The cockpit of the Vengeance shook with another groan, metal struts creaking as the battered ship banked lazily through the the inner system. Aubrie's grip tightened on the controls, her brow drawn in concentration as warning lights kept blinking angrily across the pilot's console. The ship hadnt gotten better—surprisingly—and though it still flew, it limped through space like a wounded animal. "Come on," Aubrie muttered under her breath, adjusting the inertial dampeners again so they weren't all thrown from their seats. "Just hold together a little longer."
The forward viewport was filled with blinding light—not from an explosion or weapon fire, but the presence of the sun itself. The Vengeance was flying uncomfortably close to the star, skimming the safer edge of its gravity well. Solar radiation crackled faintly along the deflectors, turning the view into a glare-tinted orange wash. Aubrie was uneasy about getting this close to Coruscants star, especially with how damaged the ship was, but she had no choice.
And then, slowly emerging from around the star was it slowly orbited its corona, there it was. The reason they were here.
The Sun Station.
Scout leaned forward in the co-pilot's chair, her mouth open in awe. "Oh kriff, that's it!"
The massive orbital facility glinted like a crown above the sun's corona—ringed, layered, braced by enormous scaffolds and towers. Huge pylons reached down toward the star with large sails, harvesting energy. A long, central spine ran the length of the station like a blade. Dozens of ships, Republic cruisers, transport barges, sleek prototypes, floated around it like insects, drifting in carefully-controlled patterns. The closer they got, the more of the detail became visible: rotating dry docks, rotating shield cradles, tethered construction arms, and kilometers of linked research modules. All contained in a powerful shield to prevent them all from burning into ash.
"I've wanted to come here since I was twelve," Scout said, nearly bouncing in her seat. "This is the most advanced dry dock in the entire Republic. Most of the R&D budget comes through here. It's where they test everything. Cloaking tech, plasma tuning, interdiction harnesses. Hell this is where they built the Defender!"
Zule, seated just behind them with her arms crossed, didn't even glance up from the sensor readout. "It is just a station."
Scout turned and stared at her like she'd just committed blasphemy.
"Just a—are you serious?" Scout blinked, hands up in disbelief. "You're an idiot."
Zule looked up, calm as ever. "I am not."
"Okay, then you're just completely immune to wonder. That's worse."
"I fail to see the relevance of wonder in the face of mechanical infrastructure."
Scout leaned over the console. "It's not just 'infrastructure'! That station is a miracle of modern science. They built the quantum-threaded scanners here. Do you know what that means?"
"I know the words. I do not see why they require excitement."
The two locked eyes, one brimming with fire, the other completely unreadable.
"I will personally shove you into a fusion chamber," Scout hissed, almost fondly.
"I'd like to see you try," Zule replied.
Master Fay's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Enough."
The cockpit fell still. The bickering stopped instantly, Scout slumping back in her seat while Zule returned to scanning telemetry without a word. Fay stood behind them her hands folded in the sleeves of her cloak. Her silver-blonde hair was pinned behind one ear, the rest trailing loosely over one shoulder.
Vaylin, seated on the chair near the sensor station, looked up curiously. "Is it really such a big deal?"
Fay nodded gently. "I visited the Sun Station once. Nearly a century ago. Even then, it was a marvel."
Scout's eyes lit up. "Wait... you've been here before?"
"I have. Though it has changed much." Fay looked toward the glowing shape in the distance. "The Republic spares no expense here. It is the foundation of their future fleets, a fortress of innovation. But I do not wish for you to get your hopes up, Scout."
The young Padawan's smile faded a little.
Fay continued, "We are not here as tourists. We are wounded, unexpected, and under special clearance. It is unlikely we will be permitted to see any of the current projects."
Scout nodded, a bit deflated. But after a moment, she shrugged. "Still beats crashing into star grazers."
Fay smiled faintly. "An excellent perspective."
"Bringing us in," Aubrie said, adjusting the stabilizers. The station's gravity anchors were starting to take hold. She checked the flight vector again, then flipped a switch. "Pinging them now."
A second passed.
A chime lit up the console.
[Incoming Transmission]
A blue holo-lit symbol of the Republic flickered into view, followed by a voice.
"Unidentified vessel, this is Sun Station Command. You are entering restricted approach space. Identify yourselves and transmit clearance code immediately."
Aubrie took a breath. "This is the Vengeance, under special clearance from Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Transmitting clearance now."
She keyed in the authentication code Padmé had given her. For a moment, nothing happened. The transmission fell silent.
Then, a new voice came through.
"Vengeance, your credentials have been verified. Welcome to Sun Station. Proceed to Docking Bay Seventeen. Hold vector and reduce speed to .05 sublight. A tractor assist will guide you in."
The coordinates lit up on the display. Aubrie relaxed a little in her seat.
"Copy that, Dock Seventeen. Holding vector."
The ship's thrusters slowed. A tug field from the station reached out, locking onto the ship. Lights blinked as the docking sequence activated. Aubrie leaned back, letting the station take over. Outside, the bay loomed ahead, it was an enormous circular opening, with retractable doors and magnetic clamps the size of buildings. Inside, cranes and droids moved in perfect sync, prepping the berth. As the ship began its slow descent toward the station interior, Scout pressed her face to the viewport. "I can't believe we're actually here."
"You can't believe many things," Zule murmured, eyes still on her screen.
"I'm ignoring you."
"Sure you will."
Fay allowed herself the faintest sigh as the two resumed their verbal sparring. Vaylin, still curious, moved to the window to look for herself. She said nothing, but her expression mirrored Scout's wonder.
The Vengeance settled into Docking Bay Seventeen with a gentle thud, the tractor field releasing its grip as magnetic clamps locked the hull in place. The engines powered down with a disturbing whine, the cockpit falling into a hush broken only by the unbuckling of belts and movement inside. Scout unbuckled first, practically vaulting from her seat, while Zule rose more slowly, stretching her arms and back clicking them slightly. Master Fay stood gracefully, and Vaylin followed.
Aubrie killed the last of the systems, the console lights dimming to standby. "Alright, everyone. Let's not keep them waiting." She led the way down the ramp, the group filing out into the huge bay. The place was practically buzzing with activity; droids scurrying on repulsors, techs in Republic jumpsuits barking orders, the sharp screeching sound of welding sparks. Vast scaffolds towering overhead like the ribs of some mechanical giant, cradling half-built fighters and other kinds of prototypes.
A burly human dock master approached, his coveralls stained with grease, a datapad clutched in one meaty hand. His face seemed to form a perpetual scowl, his eyes narrowing as he took in the ragtag group "You the Vengeance crew?" he barked, "Senator Amidala's party? About time you showed. Bay's been held for hours."
Aubrie stepped forward, undeterred by his tone. "That's us. Aubrie Wyn, acting captain. We appreciate the berth."
The dock master snorted, thumbing through his datapad without looking up. "Appreciate it all you want. Here's the deal, Amidala paid for the full package. Structural reinforcement on your hull plating, hyperdrive overhaul with Kuat-grade coils, shield emitter recalibration, and a full diagnostic sweep. Parts are premium; no skimping. You'll get access codes for Bay Seventeen only so don't wander, or security'll space you. Codes expire in forty-eight hours. Ship's yours when we're done, but cross me, and I'll scrap the whole thing for parts. Questions?"
Scout opened her mouth, eyes gleaming at the mention of upgrades, but Zule elbowed her silent. Fay inclined her head politely, while Vaylin merely stared, her presence unsettling the man for a flicker before he grunted and turned away. "Techs'll start now. Foreman'll handle the details."
Aubrie sighed, rubbing her temple as the dock master stomped off, already barking at a droid. She knew this would be a long day. But the ship needed it, and Padmé's favor had bought them this shot. She turned to the group. "I'll stay with the foreman, oversee the work. You lot explore the station if you want. Just stick to public areas, no snooping in restricted zones. Scout, that means you."
Scout grinned, already edging toward a nearby observation deck overlooking a prototype assembly line. "Yes, ma'am! Public areas only. Totally."
Zule rolled her eyes but followed, with Fay and Vaylin trailing. The bay doors hissed shut behind them, leaving Aubrie alone with the sound of repairs beginning. After waiting for a moment she moved through the cluster of repair droids hovering around the Vengeance's hull, their manipulator arms extending to probe damaged panels. She stepped aside as one droid floated past, and Engineers in Republic jumpsuits directed the work.
She boarded the ship via the open ramp, weaving past a pair of technicians installing new sensor arrays near the airlock. The corridor led her deeper into the vessel, where more droids clustered around exposed wiring, their tools whirring as they fused connections.
She reached the engine room where SD8 stood motionless in the center, its tall frame blocking access to the warp core chamber.
"SD8," Aubrie said, approaching the droid. "Did you shut down the warp core and hide all traces in the databases?"
SD8's photoreceptors glowed steadily. "Affirmative, Mistress. The core is powered down and isolated. In the ship's manifest, it appears as a secondary power source. Engineers cannot access its systems or scan the contents without triggering failsafes."
Aubrie nodded, her fingers tracing a nearby panel. "Good. Jaden wouldn't want anyone discovering this. He and Velea poured everything into building it. Stay here and keep it safe. No one touches this area."
"Yes, Mistress," SD8 replied.
"If there's trouble, you know where I am," Aubrie said, turning to leave. She exited the engine room, passing the same technicians now calibrating thruster nozzles. Back in the hangar bay, she found a sturdy crate near the ramp and sat down, crossing her legs and closing her eyes, drawing a deep breath to center herself.
Meditation came slowly at first, her mind a whirlwind of concerns. Jaden's face flashed in her thoughts. She worried about him constantly, out there in Hutt space, tangled in the war again. He had escaped it once, vowing to stay clear after Jabiim, but Padmé's plea had pulled him back. Aubrie understood; the senator had saved him during his trial, risking her career and life to expose Collan Eislo. Still, it stung that he went without them. Would he be safe? Tatooine crawled with different dangers—slavers, bounty hunters, Separatist spies. One wrong move, and he could vanish into the dunes.
She pushed the fear down, focusing on her breath. Inhale. Exhale.
The crew needed her to be composed. She needed to make sure that the doubts that she was sure everyone was feeling didn't affect her. If she allowed them to then it would only make everyone feel worse. She just needed to meditate, and focus on the ships repairs while everyone else distracted themselves with the wonders of this station.
(AN: Around 23k words for this chapter so I'll be breaking it up. It basically just covers what happened to the girls while Jaden is away and their encounter with the big bad.)
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