Chapter 21: Jedi Knight

20. Jedi Knight

"So, if you can set aside personal prejudices, you will find that this is not the Trade Federation's style of operation. If they truly wanted to mine here, it certainly wouldn't be like this," Qui-Gon Jinn said. "Let's fly over and see who is on that mining station."

"Wait... there's another massive signal!" the co-pilot suddenly exclaimed. "On Endor's synchronous orbit—it has just moved to the other side of the planet. It's... my god, the radar shows this thing is over 40,000 meters in height!"

"A giant space station?" Qui-Gon Jinn was stunned by the dimension, then immediately turned serious. "To think such a massive space station exists outside the Galactic Core! If that's the case, the owner of this station must have grand ambitions! Obi-Wan, let's fly toward the station. Try to contact them."

"Understood." Obi-Wan Kenobi picked up the communicator, opened the public channel, and called out: "Hello, we are... uh, travelers passing through. We encountered gravitational turbulence while navigating the Mordel Channel, and our ship has been damaged. We hope to come by for supplies. Please respond."

A moment later, a woman's voice came through the comms: "Hello, travelers. We are the Fourth Group Pioneer Colonization Corps. We hope you come with goodwill."

"The Fourth Group?" Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi exchanged a glance, both seeing deep confusion in each other's eyes.

...

Outer Rim, Albario Sector, Makito System.

The *Gun Rider* exited hyperspace, instantly appearing in the dark void of space. Almost simultaneously, Tang Xiao received a hyperspace transmission from the Mothership. Although the Mothership's hyperspace core was currently unusable due to unknown reasons, it was still capable of supporting hyperspace communications even if it couldn't facilitate jumps.

"...Is the infrared laser weapon's power insufficient? Is there a way to increase the output?" Tang Xiao was sitting in a guest seat, speaking with the mechanical engineer, Dr. Guan Yan.

"Not for the time being. Because the Blade-class fighters use a small-scale fusion reactor, it is an outdated version; the energy provided per unit volume is insufficient to support the power of an infrared laser weapon. To increase the power of the infrared laser turrets, we would need to install more advanced small-scale nuclear fusion reactors," Dr. Guan Yan explained. "That is the direction of my next research phase."

"Then I'll leave that to you. Before the Ghost fighter's analysis is complete, try to maximize the combat effectiveness of the Blade-class fighters first. Alright, call Qi Jian over," Tang Xiao said.

"Administrator, the production plan for the recent 50 Blade-class fighters has been completed. We are currently conducting the first round of modifications in batches, replacing the weapon systems with infrared laser turrets," Qi Jian's voice came through.

"And the results?"

"Weapon testing is also finished. The destructive capability of the small laser turrets that can be installed on the fighters is about 30% higher than the basic electromagnetic cannons, but the effective range is only 3,000 kilometers. This certainly cannot compare to kinetic weapons, which have an almost infinite range in space, but it will save the space previously used for ammunition, reducing the airframe weight and improving maneuverability."

Tang Xiao nodded. "Have the pilots undergo more energy weapon firing training. From now on, our primary research direction for weapons will be energy weapons. In this galaxy, energy weapon technology is extremely advanced."

And most importantly, as a *Stellaris* "energy dog," he had to climb the energy tech tree straight toward L-Gates and Arc Emitters!

He checked the personnel list again and found that with the development of the colony, two more elite-level scientists had met the requirements for awakening. One was a computer expert, and the other was an engine expert. These were exactly what he needed. He immediately arranged for their awakening and added them to Dr. Feng Yongwang's team to accelerate the R&D of the Ghost fighter.

Then, Tang Xiao searched through the Master-level figures for an Aerospace Chief Engineer and looked at the requirements. The conditions were harsh, including a ground wind tunnel laboratory, a space shipyard, and a complete scientific research team.

However, there was no better shortcut. He sent these requirements to Daphne Clement, instructing her to do everything possible to meet these needs so he could awaken this Chief Engineer.

While Tang Xiao was working remotely, the voice of the Mainframe suddenly interrupted: [Administrator, please allow me to interrupt. I just received a message on the public channel. A ship claiming to be travelers has requested to board. Clement believes she cannot handle this situation and hopes for your immediate decision.]

"Travelers? Requesting to board!? What's going on? No one usually comes to the Endor system! And there hasn't been any news from Kunto's group! Where did these travelers come from?" Tang Xiao immediately became alert.

[Reason unknown. Based on the environment surrounding the Endor system, there is indeed no possibility of frequent visitors.]

"Forget it, patch the communication through," Tang Xiao said with a frown.

[Understood, Administrator. Patching through hyperspace communication immediately. This communication contains image data.]

A hologram appeared before Tang Xiao. A middle-aged man wearing a cloak spoke very politely: "Hello. I presume you are the administrator of this space station on the planet Endor. My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, a traveler. Our ship encountered some malfunctions during hyperspace travel, and we hope to receive repairs and supplies from you. Please help us."

But Tang Xiao's attention was not on this obvious excuse. He simply stared at the man, and then suddenly blurted out a sentence for no apparent reason: "You are a Jedi Knight, aren't you?"

The other party was clearly stunned, but then gave a faint smile. "I don't believe I have the words 'Jedi Knight' written on my face."

Tang Xiao's expression turned solemn. "Then, can you tell me why a Jedi Knight would suddenly appear here?" He had already recognized him.

Jedi Master—Qui-Gon Jinn!

Qui-Gon Jinn looked exactly like he did in the movies; as soon as Tang Xiao heard him state his name, the pieces clicked into place.

Seeing no other way through the communication, Qui-Gon Jinn decided to tell the truth. "The sudden appearance of a space station in this remote system of Endor is something the Galactic Republic must take notice of."

"Master, it's been confirmed. That massive object is a spaceship, not a space station!" another voice interjected.

Qui-Gon Jinn's expression also became very serious. He stared at Tang Xiao and said, word by word, "So, that is the reason I am here."

He had only traveled to this world a few days ago, and how did a Jedi Knight find his way to his doorstep? This was absolutely not normal!

Could it be because of that dream he had before?

In the world of *Star Wars*, the Force was such an irrational existence. It could foresee the future, perform feats that seemed like magic, and act like an invisible hand manipulating the fates of all living beings in the galaxy.

Because of that dream, Tang Xiao had gone to Tatooine, failed to meet Anakin Skywalker, but instead became entangled with the terrifying Sith Lord Darth Plagueis. And now, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was proactively seeking him out?

If one were to say these things were unrelated, it would be absolutely impossible!

Tang Xiao let out a soft sigh and said, "This ship does not have hyperspace capabilities, and it is entirely a civilian vessel intended for colonization on the planet Endor. The paperwork for this colonization mission is currently being processed by the Republic."

"We will not interfere with normal commercial activities, provided you can prove they are legal," Qui-Gon Jinn said.

"If you don't mind, please feel free to stay on my Mothership for a short while. I will return shortly," Tang Xiao said.

"In that case, I would be very grateful for your hospitality," Qui-Gon Jinn nodded slightly.

Ending the communication, Tang Xiao took a deep breath and shook his head.

He was beginning to understand one thing—this revolution and war sweeping across the entire galaxy was something he could not avoid. Even if he hid at home, he would be found. And when that time came, being a recluse would only make him more vulnerable!

He had to go out and seek that sliver of life amidst the despair!

The path of war was his only choice!!