Chapter 25: Pirates

24. Pirates

Meanwhile, in the Endo Galaxy.

Three small spacecraft emerged from hyperspace into the star system: two G-9 light freighters and one GX-1 transport ship. Although called freighters, they had undergone extensive modifications; their cargo holds had been converted into laser turrets, bringing their armament to an extremely high level.

"Endo Galaxy, let's take a loop around here. See if there's anything unusual," a pilot said lazily over the comms channel.

"I don't know what Master Dooku wants us to find in the Mordel Sector. It's just too difficult," another replied.

"Tell me about it! If I had the time to scour the entire Mordel Sector, I'd rather head to the Outer Rim for a score!"

"Stop complaining. The money Master Dooku gave us is enough to let us live large for a while once we return to Cyrenno. Get back to work!"

"Boss! There's a strong radar signal coming from the direction of planet Endo!"

"Someone's actually in this godforsaken place called the Endo Galaxy? Ha! Maybe business has come our way! Let's go check it out!"

...

Qui-Gon Jinn picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The delicate fragrance of black tea spread through his mouth, refreshing his mind. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, savoring the aroma.

"Are you used to this kind of black tea, Master Qui-Gon?" Daphne Clement asked with a smile, sitting opposite him.

"I have never had a beverage quite so... well, I wouldn't call it delicious, but rather, comforting," Qui-Gon Jinn replied with a nod.

"How have you found our inspection of the Fourth Group's colonies over these past few days?" Clement continued.

"There is indeed nothing suspicious, except... the large-scale mining operations you have established on the fourth moon. Are you planning to develop industry here?" Qui-Gon countered.

"That's correct. Our Group also has some business in shipbuilding," Clement answered.

"Only large conglomerates are capable of building starships." Qui-Gon Jinn stood up, looking through the spacious viewport of the mothership at the small interstellar shipyard under construction outside, then turned back to ask, "Then why have I never heard of the Fourth Group before?"

"Our Group has only just been established, so many things are still in their infancy."

"I recall there are indigenous species on planet Endo, correct?" Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Um, you have already renamed the planet Dawn. However, such a change must be reported to the relevant departments of the Republic."

"That is correct, the Ewoks. We are getting along well with them and have already begun teaching some Ewoks to help us with tasks like building houses. Once we have fully mastered their language, we will gradually carry out educational work for the Ewoks, striving to bring them into civilized society as soon as possible," Clement replied flawlessly. "Additionally, there are other intelligent species on planet Dawn, such as the Duloks, but they are quite aggressive, so we are still in the stage of preliminary contact."

"Very well, I hope so. You should know that genocide caused by colonial expansion is strictly prohibited in the Galactic Republic," Obi-Wan said.

"Naturally. We have specialized personnel on Coruscant handling these matters," Clement replied with a smile, though her heart was pounding uncontrollably.

Specialized personnel, my foot! She had only heard the name "Coruscant" a few days ago from Felasi, who was being held here as a hostage.

"Then your leader, Tang Xiao. Have you still not been able to contact him?" Qui-Gon Jinn asked.

A look of worry appeared on Clement's face. "Not yet. He should be somewhere in the hyperspace lanes. I am not sure where he has gone. According to the original plan, he was supposed to make a trip to Tatooine to look for product sales channels."

"What kind of person is Tang Xiao?"

Clement smiled. "He is visionary, approachable, and fearless. Although he is still somewhat green, he is growing into an excellent leader."

"I think she is being sincere, Master," Obi-Wan Kenobi whispered from the side. "The Force can sense her current emotions."

"To possess such a magnificent mothership at such a young age and to initiate the colonization of a planet, this Tang Xiao deserves such praise," Qui-Gon Jinn laughed.

"On behalf of our administrator, I thank you for your affirmation." Clement stood up very solemnly and bowed to the two men.

[Notification: Incoming communication.] The voice of the Mainframe suddenly rang out.

"Patch it through," Chief of Staff Qi Jian immediately commanded from the staff office on the other side.

Then, an incredibly arrogant face appeared on the bridge's large screen. "Where did you get this big ship? You've come to mine on planet Endo without authorization—do you have a permit? We are Galactic Republic Tax Officers, here to investigate your tax status. If you're smart, hand over the taxes immediately, otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Qi Jian's face darkened instantly. "Tax officers? Hmph! This is nothing but highway robbery!"

"I told you, we are acting according to regulations," the man remained incredibly arrogant. "With a ship as large as yours, you should pay... 1 million credits in taxes. Hand it over as soon as possible!"

On the other side, Obi-Wan Kenobi lunged toward the screen, but was stopped by Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon turned to Clement and said, "I can assure you, Galactic Republic tax officers are not like this."

"I understand. Please wait a moment." Clement's expression also turned serious as she stood up and walked toward the combat command center.

"Master, those are clearly pirates! We cannot just sit by and watch!" Obi-Wan whispered to Qui-Gon once Clement had walked away.

"We are guests. In this situation, we should await the host's decision," Qui-Gon said, shaking his head gently.

"I understand that, but this..."

"Calm down, Obi-Wan. No matter what happens, we are capable of handling it."

"Yes, Master."

In the command center, Qi Jian gave the order: "Alert the entire ship to combat status! Everyone return to your posts! Starfighter pilots, enter your cockpits and await instructions! Stop all interstellar mining operations!"

Alarms immediately rang out throughout the mothership. Staff members on break rushed from their quarters to their respective stations.

"Commander! Three ships are advancing toward the interstellar mining station on the gas giant! The ships are between 30 and 50 meters in length—they are light corvette class!" the radar operator shouted.

"Issue a final ultimatum to them! Demand they stop advancing! Otherwise, we will resort to force!" Qi Jian said decisively.

Clement, however, was somewhat worried. "We only have some Blade-class fighters right now. The combat capability of those fighters..."

"Even if I only have a dagger left in my hand, I will fight to the end!" A fire seemed to ignite in Qi Jian's eyes.

[Easter Egg Chapter Attachment 1: Blade-class Starfighter]

Thanks to Darth Zanna for the 1500 Qidian coins!! Thanks to aa330 for the 100 Qidian coins!!

(End of Chapter)