Captain Ordonia set the Raventalon down on the flat, grassy bank of a tranquil river. The water flowed beside a large stone structure on its bank, tall, pointed towers reaching toward the clear sky. Still staving off the beckoning of sleep, the four teenagers slunk lazily down the boarding ramp. After months in the ice and snow of Orto Plutonia, the pleasant warm sunshine on their skin was delightful.
Especially to Tom.
"Sunshine! Warmth!" The Demonicite dropped to his knees and then slumped forward into the lush grass, running his fingers between the blades of vegetation and nuzzling the ground with his cheek. "Awwwwwwwyeahhhhhhh, that's the stuff."
"This planet is so pretty," Star mused with a sleepy yawn as she observed the nearby river and forests. "It's kinda like Mewni with double the woods."
Janna wasn't listening. "You guys just hang out here for a bit." She nodded toward the stone building. "I've gotta go have a chat with someone. I'm sure the Empire has a bounty out on Jedi, and there's a decent chance there's a dozen bounty hunters in there, and plenty of other beings looking to make a quick buck, so it's better if you guys stay out of sight."
"We're in disguise," Marco reminded her.
Star did her best to strike a modeling pose, though in her tired state, it wasn't very convincing. "And we're waaaaay too fashionable to be Jedi."
Janna shook her head. "Not risking it. You guys just stay here and relax. I won't be long."
"If there's bounty hunters and such in there, maybe you shouldn't go alone," Marco said.
"Who said I was going alone?" Janna waved toward the pink-and-blue astromech rolling down the boarding ramp behind them. "C'mon, Pony Head. You're with me."
The astromech bleeped an affirmative and followed Janna as she headed for the building.
"Well, what do you guys want to do until Janna gets back?" Star yawned.
"I'm going back back to sleep," Tom replied shortly as he laced his fingers behind his head. "Right here in the sun."
"Mmm...Sleep sounds good," Marco agreed. "But...maybe not in the sun. I don't want to get sunburned." He slid underneath the boarding ramp of the Raventalon and laid down in the protection of the shade. Star joined him, but positioned herself perpendicular to the ramp so that her legs and feet protruded out into the sunshine. She nestled her head into the crook of Marco's arm. "Ahhh...perfect."
And in less than two minutes, the grasp of sleep had reclaimed all three.
No one in the crowded main hall of Maz Katana's castle paid any mind to the teenaged human girl and her astromech as they moseyed in through the faded red double sliding doors of the main entrance. The place was packed as per usual, with beings of easily fifty different species lounging, eating, drinking, gambling, trading, and quietly conducting business (the nature of which was never asked). Janna smirked. What a great place. She and PY-HD wound their way past the indoor fire pit where a massive hunk of roasting meat gave off delicious and enticing scents that filled the room, around the gambling tables and seated patrons, and made their way to the bar where a tall and rather portly, bald human male was busily mixing drinks.
The man shot her a disapproving look. "You shouldn't be here."
"Yeah, yeah, save your underage speech, Bri'o," Janna deadpanned as she leaned an elbow on the bar. "You know I don't come here to drink."
Bri'o lowered his voice. "No, I mean it's not safe. F'r anyone. You. Me. Them," he finished, gesturing to the patrons filling the room. He picked up a metal cup and began to wipe it off with a rag. "I think it'd be best if you left."
"Not until I talk to Maz. Soon as I do, I'll be out of your hair." She nodded toward his shiny cranium with a smirk. "Figuratively speaking."
Bri'o frowned. "Maz ain't here right now."
"Poodoo. Maz is never not here."
Bri'o's expression turned angry. "Except right now," he growled under his breath. "Beat it."
"Bri'o. What have I told you about that?" A tiny, orange-skinned being with white hair and massive magnification goggles over her pinprick eyes came around the side of the bar, glaring up at the bartender. "We never abandon a friend in need."
Bri'o bashfully turned away, quickly finding a task to busy himself with. "Sorry, boss."
Janna smiled at the wrinkly old pirate, who grinned back. "Hey, Maz. Good to see you."
"Good to see you, too, Captain." She grasped Janna's right hand with both of hers and gave an affectionate squeeze. Then she patted PY-HD on the dome. "And there's my favorite astrodroid in the whole galaxy!" The droid bleeped a faux humble greeting that made Maz laugh. She turned her attention back to Janna. "Come, child. We will talk in my office."
Janna followed Maz to the rear of the bustling room and through a door, which the proprietor of the establishment closed once PY-HD had rolled through. The sounds of music and conversation from the milling patrons vanished instantly.
"I was wondering when you would show up at my door, Child," Maz said as she grabbed a bottle of bright blue liquid and two ceramic cups from a shelf behind her desk. "Though after a while, I began to wonder if you would." She made her way over to a small table and hopped into a chair, setting down the cups and bottle. "I thought that maybe you and that partner of yours were dead."
"Almost, a couple times."
PY-HD chittered sarcastically, her bleeps translating as "A couple times? A couple? That's it?"
"We'll get to that in a moment." Maz motioned to the chair opposite her and Janna took a seat while the alien uncorked the bottle. "Non-alcoholic spotchka," Maz told her as she filled both cups with the blue liquid. She pushed one of the cups across the table to Janna.
"Thanks, Maz."
The pirate queen held aloft her cup. "To good fortune."
Janna clinked her cup against her host's, and they each took a sip.
"So," Maz began, "Would you care to hear a most intriguing tale?"
Janna reclined in her chair and smiled. "Always."
"Quite some time ago, probably close to a year now, the old Republic comm channels were abuzz searching for a YV-560 freighter that was seen aiding in the escape of two Jedi from Coruscant not long after Sheev issued Order 66." She sipped her drink. "YV's aren't exactly common these days. In fact, there's only one that I know of."
Maz waited to see if Janna had anything to say, but the teenage pilot merely leaned further back in her chair, her expression unimpressed. She glanced at PY-HD, but the astromech only offered a single, untranslatable Bloop.
Maz continued. "Talk of this unidentified ship tapered off after a while. Seemed to have vanished into thin air. Months go by, not a word." She sipped her drink. "Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the Empire is invading Mewni. And during the invasion, there's that ship again! And then-" Maz snapped her fingers." "-it's gone, just like that! More months pass. And now there's an Imperial BOLO out yet again for a YV-560 freighter, last seen fleeing the Pantora System." She raised her magnification goggles and let them rest upon her head, narrowing her tiny eyes at Janna. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Not a thing," Janna said nonchalantly without so much as a second's pause.
"HA!" Maz laughed. "Of course not. Silly me for thinking you might." Then she turned serious. "You shouldn't have brought your friends here. Palpatine is one ruthless nerf-herder. Do you have any idea how many Imperial spies have been contracted over the last few months? There's no telling who to trust anymore. I don't even trust some of my regular customers. And even if no one out there is a spy, half the beings in that room are bounty hunters that would love to put a blaster bolt between those poor kids' eyes."
"That's why I told them to wait with the ship."
"And exactly how close to wandering eyes did you park the 'Talon?"
"I didn't have a choice, Maz. I didn't know where else to go." Janna leaned forward and stared at her drink for a second before throwing back what remained in the cup. "And I need your help."
Maz wordlessly uncorked the bottle of nonalcoholic spotchka and refilled both cups. Then she folded her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Child, all you need do is ask."
Janna swallowed a healthy sip of her drink and took a deep breath. "You remember when I told you that Star is the Princess of Mewni?"
"I do."
"They killed her family. We weren't there, but she felt it."
Maz's eyes went wide. "So that would make her..."
"Queen. Yeah."
Maz leaned back in her chair. She remained silent for so long that Janna wondered if she should say something, but then the old pirate suddenly spoke.
"I assume...you and your friends are unaware of the Emperor's lackey currently ruling over Mewni."
"Nope."
"I thought not. I wonder if Star will know the name." Maz shook her head. "He's a cold, heartless, wretch of a man that the Emperor granted the rank of Moff. His name is Toffee."
"Toffee?" Janna scoffed. "What kind of ridiculous name is Toffee?"
"Considering his ruthless nature, his name is almost amusing. Almost." Maz sipped her drink. "Toffee is a Septarian, one of the native species of Mewni. Long before even I was born, not long after outworlders first arrived on Mewni, the Butterfly clan claimed the planet for their own. As you can imagine, the Septarians did not take too kindly to having their home claimed by invaders, so they fought to defend it. There was a long, bloody war, and in the end the Butterfly family and their allies drove the Septarians from their homeworld."
Janna actually appeared surprised. "Really?"
"Things have changed since then. The Mewmans barred their planet to everyone for generations, but the Butterflys changed their ways a few hundred years ago. They signed a peace accord with the Septarians and many of them even moved back to Mewni. But Toffee...like many of his kind...holds one heck of a grudge." She paused to sip her drink again. "Toffee threw in with Palpatine right from the start. Evidentially, the Emperor promised him that the Septarians would be reestablished as the ruling power on Mewni as soon as there was a plausible reason to invade that the senate wouldn't bat an eye at."
Janna grimaced. "And we gave it to him."
"Yes."
For several moments, there was silence. Maz finished her drink.
"Star feels duty-bound to her people," Janna said. "She wants to retake Mewni from the Empire."
"How exactly are you planning on doing that?"
"Still working on it. But before we can even think about going to battle with the Imperial Army, Star and Marco need to hone their Force skills. We've spent the last couple months hiding out on Orto Plutonia so they could train. But...somehow...the Empire found us. We need a new place to hide where they can continue...preferably one not so cold," she added. "And where we'll have access to supplies when we need them."
Maz smiled. "There's a place here on Takodana, right on the equator. A low mountain range rich with magnetic deposits. It's a natural shield that masks anything below the hill tops from scanners. The whole range is covered in trees, which will give you a little protection from being seen from overhead. Set the Raventalon down near Zakaras village and you'll have decent access to supplies. I'll give you the coordinates."
Janna breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew you'd have the perfect answer, Maz. Thank you."
The ancient, orange-skinned being smiled kindly. "Happy to help, Janna." She raised her spotchka vessel. "May the Force be with you, and your friends."
"I'll drink to that."
Their cups clinked as Janna raised hers to meet her host's, and they drained the non-alcoholic drinks down their gullets. PY-HD lamented that it was always left out of cool organics' stuff.
The Raventalon skimmed over the treetops at a slow clip. While Janna guided the ship toward the coordinates Maz had provided to PY-HD, Tom kept a lookout. One eye was on the scanner, the other out the viewscreen. As they approached their destination, the radar screen began to flicker. Eventually, it stopped working altogether.
"Guess that means we're in the dead zone," Tom snickered.
PY-HD twittered a concurrence, informing the others that all it was picking up on the scanner was static.
"I mean, that was the whole idea behind coming here, wasn't it?" Marco asked.
"Sure was." Janna flicked off most of the electronics. No sense in wasting the power. "We're flying by sight now."
"I don't know about you guys, but it makes me feel better that our scanner doesn't work," Tom said.
Star nodded. "Riiiiiight. Because if ours doesn't work, then the Empire's won't, either."
"Exactly."
Star pursed her lips. "That actually does make me feel significantly better."
It was a bit more difficult to follow the course to the coordinates without the aid of electronics, but PY-HD was able to navigate by judging the angle of the sun in the Takodanan sky at their last known position and plotting their route based on their speed and the angle of the control yokes.
Presently, the village of Zakaras came into view. The tiny town was built in a tiny woodland clearing, with a few dozen wooden shacks and parked starships scattered about amongst the trees nearby.
Star thought it was cute. "Looks cozy!"
They circled the outskirts of the village until they found a clearing in the trees just large enough for Janna set the Raventalon down, about a klick from the village and away from the other ships.
"Home sweet home," Janna announced as she powered down the engines. "For the time being, at least."
"Guess we're just living out of the Raventalon again?" Marco asked.
"Pretty much. No abandoned military base to hide out in this time." Janna stood from the pilot's seat and led the way to the boarding ramp. "Let's find some tree branches to camouflage the hull from above."
The group spent a few hours scavenging for materials to cover the ship. Star scaled several trees and cut large branches from the trunks with her lightsaber and used the Force to lift them up and gently rest them atop the Raventalon. Before darkness fell, the entire ship, nestled in the shadows of the surrounding trees and covered with sticks and leaves and branches, was nearly invisible from the air.
They were all quite hungry once they were finished, so they retreated to the ship's galley for dinner. Marco pulled several ears of Mewni corn from storage. "It's actually probably a good thing we left when we did," he whispered to Tom, not wanting to let Star hear. "The supplies Buff Frog restocked the ship with are almost gone."
The Demonicite observed the storage compartment. "Yeah. We were probably into about the last week's worth of food. Then it would have been back to supply bars."
"If I never have to eat another supply bar, it'll be too soon." Marco changed the subject, speaking up louder so that the girls could hear him. "Hey, we're actually on a nice planet for once. Let's build a fire and roast this corn outdoors."
"Ooh, like camping!" Star said excitedly. "Let's do it!"
Janna procured a wide strip of aluminum from the Raventalon's tiny machine shop and riveted the ends together to make a ring for a fire pit. PY-HD lit the kindling with its cutting torch attachment, and it wasn't long before a strong cooking fire was burning. Star used the Force to levitate several ears of corn just within the tips of the flame until they were nicely roasted.
It was dark by the time they'd finished eating. Star snuggled up next to Marco and held his hand as they leaned back against a log and gazed through the tree branches at the stars. When he peeked a glance at her face, he found her actually smiling as she gazed at the heavens above. It had been awhile since he'd seen her look so happy.
"Hey, Star?"
Janna's voice suddenly broke the silence from the opposite side of the fire.
"What's up, Janna?"
Captain Ordonia looked apprehensive. "Does the name 'Toffee' mean anything to you?"
"Toffee?!" Star suddenly bolted upright. "Where did you hear that name?"
"Maz told me he's the head Imp that was in charge of the invasion of Mewni."
Marco grimaced. Oh, no.
Star threw her arms in the air. "Great. Great! As if taking back Mewni wasn't gonna be hard enough, now we gotta deal with that guy, too!"
Tom raised an eyebrow. "Um...who's Toffee?"
"And what kind of name is that?" Marco asked as he sat up.
Star groaned in exasperation. "He's been trying to undermine my parents for years. He's a Septarian, one of the native species of Mewni."
"Native species?" the boys chorused. Janna found it somewhat amusing that their reaction was nearly identical to hers.
Star sighed as she leaned back against the log once more. She stared into the flickering flames, trying to decide where best to start. "When we were on Mewni, I started reading that giant book Glossaryck lived in. I didn't get through very much, and a lot of the stuff in the beginning was really hard to understand, but as best I could figure out...Thousands of years ago, when space travel was still kind of a work in progress and navigating was, like...you know...hard...a group of explorers sort of accidentally stumbled upon the planet of Mewni. They didn't have technology like life-form scanners, so they poked around the planet for a couple days and were like 'Hey, no intelligent life lives here. Let's bring our families here and start a new life.' So they did. And then after a while they ran into these giant lizards that walk on two legs. The lizards didn't speak Galactic Basic, and they didn't really have any technology, so the settlers just kind of assumed they were savages."
"Not an unreasonable assumption when you can't communicate," Janna shrugged.
"Fortunately, this is when the settlers met Glossaryck, who was able to communicate with both the Septarians and the settlers...somehow...and the settlers realized that the Septarians were actually pretty smart. The Septarian chief met with the leader of the settlers, my great-great-great-great-great...some really big number of 'greats' grandmother, Quasar Butterfly-"
"Oh, hey, Quasar," Marco interrupted. "Like that weird book Glossaryck made me read."
"Yes, like that. Anyway, Quasar and the Septarian chief...who's name I could not figure out how to pronounce...met. Like I said...really hard to understand. Quasar promised that if the Septarians would allow them to cohabitate the planet, they would share their technology and help advance the planet as a whole, which the Septarian leader agreed to. Quasar was crowned queen of the settler's population, and they called themselves Mewmans."
Star sighed. "Then, after a thousand years or so...I kinda skipped ahead a good bit because nothing interesting happened... Glossaryck left the planet and went to Coruscant to become a Jedi. Not long after he left, the Queen at the time passed away, and the princess was coronated. Her name was Solaria Butterfly. Solaria was..." Star grimaced. "...kinda...elitist? Yeah, that sounds like the right word. She decided that the Septarians were 'lower life forms' and 'the planet belonged to the Mewmans' and 'if they're going to live on this planet then they need to submit to our rule.' And, yeah, the Septarians didn't like that, as one might imagine." Star sighed again, and Marco couldn't tell if it was because she was frustrated or because she was talking so fast that she was not inhaling enough oxygen. "Solaria gave them an ultimatum: Submit, or be destroyed. So...there was a war. And then there was fighting, fighting fighting fighting, yadda yadda yadda, the Septarians were gonna lose, so one day they just left."
The others didn't know what to say. Even PY-HD remained silent. Star stared at the fire for a few moments before she continued.
"Centuries later, my great-great-grandmother Skywynne Butterfly decided that she needed to right the wrong done by her ancestor and welcomed the Septarians back to Mewni." She paused. "I didn't get far enough in the book to find that out, Aunt Eclipsa actually told me that. Skywynne was apparently a pretty popular Queen and did just as much to help the Mewmans as she did to help the Septarians that were willing to return. I...don't think very many of them actually came back right away, but a lot of them did eventually.
"Anyway, when my mom became Queen, years before I was born, this Septarian suddenly shows up at the castle one day saying that he is a direct descendant of the Septarian who was chief when the Mewmans first showed up. He made a big stink about him being the rightful ruler of Mewni and he should be on the throne...and then he apparently pulled a knife on my parents."
"And that was Toffee?" Tom asked.
"Yup. That wasn't the end of it, either. He tried everything to get rid of my parents. One time he even hired a bounty hunter to assassinate them! Thankfully the bounty hunter failed."
"Oh, yeah, I remember when that happened," Marco said. "What was that, three years ago?"
"Closer to four. Didn't sleep well for a while after that."
"Maz said he supported Palps," Janna told Star, "and the Emperor promised him that he could have control of Mewni."
"That's what he always wanted." Star crossed her arms, still staring into the fire. "Taking Mewni back is gonna be even harder with him leading the Imperial troops. He's smart, and ruthless." She glanced at Janna and Tom. "Remember when we first got to Mewni and talked to Corporal Scarsgaurd on the comm? 'Scarsgaurd' isn't his real name. When Toffee pulled that knife on my parents, he was one of the Royal guards in the room and, well, now he's a guard with a scar."
"Very on-the-nose nickname," Marco deadpanned.
"Aunt Eclipsa always said he was an extremist." Star closed her eyes as she shook her head. "I can't imagine what the people of Mewni are going through with him in charge."
The group sat in silence for a while. Marco added another log to the fire, the shifting of the coals sending a flurry of sparks into the night air.
Star returned to staring up to the heavens, losing herself in the twinkling of the night sky. Her imagination swirled with increasingly terrifying fantasies of what might be happening on Mewni right that very second while she was here hiding out in the woods.
The Jedi princess didn't realize it, but her friends were dozing off. Lulled by the soft crackling of the campfire, one by one, Janna, Tom, and Marco faded off to sleep. PY-HD sat idle for so long that the droid slipped into low-power mode. But, as Star never once averted her eyes from the constellations overhead, she didn't even notice. So when she spoke, she assumed that her friends heard her.
"You know what sucks the most? As despicable as Toffee is...he kinda has a point. I mean, not in taking revenge on innocent people, but...he probably should be the ruling power on Mewni. The Septarians were there first. Which means...that I shouldn't even be the princess."
Yes, yes, Skywynne is Solaria's mother, but I made Eclipsa Moon's sister, I'm just putting characters into deep non-canonical lore where I think they make the most sense.
Alternative title for this chapter: The Gang Visits the Exposition Dump
