Chapter 34
(Mon Mothma)
As expected, Han and Lando saw that Wedge and Corran looked perplexed. Both men felt their friends had made up this whole thing due to the pressures of the war.
Before they could say anything, Lando stepped back for a bit, and in his place, a new figure appeared next to Han. Wedge and Corran looked shocked as if they had seen a ghost. But their mood soon changed after the Wookiee explained that he really was Chewbacca and how he survived his apparent death.

"If I hadn't seen or heard this myself, I wouldn't have believed it. But I'm glad I did," Wedge said to Chewie, who nodded—then stepped back as Lando returned.

"Lando, you said something about contacting me?" asked Corran.

"Oh, that has to do with the Jedi students," Lando answered, then told the two men about Arkinnea and how they came to know of it.

"Hmm, I gotta say this sounds too good to be true. How do we know this isn't a trap!" Corran wondered as he was concerned.

"We thought the same thing, but after hearing Kira's story. Luke believed what she said. However, if you need reassurance, there will be a meeting to discuss this, and to see K'Kruhk's message; we could set it up to have you and others join in," Han suggested to his friend.

"That's a good idea. It will show everyone that there is nothing to worry about," Wedge said, and Corran agreed with him.

"Agreed, and now there are two more things we need to discuss," Lando said as he and Han told Wedge about Riku and his offer. The man found this most interesting and said he would give this matter some thought.

Following this, Han said the second was a request from Leia and explained what it was. Once he finished talking, Wedge said he would get it done soon.

"My friends, we appreciate you telling us this. We should finish the repairs in a few hours and head to Endor. Until then, keep safe, and May the Force be with You."
Nodding to this, the images of Han and Lando faded away as the line ended.

"I'd better do my part now. See you, Wedge," Corran said as his image went next, leaving Wedge alone in his office. For a few minutes, Wedge sat still as he took in everything that he had learned in the last 50 minutes.

Taking a deep breath and leaning forward, Wedge pushed the intercom button on his desk.

"Tycho, Gavin. Report to my office as soon as you can. I've got some news to share with you both," he said, then he switched the channel to the bridge.

"Communication, I need you to put in a call to Mon Cala. Tell them I need to speak with Admiral Ackbar at once."

(The Guardian: Kota's Quarters)
Following their earlier discussions, Luke, Leia, Kota, and Kira were left alone to talk. Juno and Starkiller chose to excuse themselves, which the others understood, and they felt those two wanted some alone time.

After leaving, Luke asked Kota questions about his time with the old Jedi order. The man spoke of how Yoda first trained him. "I found him strange, given the way he talked in riddles. But it was only until later that I understood why Master Yoda did this."

Hearing this made Luke and Kira agree with Kota. Luke was also glad to know that the man before him was a former student of Yoda. "I'm sure he has many stories to share," Luke thought.

"Luke, I've been wondering something," he heard Kota say next, then listened to what it was.

"I've noticed there hasn't been any mention of the new Jedi council. I take there's a reason for this?" Glancing over at Leia after hearing this. Who nodded yes to him. Luke took a deep breath before answering.

"There is, before the Yuuzhan Vong's arrival. I had planned to create a new Council, as many Jedi were off doing what they considered right. With some saying they were the law, which caused problems between us and the New Republic,"

"And many of these Jedi went off to fight the Yuuzhan Vong alone. Many of whom are either dead or missing," Leia added.

Moments of silence followed after this. Kota said nothing after this. He had expected the new order to be more organized. But given that things weren't how they were in his time, maintaining the Jedi Order wasn't easy.

A part of him wondered how Master Yoda could do it for so long.

After thinking about this, Kota broke the silence by asking about it.

"Hmm...and may I ask if the idea of restoring the Council has resurfaced?"

"Are you asking because you want to join, or is it something else?" Luke asked. Kota was silent for a few moments before replying.

"In my youth. I argued with the Jedi Council on how an order should handle things. I believed we should use a more forceful approach to dealing with problems. However, I later realized that this was a pathway to the dark side and that there are other ways to handle problems. That doesn't involve pulling out a lightsaber and waving it around."

Hearing the last part made Luke, Leia, and Kira chuckle momentarily.

"I can understand how the Jedi felt about your decision. But if they aren't on board with the idea. That's on them, not you. And given the recent events, perhaps creating a new council is the right thing to do," they heard Kota suggest.

Taking in his words of wisdom, Luke thought about this for a bit. As he did, Leia went next.

"Kira, do the Jedi on Arkinnea have a council?" she asked but saw the Vixen shake her head.

"No, given there are only a few masters there. Master K'Kruhk decided not to make one. Our group makes its decisions as a community. However, I'm sure the masters will be open to joining a new council if Luke asks them," she explained.

Slapping himself mentally, Luke had been so focused on other matters that he never considered this until Kira mentioned it.

"Perhaps this is something that you could talk about tomorrow at the meeting?" Kira suggested.

Luke nodded in agreement, and the conversation continued.

(Mon Cala Cruiser)
Touching down in the hanger bay, the Falcon's passengers exited her as they went to the quarters section. Upon finding a place for Padme, who had packed up her belongings after dinner, Mara then handed Ben over to Padme and told her what to do should he get fussy.

"I'll be back later, Ben. Be good for your grandma and Threepio," Mara told her son before heading back to the hanger bay.

"Miss Padme, as we have some time now. Would it be alright for me to ask you about my past?" Threepio asked her once they were alone.

"Of course, just let me get settled first," she told him after sitting down on the bed. Padme looked at Threepio and began.

"As I told you before. You were found and rebuilt by Anakin, who was very proud and fond of you. Though he wasn't able to give you proper plating at the time,"

"Y-You mean I was a bare droid when we first met?" Threepio asked in shock, to which Padme said yes while trying not to laugh.

"Oh, the indignity!" she heard him say sadly.

"Don't worry, Threepio. You did receive proper plating later on. Thanks to Anakin's mother, Shmi, who looked after you after he left," Padme informed the droid, who tilted his head sideways at this.

"I didn't go with him?" He asked in confusion.

"No, Anakin didn't want his mother to be lonely as she had to stay behind on Tatooine. However, Shmi did take care of you, and you did the same thing for her,"

"So...that explains it," the droid said quietly. Then he looked at his plating, which, now knowing was a gift from his creator's mother, made him look at it in a different light.

"Was my plating always gold?" Threepio wondered.

"No, it was originally gray. But once you became my droid, I gave you gold as a new color," Padme told the droid, though there was one thing she did wonder about.

"The last time I saw you, your legs were painted gold. And yet your right leg is now silver?" She asked him, who looked down at it.

"Oh, this, I lost it during a rescue mission. Artoo and I were part of a rescue mission to save Rebel agents. Who was almost captured by Imperial soldiers? I managed to stall them long enough; however, by then, the leader of the soldiers got impatient and blasted off my leg. I thought I would be destroyed afterward, but Captain Antilles rescued me and saved me. Later on, he gave me a replacement leg for my courage. Even if it's the wrong color,"

"Hmm...and you never got around to having it repainted?" Padme wondered after hearing about Threepio's bravery.

"I thought it about at first. But after learning that Captain Antilles passed away, I decided to have it remain silver to remember him," he replied.

"So, Miss Padme, if I was your droid long ago, then why don't I remember this?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure, but whatever the reason is. I'm sure we will find out in time," she told him. Then, she saw Ben starting to move about.

"I believe Master Ben is ready for his bottle. I'll go prepare it for him," Threepio told Padme, who nodded as she sang him a lullaby to soothe her grandson.

(The Guardian: Training Hall)

"So, what do you think about Skywalker?" Juno asked Starkiller as he was sparring against PROXY, who had taken the form of an Imperial royal guard.

"He seems like a calm person. Not at all like I thought in my mind!" Starkiller said, but he was having difficulty blocking the attacks from PROXY before going in to attack.

"You mean a strong, powerful warrior?" he heard Juno say next.

"I sensed how strong he is in the Force, which made me wonder if we ever dueled, who would come out as the winner?" Starkiller wondered before he continued his duel.

Hearing this made Juno think. "If those two ever sparred, they might cause serious damage. Like how it was on Kamino with Vader," her inner voice said.

"I hope that it never comes to that," she hoped, then continued to watch the duel. The bout between the two continued until Starkiller
jumped over PROXY to strike him in the back, which caused him to fall on the mat.

"AH!... Good one, master! " the droid told him, then deactivated the royal guard's form. Starkiller then helped him back up.

"You did pretty well yourself if there were more like you PROXY. The enemy might have a real challenge," Starkiller told the droid, who pondered this.

"That would be something. It's too bad though I'm the only one," PROXY stated, whose very words got Juno's attention as she got an idea.

"PROXY, may I ask you something?" She asked the droid after coming over to him.

"Of course, Captain Eclipse, what is it?"

"When you were created, the schematics for your systems would have been included in your databanks, correct?"

"Hmm... This is common among most droids. This is something I never wondered about before. May I ask why you are asking about it?"

"Because of what you said before. You are a one-of-a-kind droid, created secretly by the Empire, who probably destroyed the original plans long ago. However, a copy of your schematics must have been included inside you. Which if accessible," Juno said when Starkiller snapped his fingers as he caught on.

"One could make more droids like PROXY. Juno, that's genius!" he told her. "This could be of great help in the war, not just on the battlefield, but also for communication," Starkiller added, who saw Juno nod her head to him.

"Exactly, but before we do anything. Would it be alright with you, PROXY, for us to check out your systems?" she asked.

"Well, it's not often a droid gets asked something like this. And I speak for myself when I say...yes," he told Juno, who smiled at this.

"However, getting access to my databanks may take time. As I'm sure the Empire heavily encrypted them," PROXY brought up next.

"Hmm, I'm sure our new friends might be able to help us with that," Starkiller told the droid, then had PROXY accompany him and Juno.

(The Bridge)
Following the conversation with their friends. Han and Lando contacted the base on Endor to see how everyone was doing. And informed them about the meeting tomorrow, which Cilghal said they would be ready for before the line ended.

Afterward, both men went to sit down nearby, where they saw two cups waiting for them. "I thought you both could have some drinks after speaking so long," a voice said as they saw Captain Rex nearby with Chewie.

When they arrived, Chewie introduced the two to him. It was here that Rex explained his absence at dinner to them.

"I was overseeing the last of the repairs to the ship and making sure the rest of our fleet arrived," both men understood, and they were surprised to learn that more ships were coming.

While Han and Lando were busy talking earlier, Rex was brought up to speed on Kira's arrival and how she reacted to learning of Rex's presence.
"(Sigh) First General Kota, and know this. It seems all I do is cause problems," Rex told the Wookiee, who shook his head and said to the man that he was very much needed here as the others. Along with saying how Luke defended Rex after hearing Kira's concerns, something that made the officer glad to know this.

"I'll need to thank him for this tomorrow," Rex's inner voice said.

After taking a few sips of their drinks, Lando asked Rex a question.

"So, Captain, I understand the soldiers your group brought are droids?"

"That's correct, sir. They've proven effective against the enemy, but even with our vast numbers at this time. They will run out at some point," Rex noted, having reviewed the losses earlier.

"Then it sounds like we're going to need more droids. Luckily for you, my company has created a new type of battle droid to combat the Yuuzhan Vong." He heard Lando say bring up, which got his attention.

"Would it be possible to see one of these droids?" Rex wondered. Who heard Lando say this could happen tomorrow?

"I'm sure the others will appreciate this. However, I was thinking there might be a place where we can make more battle droids," Rex said, bringing up getting Lando's attention now.

"And where is that?"

Then, before he could say anymore, Han's comlink went off. He heard Leia saying she and Luke were done talking with Kota and heading for the Falcon.

"Okay, dear, I'll see you there," Han told her, then turned to Rex.

"We can continue this conversation tomorrow after we get a good night's sleep," he suggested, seeing Rex agree as he watched Han, Lando, and Chewie depart from the bridge.