The Gummi Ship continued its journey through the Lanes Between until it had to stop just a short distance from its destination.
The girls went to see why Eve had decided to stop before reaching her goal, but the problem was more than clear: there was some kind of vortex where there must be a world.
"Okay… can I tell you what that is?" Edea asked.
"That looks like a wormhole," Eve said.
"Let's see, maybe I'm wrong but…" Makoto started to speak, pointing to the vortex. "Didn't the map show us this place?"
"Yes, we are at the place indicated on the map," Eve responded.
"Well, I can see that too," Priere said pointing to the vortex.
"You and everyone," Airy said with his arms crossed.
"But are you sure this is the place?" Makoto asked again.
"Of course!" Eve exclaimed.
While Eve and Makoto argued and the others watched the vortex, Kairi thought for a long time about the situation, until she nodded her head making a decision.
"Let's cross the vortex," Kairi said.
They all turned to Kairi, some of them in shock at Kairi's decision.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Edea asked in shock.
"Confirmed! Kairi has lost her mind." Airy said.
"Airy!" Edea scolded before looking at Kairi. "Are you sure about that?" She asked Kairi.
"We have no idea how that vortex will affect us," Eve warned.
"Remember the saying: Let your heart be your guiding key," Kairi answered. "The map has taken us here, and if all there is is this vortex, then we have to enter."
The girls remained silent after Kairi's words.
"I don't like the idea, but if things are like this, then so be it."
The rest of the group just shrugged as the ship started heading towards the vortex, even though everyone knew that was a very bad idea.
"Get ready. This could be very wild," Eve warned them.
As soon as the Gummi Ship entered the vortex, the interior of the ship began to shake due to the sudden turbulence that the ship was suffering when navigating through such a place, although the group tried to endure the trip as best they could.
Despite the bumpy trip, they managed to get out of the vortex without many problems, but they were surrounded by clouds that barely allowed them to see.
"Great, we left a vortex and entered a nebula," Makoto said.
"We better get out of here so we know where we are," Nina suggested.
"Good idea," Eve answered. "Wait for it to leave a small beacon so you know where the vortex is to return."
For a short time, after leaving a tracking beacon near the vortex, the Gummi Ship soon emerged from the nebula.
To end up next to what seemed like a large-scale space battle.
"Just what we needed! We have ended up near to a space battle!" Airy exclaimed, directing her gaze at Kairi and Eve. "Thank you very much!"
"Hey, how would we know?" Kairi asked.
As far as they could see, the two fleets were very different from each other.
On the one hand, the enormous ships that were on one side of the battle had an elongated shape that looked like spears or with upper domes acting as shields.
On the other hand, the ships of the other fleet had triangular shapes pointing forward.
In addition to them, many smaller ships were facing each other but they were too far away to be able to distinguish each other.
At that moment they began to receive a transmission, which startled the girls.
"We should respond?" Edea asked.
"What do you think?" Eve asked, receiving the transmission. "Yes?"
"Have you lost your mind? Can we know where you came from?" Said a voice through the transmission. "Can't you see that we're in the middle of a battle?"
"Well… you won't believe us if we explain ourselves," Makoto said, trying to reason with who was talking to.
"It doesn't matter. Leave this sector before the Separatist fleet detects you." Said the voice, which made the girls more nervous than usual when Eve cut the connection.
"I'm sorry to say this, but who votes to forget about this whole thing and go back home?" Eve asked, receiving a glare from the others.
Meanwhile, in the fleet of elongated ships, in a huge spherical ship with a large horizontal ring around it, an apparently elderly man with white hair and beard, brown eyes, dressed in a black suit and a brown cape on his shoulders, watched the battle from the bridge of the ship, surrounded by dozens of thin bipedal robots that operated the ship's computers.
Then the man felt 'something' and directed his gaze towards the nebula, where he could see the Gummi Ship standing just outside of it.
"Curious." The man said as he watched the ship in the distance.
"Sir?" A robot that seemed to be more advanced than the other droids asked, noticing the man's shift in attention.
"Send some boarding crafts to that ship. I want its entire crew alive." The man ordered.
"Yes sir." The robot said.
Makoto soon noticed something in one of the fleets, tapping Eve's shoulder to get her attention.
"Hey, girls?" He started to say Makoto, pointing outside. "We have company."
The ship's proximity alarm began to sound just when they began to see how a considerable number of smaller ships with sharp beaks pointing toward them began to approach from the fleet of elongated ships.
"They have spotted us," Nina said. "So, what can we do now?"
"If they think they are going to get inside this ship, it is because they don't know who they are getting into," Eve said coldly, beginning to operate the ship's controls. "This ship can defend itself, but when someone pilots it it is unstoppable."
The boarding ships approached the gummi ship, but suddenly a rapid succession of fire from the Firaga, Blizzaga, Graviga, and Meteo cannons, in addition to the Thundaga and Ultima fixation cannons, quickly destroyed the boarding ships even before they came closer.
"Sir, the ship's weaponry appears to be formidable." The droid said to the man on the flagship.
"Then send a ship to intercept it. We must not let it escape." The man said.
Following his order, one of the large ships began to turn and move towards the Gummi Ship slowly.
"Okay, we won't bring that thing down with conventional weapons," Edea said.
"We don't even need them," Eve said with a frown. "The ship has a weapon for emergencies like this."
A portion of the ship's front head began to open, revealing the muzzle of a large cannon, aiming at the approaching ship as it charged with energy.
"Eve?" Kairi asked, seeing how that ship was getting even closer.
"Allow me to introduce you to our ship's ultimate weapon," Eve said, pressing a button. "The Nasod Cannon."
At that moment the cannon fired a powerful white laser that ended up passing through the enemy ship from front to back, causing it to explode, but not only that, it also crossed and destroyed every large ship that was in its path.
The man in the flagship was surprised to see how that ship had destroyed a good part of his fleet with a single shot, leaving it at a disadvantage against the fleet in front of it.
"Order the fleet to retreat. We must rendezvous with the support fleet." The man ordered the droid.
"Roger Roger." The droid responded.
At that moment, the entire surviving fleet began to retreat while maintaining fire on the fleet in front.
"It appears like they are retreating," Edea said, watching the fleet retreat.
"It seems that," Nina said. "But now we have another problem on our hands." The winged girl looked at the other fleet.
It wasn't long until they received another call, which Eve took.
"I don't know where you guys came from, but you just saved us from a good problem." Said the voice from before. "We still must ensure that your intentions are not entirely hostile."
"Are you serious?" Edea asked. "But I even think we have done them a favor!"
"A boarding ship is going to be sent for a peaceful meeting. So please don't tear it down." He asked from the ship.
Eve closed the communication.
"Well, now what do we do with the welcoming committee?" Airy asked.
"Well, receive them as they deserve," Priere said crossing his arms.
Before long, a Consular-class cruiser was flying towards the strange ship that had not only appeared out of nowhere through the nebula but had also wiped out much of the Separatist fleet on its own. And now it was planning to join their occupants.
"I appreciate you coming aboard, Master Jusgar, but it wasn't necessary." Said a young adult with dark brown hair and blue eyes with a scar next to his right eye, dressed in a dark brown tunic, brown boots, and dark gloves, with a brown belt with a metal cylinder tied to it.
This was being addressed by a man with cyan eyes, brown hair tied in a ponytail, and a short beard with a dark grayish scar on his right side covered by his hair, he was wearing a black and blue tunic with red pants and black boots, who was in the same room as him.
In addition to several men in white armor that covered their bodies completely.
"I appreciate your concern, young Skywalker, but I am interested in meeting these people." The man named Jusgar said.
"Yes, I would also be curious about a ship that has destroyed an entire separatist fleet commanded by Count Dooku himself," Skywalker said.
"In any case, we must be cautious, since we know nothing about this ship and its occupants," Jusgar said.
"We do know something," Skywalker said. "We know that this ship has enough power to take on an entire fleet despite its size. And I would like to know how."
At that moment the ship stopped next to the other ship where the entry hatch was, connecting both ships. Then they both entered the ship followed by the soldiers in white.
"This is truly a most interesting ship," Skywalker said as he walked down the hallway of the ship.
"Yes, although the material on the outside of the ship… I think I've seen it before somewhere." Jusgar commented.
"Sir, what if the ship's crew turns out to be hostile?" asked one of the soldiers, who was wearing blue-painted decorations on his armor and a blue shoulder pad.
"Calm down, Rex. If they are aggressive, we will give them a good compelling reason to be reasonable." Skywalker said.
Jusgar gave Skywalker a look for his comment, but before he could say anything, a pair of hands grabbed both of them by the collar of their robes and they were forcibly lifted, their feet unable to touch the ground, while the soldiers in white aimed their weapons to who was attacking them.
"Let's see, tell me something: What's the point of giving a good compelling reason to be reasonable?" Priere asked as she held both men up with a serious look but a smile on her face.
"Dank farrik, has your master ever told you that you are a loudmouth, Skywalker?" Jusgar scolded Skywalker as he tried to free himself from the hold.
"Honestly, I think I've lost count." Skywalker joked.
The soldiers prepared to shoot, but Jusgar raised his hand at them. "Calm down, I think there is no need to be aggressive at this moment."
"Tell it to the man of compelling reasons," Priere said, shaking Skywalker a little.
"It has been a misunderstanding. I'm right, young Skywalker?" Jusgar asked, looking askance at Skywalker.
"Well yes, the truth is that I was just joking, as always," Skywalker said, thinking that by playing along he could get out of this.
Priere frowned, thinking about shaking them for a while until she noticed a hand on her shoulder.
"I think that's enough, Priere." Rena said behind Priere.
"Priere?" Skywalker asked. "Interesting name for someone like you. Whatever you are."
"You're not helping, you know that?" Jusgar asked in a scolding tone.
Priere looked seriously at both of them for a moment but ended up releasing them. They both fell to the ground after being released but quickly got up.
"Thank you, miss," Jusgar said, raising his arm for the soldiers to lower their weapons.
Kairi then came over to see what was happening, worried that things could go very wrong.
"Look, we don't want problems. We've just come looking for something. As soon as we find him we will leave here." Kairi said approaching.
Skywalker raised an eyebrow at Kairi, but Jusgar was shocked when he saw her.
"It can't be…" Jusgar muttered, looking at Kairi.
"What is it, Master Jusgar?" Skywalker asked.
Jusgar looked at Skywalker seriously. "Anakin Skywalker! Has your master not taught you anything or what? Or does it turn out that the scholars at the library haven't educated you about this kind of thing?" He asked angrily.
Skywalker recoiled from Jusgar's anger. "Hey, what's wrong with you now?"
Jusgar snorted, looking at Skywalker before advancing a little towards Kairi.
"I never thought I would be in front of one of them," Jusgar said to himself before bowing in front of Kairi. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess of the Heart."
Priere and Rena looked at Kairi in confusion, while Skywalker and the soldiers looked at each other in confusion at what was happening.
"Do you know what I am?" Kairi asked, with surprise on her face.
"How could we not know about the existence of the seven Princesses of the Heart?" Jusgar asked as he stood up, before glancing askance at Skywalker. "Although it seems that some seem not to know anything about this."
"Does anyone want to explain to me what's going on here?" Skywalker asked.
Kairi scratched her head in worry as she looked at Jusgar. "This is going to be difficult to explain."
The Separatist fleet had withdrawn a good distance from the battle area, waiting for a reinforcement fleet to arrive at its current position and rethink its strategy.
The man called Count Dooku was observing the stars, meditating on the strange presence he had felt in that ship that had emerged from the nebula, and how that ship had managed, on its own, to destroy a part of his fleet with a single shot.
He was sure that if he somehow got hold of that ship, the balance of war would tip in his favor since there would be no fleet in the Galactic Republic that could confront him. Neither it nor his teacher.
The problem was finding a way to acquire said ship without damaging it too much or destroying it. Without forgetting that he had to find out what caused the sensation he felt before. Well, that was the presence of someone powerful. Very powerful without a doubt.
But his thoughts were interrupted when he felt something sinister approaching them.
Count Dooku looked outside, surprised to see what looked like some sort of crimson cloak wrapped in a dark aura. To his surprise, the mysterious cloak passed through the glass as if it were a ghost and lunged at the tactical droid on the bridge, which began to shake to try to get the entity off of it.
Several B2 battle droids prepared to act, but by surprise several Guardians materialized on the bridge, splitting the battle droids in two to Dooku's surprised look.
"What kind of creatures are these?" Dooku asked as he watched the Fallen take control of the bridge.
Just then the tactical droid stopped struggling while wearing the cape, and without warning the droid grabbed Count Dooku by the neck by surprise and lifted him off the ground, the latter being surprised by the sudden attack. As he desperately tried to free himself from the grip, the droid began to turn its head and move Dooku's head as if he were exploring him and even looked at his hand.
It was as if something had taken possession of the tactical droid and was getting used to it. What exactly was happening?
Suddenly the droid released Count Dooku who fell to the ground breathing heavily while rubbing his neck, now free from the droid's grip.
"Count Dooku." The droid said looking at Dooku, while he looked back at him. "We need to talk."
Back on the Gummi Ship, Judge was using a strange disk-shaped object floating in the air to display the bluish holograms of two people. One was a normal-looking bald person, but the other seemed to be much shorter than the average person, looking like a goblin holding a small staff.
"Quite strange what you say, but also quite interesting indeed." The little being said with a voice that showed wisdom. Kairi had explained to them why they were there and how they got to that location.
"Yes, it is not very common to encounter a group of travelers who seem to come through a wormhole in the middle of a nebula." The hologram man said.
"Yes, the truth is that the story itself seems very crazy," Kairi said blushing.
"Very fantastic your story seems, although the truth I can see in them." The little being said.
Airy approached Makoto. "Hey, don't you think it's weird talking to a goblin as if he's someone important?"
"Hey you!" Skywalker exclaimed, pointing at Airy seriously. "Have more respect for Master Yoda! He is the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, so be careful what you say about him."
"Hey, how I would know?" Airy asked stepping back.
"Temperance, young Skywalker." Master Yoda said. "Knowledge of our galaxy, they clearly have no, so it's obvious that, I think, a misconception she would have. The same mistake you would also make if a similar case occurred."
"Thank mister," Airy said, before bowing to Makoto. "Doesn't anyone else find that way of speaking uncomfortable?"
Makoto shrugged. "I have seen stranger dialects."
Then Master Jusgar interrupted the conversation. "In any case, it is clear that this group does not have nefarious intentions. After all, one of them is a Princess of the Heart." The Jedi crossed his arms. "But there are some parts of that story that have me confused."
"Confused?" Kairi asked.
"That's typical, even I have a hard time understanding all this, and I'm also traveling with them," Edea said.
"What has me confused is this assumption that the Order of the Phoenix was destroyed, plus the Phoenix has a daughter. No offense." Jusgar said looking at Kairi.
"Where is the flaw there?" Eve asked.
"The problem is, if memory serves, stand up and active, the Order of the Phoenix continues," Yoda explained.
Kairi's eyes widened at the old Jedi's words. She and the rest of the girls.
"Besides, we don't have knowledge that the Phoenix had a daughter." The hologram man said. "At least not one currently."
"That's impossible!" Rena exclaimed. "The order was almost exterminated. We were in the ruins!"
"Yes, we even saw the remains of those who died there," Edea said, having a shiver as she remembered the scene.
"Are you saying that what we say is not real?" Kairi asked, clenching her fists tightly, to the point of transforming into her Esper form without warning, startling everyone present. "Are you saying I'm not real either?!"
"Wow, calm down, young lady!" Jusgar exclaimed, placing his hands in front of him. "It's clear you're telling the truth from what I can see. It is clear that you are the daughter of the Phoenix."
"Seriously, what the hell are you?" Skywalker asked.
Jusgar looked seriously at the young Skywalker. "Seriously, I have to ask Obi-Wan to give you a class on Eidolons and Espers when we get back."
"We're not saying you're lying, Kairi." The man with the hologram began to speak. "We're just saying that the information you've given us doesn't match what we know."
"Thank you for the clarification, Master Windu," Jusgar said.
"But how is that possible?" Priere asked.
Everyone started thinking until Makoto raised his hand.
"Crazy idea," Makoto said. "What if that Wormhole has not only sent us to another place but also to the past?"
Everyone stared after Makoto's suggestion.
"Honestly, it is a very plausible idea," Eve said. "There is very little knowledge of how a Wormhole works, so we must accept that possibility."
"Are you implying that we have traveled to the past?" Nina asked.
"Okay, is anyone else getting a headache from all this?" Edea asked.
"So, if we have traveled in the past... that could mean that..." Kairi began to mutter, even thinking of the possibility of saving the Order and warning them of what was coming to them.
"Going down that path, I wouldn't suggest it," Yoda said looking at Kairi, startling her. "If what is about to happen, you try to change the events that are, the consequences, disastrous, could be."
"Sorry, what do you mean by that?" Priere asked.
"It means that if we try to change the story of what happened to the Order of the Phoenix, many of the things that have happened as a result of that event could happen very differently," Nina explained.
Then Kairi started to think. If the Order of the Phoenix had not been attacked, she would not have ended up in Radiant Garden, nor on Destiny Islands where she met Sora and Riku; she would never have met the Twilight Town gang; Namine and Xion might not have existed; she would never have been trained to use a Keyblade... They might not even have been able to stop Xehanort from acquiring the χ blade. Who knows what kind of present would exist if that changed?
Thinking about all that, Kairi returned to her normal form as she hugged herself.
"Back to the topic…" Edea said. "We must find out where the fragment is located."
"True, but the galaxy is very big. "We don't know where to look," Jusgar said.
"In the temple library, we will look. Something so important should not have escaped our attention. Hopefully, a clue to the whereabouts of the fragment we will find." Yoda said.
"Meanwhile you will escort them to the Jedi temple on Coruscant. That area is still a war zone," Windu said to the Jedi.
"Well thought out, although I will stay here," Jusgar said. "I have to make sure Dooku doesn't prepare any surprises for us after what happened."
"Okay, but we don't know how far away Coruscant is, so we don't know how long it might take to get there," Eve said.
"True, and I doubt this ship has a hyperdrive," Jusgar said. "Although to travel to other worlds this ship should be quite fast."
"Yes, but not enough," Anakin said.
"We will look for any evidence we can find. While you devise a way to bring them here as soon as possible." Windu said.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Master Windu," Anakin said as the holograms disappeared.
"Okay, does anyone want to tell me how we do this?" Makoto asked. "I highly doubt leaving the ship here is a good idea."
"Right, we can't leave the ship here. And even less near the wormhole." Kairi said, returning to the conversation. "We'll have to take it with us."
"And how?" Priere asked. "I have no idea what a 'hyperdrive' is, but it is obvious that we will need it to get there."
Kairi thought for a long while until she remembered something. "Wait. Sora told me once that he previously used a teleportation system on his Gummi ship." Then he looked at Eve. "Do we have something similar?"
"That's right," Eve answered.
One of the soldiers looked at the Nasod. "Wait, you have a teleportation system?"
"Yes, but we haven't used it before because this Gummi part model requires a lot of energy, and to activate it I would need to deactivate the ship's defensive weapons," Nasod explained. "That's why I didn't use it before when we returned to Agrabah and Athens, since we were likely to encounter some Fallen fleet upon our arrival, and it would have taken a long time to reactivate the weapons." Then he crossed his arms. "Not to mention that to use it we need to have the coordinates of said location in the computer, which are recorded when we arrive at a new world."
Captain Rex interrupted the conversation. "And if you had a map of the galaxy?" Everyone turned their gaze towards him. "If you had a map with the location of Coruscant in the galaxy, you could use that system to get there, couldn't you?"
Eve crossed her arms thoughtfully. "It would be a possibility, and obviously we could erase the map after returning as it would be of no use to us in our time."
"Why's that?" Airy asked.
"It isn't obvious? Things could have changed in the time between the two eras." Nina responded.
"But could it work or not?" Kairi asked.
"Yes, I just have to reactivate the systems linked to that piece and load the map into the system," Eve said.
"Sir, are you sure about this?" One of the soldiers asked. "Are we going to hand over a copy of the galaxy maps we have to this… clanker?" The soldier pointed at Eve.
The girls flinched at the soldier's words, gesturing for him to recant immediately, but Eve approached the soldier. And suddenly she slapped him so hard that she directly threw him to the ground to the surprise of the others.
"Anything else to add about the nature of our guest?" Skywalker asked with a nervous smile, with the soldiers shaking their heads.
After this event, Jusgar returned to his cruiser while Anakin and several soldiers stayed on the Gummi Ship while someone arrived with the plans of said galaxy. Which came in the form of a small blue and white droid with a semi-circular dome for a head that rolled on three legs, one of which could retract into his body.
"And this wheeled trash can?" Priere asked scratching his head. He was right, he looked like a garbage can.
The droid started beeping and making sounds looking at Priere, which confused her.
"Hey, that mouth!" Eve exclaimed as she approached. "Priere may not have knowledge of robotics or clothing, but I think calling her an 'exhibitionist' is beside the point."
"It called me what?" Priere asked, preparing her staff to strike at the droid, which recoiled, letting out a strange robotic screech of terror.
"Hey Hey hey! Calm down, everyone!" Anakin exclaimed as he stopped Priere. "Artoo may have a character, but he is very helpful."
"Artoo?" Kairi asked.
Anakin waved his hand at the droid. "This is R2-D2, my astromech droid."
The droid made some noises as if introducing itself.
"Now you're going to say that it has the maps, right?" Edea asked sarcastically.
"That's the fact," Anakin said. "That is if Yularen installed the maps as I indicated to him."
R2 made several beeps as his head turned in various directions.
"He says he did install them, although against his judgment," Eve commented.
"Wow, can you understand what he says?" Anakin asked surprised.
"As if one machine couldn't understand another," Eve answered. "I am a Nasod after all." Then he looked at the droid. "Come on, we should download that data to the computer."
R2 followed Eve to the central computer, where she began downloading the map data, although she had to make sure that the little droid did not take any data from the ship's computer for 'safety'. Eventually, Eve had the map of the galaxy on the ship.
"Well, it's done," Eve said, disconnecting R2 from the computer, but he made several angry beeps. "No, I already told you that you are not going to copy anything from the computer. Who knows if the information it contains can change history." R2 made several more beeps. "Don't call me standoffish!"
"Eve, can we go now?" Rena asked, interrupting the argument between Eve and R2.
"If everything goes as it should, the system should work correctly," Eve answered, working on the on-board computer. "I just hope we don't show up in another battle."
"Well, considering we're in the middle of a galactic civil war or something…" Makoto commented.
"Yes, but it's unlikely they'll attack Coruscant so easily," Anakin commented with his arms crossed.
"Let's not tempt fate, please," Edea said.
Eve continued to manipulate the computer until a hologram of a large galaxy appeared before them, and after several commands, the map was simplified to a specific location.
"Is this the place?" Eve asked.
"Yes, there it is," Rex answered.
"OK. Prepare yourself, because anything can happen." Eve alerted while she operated the computer.
Kairi and Edea grabbed onto whatever was nearby, while some soldiers did the same.
"Okay, here we go."
Eve activated the teleportation system. At one point, the Gummi ship was engulfed in a field of light that, to those outside, covered the ship before disappearing.
"What just happened?" Asked one of the soldiers on the deck of a ship as he watched the ship disappear.
In the ship, everyone saw how it seemed to be moving at full speed through a kind of tunnel of light until it came out of the tunnel.
Only to end up sliding across the floor, causing the entire interior to shake as Eve tried to stabilize the ship so it would stop. It didn't take long for Eve to stabilize her and stop the ship.
"Can I know what happened?" Edea asked, getting up from the ground after the incident.
"Don't know," Eve said until she looked through the windows and saw the outside. "But I have a theory."
The girls, after recovering from the incident, looked through the glass and saw that they were on the ground of an urbanized planet, more specifically on what looked like the landing strip of a spaceport.
"Did the Gummi Ship put us on the planet?" Priere asked.
"Or the planet is much larger than it should be," Makoto said.
At that moment they all looked at Skywalker with frowns, as he rose from the ground with his hand on his head.
"Did you forget to mention something to us, sir?" Kairi asked, crossing her arms.
Anakin was thoughtful as he glanced away before looking at them. "Perhaps I forgot to mention that the city rises several kilometers above the planet's crust?"
R2 made several noises like he was laughing, but made a terrified scream as he ran away when he saw Priere raise her hand at him.
Meanwhile, Count Dooku was observing space from the bridge. The strange entity that had taken control of the tactical droid had had a few words with him, calming the tense situation. Although the situation was quite compromised by the Fallen that were in the place, which made the engineering droids that operated the onboard computers quite nervous.
"Honestly, what you are saying is quite unusual," Dooku said, before turning to the possessed tactical droid, who was sitting in the captain's chair. "Do you really think I'm going to believe that you actually came from the future? And that you have also been following a Princess of the Heart?"
"Do you take me for a liar? Or perhaps by a fool?" The possessed tactical droid asked.
"It's nothing like that, my friend," Dooku said, walking across the bridge as he kept his gaze on the droid. "It's just that I find it hard to believe that you can travel through time just like that. And even more so for a point as remote as the interior of that nebula."
Dooku continued talking as he walked behind the droid. "Also, I think the topic of time travel is a pretty tricky topic, to say the least."
"Oh, I didn't know the Sith were afraid of time travel." The possessed tactical droid said as he turned his head as Dooku walked past him.
"It is not fear, although the mere idea causes it," Dooku answered. "It's just that its incorrect use could change events that have happened, or that should happen. The chances of change because of one small act could ruin everything we have prepared."
"Oh, you mean those little secret orders hidden inside the heads of the Republic's clone troopers, including the one to use against the Jedi?" The droid said, making Dooku stop and look at it. "Don't worry, I haven't come to jeopardize your master's meticulous plan. What's more, I think I could help you with this war."
"Oh, really?" Dooku asked. "And how do you intend to help us?"
"With the Fallen, of course." The possessed droid said. Dooku looked at the various Fallen on the bridge, all of whom had the engineering droids nervous if droids could have that. "A practically infinite army that feeds on fear to take their corporeal form. The weapon of choice for a user of the dark side of the Force."
"Surely they would be able to take on the Grand Army of the Republic if that were the case?" Dooku asked, crossing his arms.
"Definitely. With them at your side, you will win this war without problems. And without needing to activate that special order of yours." The droid said.
"Yes, very interesting," Dooku said, moving and standing in front of the droid. "And where is the catch? Something like that must have its price."
"The catch? Maybe." The droid said, standing up from the chair. "Let's say the only thing I ask in return is a simple favor."
Some time later, and after resolving the various legal problems caused by their spontaneous appearance on the planet, Kairi and the others were taken to the Supreme Chancellor's office, inside the Senate Office Building with Skywalker. There they were in front of an elderly man with a long red suit that covered his body.
"Come on, don't need to worry, ladies." Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine said after hearing the girls' words. "What happened could be very normal when an unknown technology is used to go to another planet."
"Yeah, especially when 'someone' forgets to mention that the destination planet is artificially larger than normal," Priere said with his arms crossed, glancing sideways at Anakin.
"Now, you're not going to let it go, are you?" Skywalker commented with a hand on his head. "In my defense, I didn't know how this system was going to work. If I had known I would have warned them."
"Please come on. Let's leave this matter behind." Palpatine said, moving his hands to calm things down, before directing his gaze to Eve. "In any case, I must admit that this invention is magnificent. If I could ask you to let us copy the design of said teleportation system, it could change the course not only of the war but of the entire galaxy."
"I'm sorry, but unfortunately this system is incompatible with your current technology." Eve rejected. "Also, since we come from the future, we must avoid causing as many changes as possible."
"True, by being here we are already risking the future of this galaxy too much," Rena said.
"Anyway, all we want now is to see if these Jedi masters have located any clues to what we're looking for, and then we can leave without causing any more problems," Kairi said.
"And who knows how long it will take," Airy said. "Since they have mountains of information, do you think it will take them a short time to find some trace that could be useful to us?"
"Well, we'll have to wait somewhere where we can't bother anyone, avoiding any possible radical change in history." Kairi proposed.
"In that case, I think I could offer some rooms in a nearby hotel." The Supreme Chancellor said, just as the office door opened. "Though I suppose that won't be necessary."
The group turned to see a man with brown hair and beard, and blue eyes, dressed in a light brown robe, and white gauntlets approaching them.
"Master Kenobi, welcome." The Chancellor said.
"Thank you, your eminence." The man said, before directing his gaze to Anakin. "When they told me you had suddenly appeared at the spaceport, I could hardly believe it."
"Well you see, and I was far from here, and here I am," Skywalker said with a grimace.
"Excuse me, and who's he?" Edea asked.
"Oh, forgive my lack of courtesy." The man said, lowering his head for reference. "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, master of the Jedi Order. And I suppose you already know my apprentice Anakin well."
"Well, we have an idea of where he's limping," Priere said.
"Hey!" Anakin exclaimed.
"And what are you doing here? Coming to see if we actually came from so far away all at once?" Airy asked leaning towards him.
"Partly. Turns out, while you were causing all that commotion at the spaceport, we found the location of the fragment you're looking for." Kenobi responded.
"That's good news!" The Chancellor exclaimed with a smile.
"So soon? Wow, that was fast!" Makoto exclaimed. "Normally you're not that quick to look for old information."
"We actually used the Force to locate this information." The Jedi master answered. "Though we also spoke to some old knights and masters who apparently knew this particular person."
"The Force? And what is that?" Edea asked.
"Please, let's not get sidetracked," Rena said before looking at Kenobi. "And where is the fragment?"
"I hope it's not a bad place. Just for once we can get a fragment without problems is enough for me." Edea said.
"Well, that's the thing. It turns out that apparently, this person hid the fragment somewhere on Xylos." Kenobi responded.
Palpatine's face changed to one of concern as he heard the Jedi. "Wow, this is worrying."
"Well then let's go there and that's it," Priere said.
"I don't think it's that simple," Anakin said.
"Why's that?" Kairi asked.
"That planet is not exactly one of those where you can go and look for something without troubles," Obi-Wan said. "Although thinking about it coldly, it makes sense to hide something valuable in a place where logically no one would look for it."
"You talk about this place as if it were the worst place in the universe," Nina said.
"Well, it's not the worst one, but it's not exactly one of the best ones," Kenobi said.
Kairi and the girls were thoughtful at this panorama.
"Might I suggest that you take a group of clone troopers with you for safety? Xylos isn't precisely a place for such young ladies to hang around." The Chancellor said.
"Sorry, but some of us far exceed the human life expectancy," Airy said, while Rena and Eve nodded their heads.
"And so says someone who has lived for thousands of years," Edea said mockingly.
"Hey!" Airy exclaimed.
"My, what a shame. Clearly, you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance." Palpatine said with nervousness on his face. "In any case, what you're looking for has been there for many years. I don't think anything will happen if you wait a little longer."
"Normally we'd manage on our own, but if this place is as dangerous as you suggest, I guess we'll have to take extra people on the ship," Kairi said.
"I'll go back to the Gummi Ship," Eve said. "I'll see if I can locate this Xylos on the map."
"And what do we do while everything is prepared? Tourism?" Makoto asked.
"Well, I'm curious what the food is like here," Edea said.
"That would be nice, but the Council has asked me to take you to the temple, as there are some things to discuss," Kenobi said. "Also, if you really come from the future like Master Yoda said, you better not go around unsupervised."
"That's true." Kairi said looking at Edea, who showed signs of being upset.
"Well, I wonder what else there is to deal with," Skywalker said.
"Well, we follow you," Makoto said.
The girls began to follow Kenobi and Skywalker out of the room, Airy being the last to leave who turned to look at the Chancellor for a moment before leaving the room.
After a short trip through the skies between the tall skyscrapers of the city planet in small transports (which Kenobi and Skywalker called speeders), the group, except Eve who returned to the Gummi Ship, arrived at a huge ziggurat-shaped structure with four huge corner towers and a large central tower.
Inside, the girls were amazed by the diversity of rooms that the enormous Jedi Temple seemed to have, in addition to seeing a large number of people of different races, all wearing similar robes, wandering through the interior of the temple, and going from one place to another. Although most seemed to have some curiosity about the newcomers, especially the appearance of Nina, Priere, and Airy.
"Happens something?" Priere asked without warning those who were looking at them. "Not that you could all go unnoticed."
That made most of them stop looking at them, although it did attract the attention of what looked like the temple guards.
"Don't worry. It is not normal for people like you to pass through the temple. "Especially civilians," Anakin said.
"TRUE. The temple is normally for Jedi only. So, except for the maintenance staff, it is rare to see people outside the order here." Kenobi explained.
"It's not like this was a private club or anything like that," Edea commented.
"Well, it's not a private club, but from a certain point of view it is," Kenobi said.
"Well, wow," Priere said.
After walking for a while through the corridors of the temple and passing through one of its doors, they arrived at what seemed like a large circular room with long windows that showed the outside with a sunken platform on which a large holo table rested, surrounded by several communications and holographic stations.
And inside the room were both Yoda and Windu, whom the girls could see in person.
"Be welcome," Windu said as they entered.
"Thank you," Kairi said. "Sorry about the spaceport incident."
"Worry about that you shouldn't. Nothing more than an accident that was. "What was going to happen nobody knew," Yoda commented.
"Anyway, can we know what we are doing here?" Priere asked.
"We need to talk about your plan to go after this fragment you are looking for," Windo said.
"Okay, so what exactly?" Makoto asked.
Windu activated something on the holo table, initially showing a holographic map of the planet, and then showing a closer look at a specific planet.
"This is Xylos. A mid-rim planet. A junkyard planet to be more precise." Windu explained.
"A junkyard planet?" Nina asked.
"It must be a joke, right?" Rena asked in disbelief.
"I'm afraid not." Windu crossed his arms.
"Well, Eve isn't going to like it at all," Makoto said scratching his head.
"And that's not the worst," Kenobi said.
"What could be worse than a junkyard planet?" Kairi asked. "Is everything going to be bad news today?"
"Not at all." Yoda started. "At least we know what area the fragment you are looking for may be in."
"Something is better than nothing," Edea said.
"The bad thing is that the planet is the area of operations of a group known as the White Horn," Windu said.
"The White Horn?" Anakin asked in surprise before looking at Kenobi. "Master, isn't this group the one we encountered on one of our first missions when I became your Padawan?"
"It seems. "I honestly hoped I would never see them again," Kenobi said thoughtfully.
"Excuse me, what is the White Horn?" Rena asked.
"A criminal syndicate formed primarily by the Rameks. With that, I'm telling you everything." Anakin said. "It will be difficult to search for this object if these people get in the way. Clearly, they won't be happy if we stick our nose into their operations."
"Honestly, I would prefer to avoid fighting with the natives if possible." Kairi said.
"To fight them may not be necessary, if convince them to allow us to investigate the area, we could," Yoda explained.
"And I don't think they want to talk to the Jedi after our last encounter," Kenobi said.
Everyone was thoughtful until Airy spoke. "Maybe I can convince them."
"Oh really? You?" Edea asked.
"Hey, do you doubt my ability to convince others?" Airy asked. "I seem to remember that I did well for a long time."
"Do not remind me that," Edea said looking away with her arms crossed.
"Surely you could convince them?" Windu asked.
"I'm sure I can think of something, Master Windu," Airy said. "Maybe I can give you an example of what I can do."
"No, thanks. "I'd rather you save it for the Rameks," Windu said. Obviously, he must have sensed Airy's former dark and manipulative nature. Or maybe he wasn't interested in the examples.
"Okay." The fairy shrugged.
"Well, in any case, if we can search on the planet, we shouldn't have any problems," Nina said.
"Very true, my young mage," Yoda said.
At that moment the signal of an urgent transmission began to be received. Windu then made the holomap disappear, and the hologram of Master Jusgar appeared.
"Master Jusgar?" Yoda asked.
"Greetings, Master Yoda. And you too, Master Windu." He said to the hologram of the Jedi master before turning and looking at the girls. "Ah, I see you have arrived safely."
"Yes, if we don't count a small incident due to lack of information," Priere said.
"And keep it with that." Anakin rolled his eyes.
"I deduce from the transmission that something is happening," Windu said.
"That's right, Master Windu," Jusgar said. "Just now, a quarter of the Separatist fleet has left the sector, including Count Dooku's flagship. I plan to send Skywalker's fleet after the battle is over."
"Are you sure you will be able to take care of the rest of the enemy fleet?" Windu asked.
"Surely, don't worry. "Without Dooku in charge, it won't take long to clean the area up." The Jedi master said. "By the way, do we know where this fragment the girls are looking for is?"
"As far as we know it's somewhere on the planet Xylos," Anakin said.
"Xylos?" Jusgar asked. "Well, this is getting interesting."
"How interesting?" Makoto asked, but then she turned pale. "I hope it's not what I'm thinking."
Everyone looked at Makato, before returning their attention to the hologram.
"I'm afraid so, miss. Dooku's fleet appears to be heading to that planet." The Jedi master said.
"Master Jusgar, I need you to send my fleet after Dooku right now!" Anakin exclaimed.
"I plan to do the same thing, but like I said, we have to clean the place," Jusgar said.
"What exactly do you mean by 'cleaning up the place'?" Priere asked.
"Well, you'll see…"
"Master, be careful!" A female voice sounded in the hologram.
At that moment Jusgar activated a lightsaber, defending himself from some sudden attackers whom he quickly defeated. A Hunter, a Skeleton Soldier, and a Crimson Head respectively.
"Fallen?" Kairi asked.
"That's seems," Jusgar said. "They invaded the ship just before Dooku's ship and his escort left the sector. Right now Skywalker's fleet is the one facing the Separatist fleet, but as soon as we manage to purge our ships we will send them to chase Dooku."
"Eliminate the intruders from your fleet as soon as possible, so that Admiral Yularen can pursue Dooku. Probably his fleet on the planet, we will need." Yoda said.
"I will do what I can, Master Yoda," Jusgar said before closing the hologram.
"As if things couldn't get any worse," Priere said crossing his arms.
"Airy, if you're indeed able to convince those people to let us search the planet, you'll have to do it before the enemy arrives," Rena said.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that," Airy said.
"Well, I guess bringing a support force with you has gone from optional to essential," Kenobi said.
"Yes, it seems so," Kairi said. Thinking to herself, she realized that she must have this help if this Separatist group is being helped by the Fallen. Or vice versa, they are the ones who help the Fallen.
"We better go to the port immediately," Anakin said.
"Go and hurry. It won't take long for Dooku's fleet to reach Xylos," Windu said.
"May the Force be with you all," Yoda said, just as everyone started leaving the room.
Soon, the group was on the transports heading to the port, but on the way, Airy seemed to be pensive.
"Worried about your mission, Miss fairy?" Asked Anakin, who was on the same transport.
"It's not that, it's just that everything seems too… opportune," Airy said.
"How timely?" Rena asked.
"Let's just say, I have a strange suspicion," Airy said. "Doesn't it seem strange to you that we have found out that what we are looking for is in Xylos, and that suddenly part of the fleet that attacked us as soon as we arrived is heading there precisely?"
"The truth is that it is a big coincidence," Nina said.
"What are you implying?" Anakin asked.
"Just think about it. Besides the temple, where else have we learned that the fragment is on Xylos?" Airy asked.
The girls started thinking at that moment.
"In the Chancellor's office!" Nina reasoned.
"Wait, are you saying the Chancellor has told Dooku about it?" Anakin asked with disbelief in his voice.
"It's the only thing that makes sense," Airy said. "Think about it, only there was the planet named, and Palpatine was present."
"But are you seriously listening to yourself?" Anakin asked. "Are you seriously suggesting that Palpatine is ruling the Republic and controlling the Separatists at the same time, without either side knowing it? I know the Chancellor is good, but not that good!" The young Jedi explained. "Come on, even Dooku tried to kidnap him once!"
"I'm just stating the facts. If you have any evidence that proves his innocence, I'm all ears."
Anakin shook his head, letting out a sigh at the fairy's accusation.
Meanwhile, in the other transport, Kairi addressed Kenobi who was in it.
"Hey, Master Kenobi. Can I ask you something?" Kairi asked.
"What is it?" Kenobi asked.
"What's all this about the Separatists?" Kairi asked.
Kenobi looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "How could I explain it?" The Jedi said. "Let's say that at a certain point, there was a large part of the galaxy that wanted to separate from the Republic for different reasons, but Count Dooku radicalized the movement, forcing us to confront them using the clone army."
"Are you saying those soldiers in white are clones? Copies of each other?" Edea asked, interrupting Kenobi.
"That's right," Kenobi said. "Back to the topic, since then we have been fighting this war against the droid army of the Separatists. I sincerely regret that you ended up meddling in our war."
"Don't worry. If the Fallen are in this, it's only fair that we should get into this." Kairi said.
Before long the transports arrived at the spaceport, where the Gummi Ship was landed. As they approached, Eve and Rex went to meet them outside, while the clone troopers continued through the ship and outside.
"Is everything ready, Eve?" Kairi asked.
"I have programmed the teleport to take us to Xylos," Evo said. "I just hope we don't end up landing without warning due to the height of the planet's crust."
"Now, don't worry about that," Anakin said.
"Are you going to accompany us then, commander?" Rex asked Anakin.
"Yes, although we won't go alone," Kenobi said.
"What do you mean?" Eve asked.
"I just hope your ship can take a lot of people on board," Anakin answered.
Before Eve could ask what was happening, several military transports began to land near the Gummi Ship, from which dozens of clone soldiers began to get off and began to form in front of the ship.
"Hey hey! What's going on here?" Eve asked.
"Change of plans, Eve. "Now we are going to Xylos with an army," Edea said.
"And so?" Eve asked.
"Do you remember the fleet that attacked us as soon as we arrived? "They have allied themselves with the Fallen and are now searching for the fragment," Priere said.
While Eve seemed perplexed at what was happening, the clone troopers continued to form until they were all in position, one of them wearing a command insignia approached Kenobi.
"General, I have brought a clone battalion as ordered." The clone said.
"Thank you, Cody," Kenobi said.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Eve exclaimed as Moby and Levy floated violently before them. "The Gummi Ship won't be able to carry so many people! There is no room for so many!"
"If you'll excuse me, she's right," Rex said approaching them. "We have been inside, at most a total of two companies could fit, and we would still be very squeezed in there."
"In that case, we will have to choose two companies, Cody," Kenobi said.
"I'll get on it, sir." Clone Cody nodded.
"Listen to me!" Eve exclaimed, visibly irritated. "No one here is going to get on the ship until I decide it! This Gummi Ship is not as big as you think!"
After solving certain problems with the subtitle increase in crew members on the ship and after finding space for what they could, approximately two companies of the 7th Air Corps commanded by Clone Marshal Cody and a squadron of the 501st Legion commanded by the clone Rex were able to be placed on the Gummi Ship. A total of 371 clone troopers distributed as best they could throughout the Gummi Ship.
"Seriously, I've never felt so cramped in my life," Edea said, looking at the huge number of clone troopers around her.
"And the truth is that it is difficult for me to differentiate them. They are all the same." Nina said with her arms crossed and her wings folded.
"And according to the boy, they are all clones. So good luck finding who is who here." Priere said.
"Hey, we've been in tighter places than this ship." One of the clones said to the girls.
"Seriously, should we go with these people?" A clone asked another clone.
"Shut up!" Edea exclaimed. "This is our ship, so we're in charge! So don't cause trouble!"
Meanwhile, in the cockpit, Anakin was talking to a hologram of the Supreme Chancellor.
"Is that true Anakin?" Palpatine asked. "It is curious that you mention it since we have made a rather unfortunate discovery. You see, some time after you left my office, I ended up tripping and colliding with one of the statues. And don't look how surprised we were when a listening device that was attached to the statue fell to the ground."
"That might explain how the Separatists knew about Xylos," Anakin said.
"I don't know how long that device has been in my office, but I'm going to order the entire building to be searched for similar devices. "This is a severe case of espionage in the end, not to mention a severe case of internal security," Palpatine explained.
"Thank you for that information, Chancellor," Anakin said before closing the transmission and looking at Airy who was nearby. "You see? Everything has a good explanation. Furthermore, this shows that the Chancellor is neither a spy nor a mastermind in the shadows."
"Too timely, I would say," Airy said looking away.
"Come on, we have things to do." Kairi said.
"Alright, I'm going to start by taking off the ship," Eve said working on the on-board computer. "I just hope that the crew excess doesn't damper the ship's stability."
"Don't worry. We have distributed the clones throughout the ship so that they cannot affect the maneuverability of the ship." Rex said.
"Hey, can we truly trust this droid?" Asked Cody who was close.
"I would be careful how you address her," Rex said to Cody. "Unless you want to get slapped by her. And believe me, she packs a punch."
"I'll keep it in mind." Said Obi-Wan who was also present listening to the conversation.
After a moment, Eve activated the Gummi Ship's thrusters, making it rise above the ground, while from outside the rest of the clones and other security forces made sure that there were no incidents in the process.
"Well, it looks like we can fly at least," Eve said, before starting to enter new commands into the computer. "Now for the hardest part. Everyone get ready."
Everyone on board prepared as best they could for the journey, and after entering a few final commands, the Gummi Ship teleported away, disappearing from Coruscant in a flash of light.
When they emerged from the teleportation light tunnel, those in the cabin saw that they were in space, near a planet that was apparently devoid of life due to its dull colors.
"Amazing," Kenobi said. "And to think that technology like this exists."
"And how do we get down?" Anakin asked. "I highly doubt the Rameks will let us land with this ship."
"We won't," Eve said. "We will use the teleporter to go down to the planet."
"What?" Anakin asked.
"Maybe I forgot to mention it, but this ship also has a teleportation system designed to send us to land from here," Eve explained. "We would have used it on Coruscant if we hadn't 'landed' on the planet."
Then Eve looked at the rest of the clones. "But I will also need you to step aside so I can command a specific group! I doubt our hosts will be happy to see you too."
The clones looked at each other, just as they began to receive a transmission.
"They haven't wasted their time," Anakin said. "They probably want to ask what we are doing here."
"And what do we tell them so they don't shoot us?" Kairi asked.
"Tell them that we are going to send someone to talk to them," Airy said.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Kairi said.
After a tense moment, a group consisting of Anakin, Kenobi, Kairi, Makoto, and Airy were teleported to the gates of what looked like a huge fortified fortress amid massive mountains of scrap metal that stretched for miles around them.
"And I was thinking that this planet couldn't be uglier," Kairi said.
"You didn't need to come," Airy said. "I can take care of this easily."
"We're just here so you don't get some weird idea that makes it explode in our faces," Kairi said to the fairy.
"Let's just stay calm and everything will be fine," Obi-wan said.
At that moment the main door opened, revealing behind it a humanoid being with red and yellowish armor and dark yellowish clothing. But what caught the eye was not only the black bull's head with brown cross-shaped iris eyes with four curved goat horns, a curved horn on the forehead, and a beaked horn on the head pointing backward, all covered with dense blue-black hair. But also his great size and physical shape.
"I had forgotten how huge the Rameks could be," Anakin said as he was forced to look up so he could see the Ramek's head.
"Yeah, almost like a Wookie," Obi-Wan said.
"Is this a Ramek?" Kairi asked.
The Ramek looked at Anakin and Obi-Wan with clear bitterness and contempt, while he put his hand on a blaster that he had on his belt, ready to use it.
"It's clear they still remember us," Kenobi said.
"Normal, with the mess we left them the other time," Skywalker said.
"I seem to remember that that was your fault, my young apprentice," Kenobi said.
"Do you want to leave now?" Makoto asked.
The Ramek was about to draw the blaster, when Airy flew in front of him, interrupting his view of the Jedi.
"Excuse me, sir. I have come to negotiate with your boss, as our friend already informed you." Airy said with her hands together and with loving eyes. "They just accompany me, so I don't think they must talk in this case. So can we talk to your boss? Please?"
The Ramek raised an eyebrow at Airy for a moment. Then he huffed and left the blaster on his belt alone.
"Go!" The Ramek demanded, turning around.
Airy turned around winking before following the alien, being followed by the others.
Despite being a scrap planet, the structure inside seemed to be well formed and built, with different corridors branching off throughout the place. In addition to seeing several Rameks of different skin and fur standing still on the walls, all armed with two-handed blasters with their eyes on them, or more precisely on the Jedi who were with them.
"If we're not careful, we'll have trouble getting out of here," Anakin said. "I say we should think of a plan b if the fairy's plan fails."
"I fear what might happen if this all ends badly," Kairi said.
After walking quite a distance through the fortress, the group arrived at what looked like a meeting room with a throne in the background and several Rameks stationed on the walls, with one in more ostentatious clothing sitting on the throne. This seemed to be the leader of the Rameks.
"I must say that you have the guts to come here to talk, taking two Jedi with you." The boss said as the group stopped in the middle of the room, in front of him. "You should know that the White Horn does not get along with their kin."
Anakin was about to say something to the boss when Airy flew away.
"This, if I may interrupt, we have something to discuss, sir," Airy said. "You have a name, right?"
"I am Prax the Skewer. The boss of the place." The boss said.
"The Skewer?" Makoto asked.
"For skewering a Rancor with my bare hands." Prax clenched his hands before them. "And I will do the same with you if you exhaust my patience."
Kairi swallowed. "We will consider it." She said before looking at Airy. "Don't mess it up now."
"Calm down." Airy said.
"And good. What is a motley group like you and some Jedi doing on this giant junkyard called a planet?" Prax asked.
"You see, sir. We have come in search of something." Airy said. "A particular artifact, hidden in some kind of structure somewhere on this planet. You can rest assured that as soon as we find him, we will go back the way we came."
"And what exactly is it? There is a lot of garbage on this planet. It could be anything." The Ramek Chief asked.
"Well, let's say that said object stands out quite a bit next to all this garbage that you tend to use for your businesses," Airy said. "As I said before, it must be in some structure in the form of a temple or sanctuary hidden among so much junk."
The Ramek Chief thought for a moment. "And how do you plan to look for that place? "You are very few, and the planet is very large."
"Well, we're lucky that we have several clone troopers on the ship," Airy said.
"What?! Have you brought clones here?!" Prax asked angrily.
"But only to search!" Airy said, trying to calm the Ramek Chief. "I can promise you that neither the clone troopers nor the Jedi present here will interfere with your 'honest' business on the planet."
The Ramek Chief seemed to have calmed down a bit. "And why are you looking for that here? Why is it so important to you?"
"It's because it's more important than you think, sir." Kairi interrupted. "We are traveling to find these artifacts, and if we do not collect them, the consequences could be very unpleasant for everyone, without exception," Kairi said, without revealing anything about his mission.
Chief Ramek crossed his arms. "I'll have to think about it."
"It's okay to think about it, but hurry up," Anakin said suddenly, but Airy immediately shouted at him.
"That's what I'm going for now, you big mouthful!" Airy exclaimed.
"Why's that?" Prax the Skewer asked, bowing his head, while the other Rameks readied their weapons.
"You see, it turns out that we are a bit against the clock right now," Airy said. "At these very moments, a fleet of the Separatist army is heading towards this planet, commanded by the one you call Count Dooku."
"Oh really?" The Ramek Chief asked.
"That's right," Airy said. "And from what we know, it seems that they also want what we are looking for, hence the rush."
"Okay, and why shouldn't I take you all prisoners and wait for them to arrive to hand you over?" Prax asked. "I'm sure they'll pay a good fortune for your heads."
Anakin, Obi-Wan, Kairi, and Makoto tensed at the Ramek Chief's words, but Airy seemed to be calm.
"Yes, that would be a good deal, if it weren't for the fact that a Republic fleet is hot on their heels," Airy said, hoping that was so. "I don't think it's necessary to say what could happen if both fleets end up meeting near Xylos. It will most certainly become a battlefield."
The Ramek Chief watched the fairy carefully. "That could be bad for my business. Still, what could I get out of letting you and the Republic clones scavenge our territory? It is clear that this could be a problem for our businesses here at Xylos."
"I'm sure we can find a way!" Airy said happily. "Although of course…"
Airy then addressed the Jedi. "Uhm, could you let us negotiate alone? I think I can take care of this alone from here."
Kenobi and Skywalker looked at each other.
"She clearly has something on her mind," Obi-wan said.
"But anyway, it seems that we have nothing to do here," Anakin said.
"Take those two to a waiting room!" Prax ordered. "And let them stay there until we finish talking."
The Jedi bowed and walked towards the exit of the room.
"I'll go with them, just in case," Kairi said, following the Jedi as she looked at Makoto. "You stay here in case something happens."
Makoto nodded just as the three were led by a Ramek soldier out of the room, returning his gaze to the fairy.
At that moment Airy smiled maliciously and approached Chief Ramek, placing her arms seductively on his suit, while he looked at her suspiciously.
"So, big boss, what can this fairy say and do to make her give in in this situation?" Airy said with a seductive voice in Chief Ramek's ear.
Makoto slapped her forehead with her hand, looking askance upward, commenting to herself. "I should have guessed you would resort to that."
It had been a while since Kairi, Obi-Wan, and Anakin entered the waiting room the Rameks left. They could only wait there, knowing that several guards would be watching the door from the other side in case they tried anything. So the only thing they could do was wait for Airy to finish talking to the Ramek Chief.
"This is taking too long," Anakin said, as he walked from one side of the room to the other. "We should be the ones who talked to them and convinced them. Who knows why she is taking so long."
"Be patient, Anakin." Said Obi-Wan, who was sitting on the ground meditating. "I have some hypotheses as to why she wanted us to let her speak alone with her boss. Besides, I highly doubt they're willing to have one of your 'aggressive negotiations' right now."
"I know, but every second we're here doing nothing, the Separatist fleet gets closer to the planet," Skywalker said.
"Without counting the Fallen." Said Kairi, who was sitting in one of the chairs looking at the ceiling.
After thinking silently, Kairi turned her gaze from her to Kenobi. "Hey, I've been wondering something for a while. What is that Force thing you mentioned earlier on Coruscant? Yoda said something similar with that word."
Obi-wan became thoughtful before looking at Kairi.
"How could I explain it?" Kenobi started. "The Force is what gives the Jedi their power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us, and holds the galaxy together."
Kairi was a little confused by Obi-Wan's words.
"Believe me, it's the simplest explanation you'll get," Anakin said. "There are some teachers who describe it in very different and disparate ways, but they all mean the same thing."
Kairi nodded, but then she remembered something. "By the way Anakin, shouldn't you ask Obi-wan something?"
"Ask me what?" Kenobi asked.
"Oh, it's nothing!" Anakin gushed.
"Jusgar said you should give Anakin some lessons about Eidolons and Espers," Kairi said, making Skywalker sigh with a hand on his forehead.
"Oh, that?" Kenobi asked as he stood up. "I don't think you left a good impression on Jusgar with that topic."
"Well, now that we're here. What are those things?" Anakin asked Kenobi.
Obi-wan took a deep breath. "The word Eidolon is one of the many terms used to describe them, varying depending on which civilization, but that is the most used term. They are mystical creatures that have a certain connection with the elements of creation itself. Just as we are connected to the Force, Eidolons are connected to a particular element, such as fire, ice, or lightning."
"In some cases, Eidolons tend to link with different facets connected to said elements. One of those present examples would be the Phoenix, which not only represents fire, but also resurrection."
"Wait, that Phoenix can resurrect the dead?" Anakin asked.
"Yes, but only under certain circumstances, that I see you coming," Kenobi said. "Also known as summonable beasts, some people may be able to summon them to use their power, but only if they see them worthy. If you are not, you can end up very badly. And I seem to remember that the Jedi are not able to summon them, so I do not recommend it."
Anakin crossed his arms, but at the same time seemed disappointed.
"In addition, there is a hierarchy among the Eidolons. First, there are the most basic ones, such as those called Ifrit and Ramuh, but it is better not to offend them. Above these are the so-called Supreme Eidolons, of which there are only three: Phoenix, Leviathan, and Bahamut. They are the most powerful there are, so it is best to deal with them wisely and only when necessary. There is also a rumor that there is an intermediate position between these to ensure that said hierarchy does not collapse for various reasons."
"Okay, so what are Espers?" Anakin asked.
"The Espers are the mixed offspring of the Eidolons when they end up generating a son or daughter with some race other than them, like us. These offspring may possess the abilities and powers of their parents. Even their bodies can be partially transformed taking on their appearance. The existence of these is very rare since it is unusual for an Eidolon to have offspring."
Then Anakin looked at Kairi. "That explains a few things."
Kairi shrugged, but then they received a transmission.
"Eve?" Kairi asked as she picked up the transmission.
"How are the negotiations going?" Eve asked.
"I would like to know, why?" Kairi asked.
At that moment Anakin and Obi-wan raised their heads as if they noticed something in the distance.
"We have problems. A fleet of ships just appeared!" Eve exclaimed.
Kairi was surprised looking at Anakin and Obi-wan.
"Dooku has arrived on the planet," Kenobi said.
"Just what we needed now!" Kairi exclaimed before turning to the communicator. "Move the ship away from the fleet! Don't let her be detected!"
"Understood!" Eve said before cutting the communication.
Just at that moment, the door to the room opened, with Airy and Makoto appearing and passing through it.
"Good news!" Airy exclaimed. "The boss has given us permission to explore the planet to search for the artifact."
"Well, just on time!" Anakin said, crossing his arms, confusing the fairy.
"While you were doing who knows what, the Separatist army just arrived on the planet," Obi-wan explained.
"As soon?" Makoto asked in surprise, before looking at Airy. "You should have hurry up!"
"Does not matter," Kairi said. "Now we must find the piece as soon as possible."
"And try to hold out until the Yularen fleet arrives," Obi-wan said. "Only in this way can we survive the separatist army."
"I highly doubt that is the biggest of our problems," Kairi said. "Especially if the Fallen are in on this too. And I just hope these people don't change sides now."
Meanwhile, on Count Dooku's fleet flagship above Xylos.
"Xylos," Dooku commented looking at the planet from the bridge of his ship. "And to think that the Republic wants something from this forgotten planet... In any case, we must prepare for the arrival of the fleet."
"There's no need." The possessed droid said. "Surely they are here. Her included."
"And how could that be possible?" Dooku asked skeptically.
"That ship they are in has the technology to jump from one world to another. Surely they have used it together with the maps of your Republic." The droid said. "At the end of the day they arrived at Coruscant in record time, right?"
Dooku frowned at him.
"Sir." One of the bridge engineer droids said. "We have detected the signal of a ship retreating to the other side of the planet. According to the data, it is the same ship that appeared after that nebula."
Dooku looked at the droid in amazement, surprised how that ship had already reached the planet before them, and it was on Coruscant just now.
"What you are looking for is here. If we want to have a chance, we must find it first." The droid said. "It won't take me long to find it."
"Most likely there will be a clone army supporting those people," Dooku said. "It won't be easy to extract whatever you want from the planet."
"I know how to distract them." The droid said, raising his hand.
Dark energy began to flow from his hand, which he threw towards the glass of the bridge, crossing it without damaging it, stopping in the middle of space. In a moment that dark energy transformed into a specter in the form of a ghostly head with several faces wearing a large black robe that seemed to act as if it were his body (Legion)
"Go down to the surface of that planet, my Chieftain. Use the metal's grudge to your will." The droid ordered. "Find her, and kill her and anyone who tries to protect her!"
After those words, the Fallen One began to move, descending to the planet that was nearby to fulfill his mission.
Dooku smiled when he saw the resources that his new ally possessed, thinking about the damage he could cause to the Republic to fulfill his master's plans. But for some reason, he knew that the possessed droid was hiding something from him related to this strange group. But he didn't know what.