearing, wondering if it would ever see them again.
Star ran with a singular purpose, not one rational thought crossing her mind. Her normally feather-light footfalls pounded the ground as she sprinted along the path through the woods, calling the Force to her muscles and lungs to retain her stamina as she raced toward the castle. At some point, her lightsaber found it's way back into her right hand.
The trees flew past as merely blurs. A massive fly-trap plant struck at her from the path's edge, but Star had already streaked past before it could close it's hinged leaves. She didn't even notice it.
It wasn't long before the forest vanished behind her. The massive silhouette of Butterfly Castle rose up before her, the open field of the castle grounds all that stood between her and home. Star poured on the speed, pumping her arms furiously as she sprinted across the open ground.
Almost there...almost there...almo-
A ripple in the Force alerted Star of impending danger. In a flash, the emerald blade of her lightsaber ignited and she deflected the red blaster bolt that had been fired at her. It ricocheted harmlessly off into the air. Her cross-country sprint now halted, she spotted the laser's origin: A dozen stormtroopers stood beside the landing craft that had passed overhead just a few minutes prior, parked just to the side the front castle gate off to her right.
"Look! It's one of the Jedi!"
"Shoot to kill!"
"Oh boy."
A barrage of blaster fire peppered the spot where Star stood, the young Padawan's lightsaber becoming a green blur as she shielded herself from the attack. The shots came far too quickly for her to deflect them back at the stormtroopers who fired them. Star was stuck, unable to advance and lacking cover to retreat to.
Several dozen meters behind her, Marco, Tom, and Janna emerged from the woods and spotted Star facing off against the squad of stormtroopers, overwhelmed by their fire.
"Star!" Marco cried. He snatched his lightsaber from his belt as he ran, the azure-colored blade hissing to life as he charged a direct route toward the stormtroopers. Janna and Tom drew their blasters, flanking Marco on either side. The smugglers fired upon the Imperial troops, managing to fell two of them before the trio was even spotted.
"Over there! The other Jedi!"
"Blast 'em!"
Half of the remaining stormtroopers turned their attention toward the teenaged cavalry charging up the hill, Marco deflecting the blaster bolts away from himself and his friends as Tom and Janna returned fire.
That was all the distraction Star needed. With the number of blaster shots directed at her cut in half, she sprinted forward, continuing to deflect the barrage away as she ran. When she was close enough, she jumped into the air with a boost from the Force, sailing high into the air and slashing her sword fiercely as she dropped back down again. She caught two stormtroopers with her first strike, the concern of ending lives by her hand that had once plagued her long forgotten. Spinning to the left, Star avoided another opponent's blaster before decapitating the stormtrooper with a flick of her wrist. The next shot that came her way was ricocheted back, and the trooper fell to his own blaster bolt. One more high slash took out the one last remaining stormtrooper, who fell over onto the pile of his fallen brothers. The rest had all been dispatched by Janna and Tom's blaster shots as they charged toward the castle with Marco.
Star let her finger slip from her lightsaber's activation plate as her trio of friends caught up with her. "C'mon! Hurry!" she cried as she took off running again.
"A 'thank you' for saving your skin would be nice," Marco muttered under his breath.
Janna gave him a shove to start the Padawan running again. "Not the time, Diaz. Move! Move! Move!"
Moon, River, and Eclipsa stared out the window of the Queen's office in Butterfly Castle's east tower, watching as more troop transports and fighters swarmed the air like angry hornets, several squadrons of stormtroopers amassing at the castle's front gate as the royal guards tried in vein to fend them off. Screams from the citizens below drifted up to the open window like the clouds of smoke beginning to rise from the nearest village. None spoke. All were at a loss for words, tears beginning to trickle down Moon's cheeks.
The office door slid open and Buff Frog bounded inside. "Is no good. They have us completely surrounded. And no sign of children."
"Actually, we're right here."
The four adults didn't even have a chance to react before the vent in the ceiling popped out and clattered to the floor below. Star hopped out, sticking a tight landing on the floor.
"STAR!"
The young Padawan suddenly found herself completely engulfed by four pairs of arms as her parents, aunt, and Buff Frog all rushed to hug her. "Uh...hey, guys."
"Oh, Star, we were so worried!" Eclipsa exclaimed as Tom attempted to climb from the air duct behind the ongoing group hug and landed flat on his face.
Moon gave Star a suffocating squeeze. "Thank goodness you're alright."
Janna, meanwhile, dropped down carefully from the ceiling, Marco bringing up the rear when the floor below him was clear.
"Sweetie, why did you come in through the ventilation ducts?" River asked.
"Because the castle is in lockdown mode and all the entrances are sealed. So I lightsabered my way though the exhaust vent by the kitchen."
River laughed. "Good thinking!"
The group hug finally broke apart. Being the natural born leader she was, Star immediately took charge of the situation. "Alright, we don't have much time. Marco and I have been trained for this. We'll lead the militia into battle and send those bucket-helmeted idiots back where they came from!"
Buff Frog looked down at the Queen and King, and was met with a pair of sorrowful eyes. He shook his head solemnly.
Star took no notice. "C'mon, Buff Frog. We gotta get to the rest of the troops at the Airbase!"
To Star, the Mewni General's entire body seemed to sink. She looked at him questioningly. "I am...sorry, Star Butterfly. Airbase is already overrun. Troops have scattered into forest. Even with two Jedi...I fear...Mewni is already lost."
Star felt as though a rock had fallen into the pit of her stomach. Marco watched his best friend's gleaming blue iris's grow two sizes as Star stared in disbelief. Buff Frog went on. "Is only matter of time before castle is captured, too."
"...But we...we can't just let the Empire take over Mewni!" Star protested. Her eyes found the window, spotting the swarm of ships, the flurry of blaster fire reverberating in her ears. "This...this is all my fault..." Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she watched the destruction unfold. She gripped her lightsaber tightly, anger quickly taking the place of the sorrow in her heart. She ignited the blade. "I'll take care of this. Marco and I will drive the Empire away, all by ourselves if we have to."
"Um, Star? Have you seen how many ships are out there?" Marco asked. "Even if we were Jedi Masters on Master Yoda's level we would never be able to take on a whole capital ship's worth of stormtroopers and fighters!"
"Fine. Then I'll do it myself." Star began to make for the door to leave the office, but Eclipsa stepped in front of her.
"Now hold on a moment! We don't know that the Empire is here for you two. Don't forget they were also hunting me."
"Eclipsa is right, Star," Moon cut in. "You don't know for sure that the Empire has discovered you and Marco are here. If they're here for Eclipsa, you kids can escape and the Empire will be none the wiser."
"Exactly." River placed a hand on Star's shoulder. "You and your friends must escape, immediately!"
"Me and...you mean...you're not coming with us?"
"We cannot abandon our people, Star," Moon said. "We must stay behind. It is our duty."
Star's hands curled into fists, and she brandished her still-ignited lightsaber. "Yeah? And I'm the Princess! I should stay, too!"
Moon knelt down before her daughter, gently cupping the Padawan's face in her hands. "Yes. You are the Princess. You are the rightful heir to the throne. Which means if something happens to your father and I...you must still be alive to assume the throne and lead our people."
"Mom, I'm not going to leave you and Dad and Eclipsa here to die! I am going tofight!"
"There isn't time to argue about this, Star. You must leave now."
"I won't just-!"
"Star...?"
She slowly turned toward Marco, who was standing by the office window with Tom and Janna. All three were looking back at her with grave expressions. Her best friend spoke slowly and deliberately. "Star...we've already lost. There's a time to hold your ground and fight...and this is not that time."
"But-!"
Marco quickly strode over to her and took her free hand in his. "There aren't enough of us, Star. We need an army to drive them away. We'll come back, Star, when we can win. But right now...getting killed only means the Empire gets what they want."
Buff Frog cut in. "Listen to Saber Boy, Princess. He is right. People all across galaxy are terrified of Empire. No one going to come to free a world that is not theirs. If you do not leave, there will be no one to save Mewni."
The logic was lost on Star. She was too caught up in her emotions to comprehend just how dire the situation was. "None of you are listening to me. I. Am. Not. Leaving." She spun on her heel and quickly made for the door.
"Star!" everyone yelled after her.
"Buff Frog, stop her!" Eclipsa ordered.
The Mewni General crossed the room in a single leap from his powerful frog legs, vaulting over Star's head and landing between her and the door.
"Get out of my way, Buff Frog," Star snarled, brandishing her lightsaber at him.
The General took a hesitant step back. He didn't think the Princess would dare to hurt him with her sword, but then again, he had never seen such terrifying determined gleam in her eye.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wonder for long. Star let out a tiny, shocked cry of pain and her lightsaber clattered to the floor, extinguishing as it landed. Janna had rushed up behind her, grabbed Star's wrist, and skillfully squeezed a pressure point that caused the Padawan to drop her weapon. "Grab her, Buff Frog."
"Right!" The General did, quickly wrapping his muscular arms around Star, pinning her own arms down at her sides, and lifting her off the floor as if the teenager were a feather.
"Let go of me! Put me down!" she yelled as she struggled in vain against Buff Frog's tight grip.
Queen Moon and King River slowly stepped before her. "I'm sorry, Star," Moon said as tears streamed down her face. "I love you, Sweetie. Go. Now. You must leave."
"No! I won't leave!"
"Yes, you will." Moon shifted her sightline upward, locking a steely gaze on Buff Frog. "General Bulgolyubov, as Queen of Mewni, I am giving you a direct order of the highest priority." She saw him start to shift his right arm to salute her. "Don't you dare let go!" she put in quickly.
"Yes, your majesty!"
"I order you to escort my daughter and her friends to their ship. Keep them safe, and make sure they leave the planet. Do you understand?"
"NO!" Star yelled again.
The Mewni General gave a respectful nod in place of a bow so as not to unintentionally loosen his grip on Star. "Yes, your majesty. I understand."
Moon's attention turned back to her daughter. "Goodbye, Star. I love you." And she placed a gentle kiss on Star's forehead.
Star stopped struggling. She stared at her mother's tear soaked cheeks, tears of her own flowing once more.
The Queen stepped back and allowed her husband to say his own farewell. With moist eyes, he gently cupped Star's cheeks. "My brightest Star...I am so, so proud of you, as proud as any father in the galaxy could ever be." He kissed Star on the cheek. "I love you, Star. Goodbye."
He stepped back to let Eclipsa have a moment with her niece. As he did, he noticed Star's lightsaber on the floor and quickly snatched it up. He hurried over to Marco. "Marco, my boy. A word?"
The boy gulped down the emotional lump in his throat, a slight quiver in his voice as he asked, "Yes, King River?"
The King spoke in a hushed tone, making hard eye contact with Marco. "Star is a very skilled fighter, and she is more than capable of taking care of herself. That doesn't make a father worry any less about his only child." He paused. "I know that she cares for you as more than just a friend."
"You...you do?"
River nodded. "I do. I am King. A King knows things." He winked. "I know that she trusts you, and I know that you care for her. I am counting on you, my boy..." He held up Star's lightsaber in front of his face. "...to keep her safe."
For a moment, neither spoke. Marco slowly reached out and grasped Star's lightsaber, both men holding the weapon tightly. The Padawan nodded. "I love Star, your majesty. I will protect her with my life."
Wiping the tears from his eyes, River smiled at the young man across from him. "My daughter made a fine choice for a best friend." He let go of Star's lightsaber and let his hand fall to his side. "Good luck, Marco."
"Um, guys?" Tom called out, urgency in his voice. He was still standing beside the window. "I don't mean to rush anyone, but I think all the castle guards are dead and there's about sixty stormtroopers rushing the front gate!"
"Then it is time for you kids to leave," Moon commanded. She stalked quickly to the office door and pressed the activation panel to open it, motioning for the four teenagers to make all due haste. "Hurry! Down to the basement! Find Sir Lavabo, he will show you how to escape through the laundry drain tunnel. It empties out into the forest." Shutting her eyes, she looked away as she fought to restrain more tears, not able to bear seeing her daughter. "Go! Now!"
Star, who had been silent since her mother had kissed her forehead, immediately began to struggle again, no longer merely shouting. "No! NO! PUT ME DOWN!"
"Come on, Princess!" Buff Frog huffed, and he swung Star up over his left shoulder so that he could carry her and run more easily.
"I won't run! I won't leave you to die! NO!"
Buff Frog stepped out into the hallway, Janna and Tom followed.
"Captain Ordonia," Moon said. "Please get my daughter somewhere safe."
"You can count on us," Janna said. "Thank you, Queen Moon, for everything."
"You're welcome. Now go! Hurry!"
They hurried to join Buff Frog in the hallway.
Marco quickly hugged Eclipsa. "Thanks for being my family, Aunt Eclipsa."
She gave him a short but tight hug in return. "Take care of each other, Marco. You and Star are going to need you now more than ever."
"I know." Marco released the former Senator and ran out into the corridor. He turned around again, though, just long enough to say, "Your majesties...Senator...May the Force be with you."
And then he and the others took off down the hall toward the stairs, Star watching the corridor recede away from her over Buff Frog's shoulder, her angry screams fading into quiet tears as she realized that there was no longer anything she could do.
All was lost.
Next: Escape From Butterfly Castle
And a new adversary rises...
