Wade Vox, Jedi Knight, stretched in the pilot seat of his YT-2400 freighter, Guardian, as he watched the swirls of hyperspace.
As he stared out into space at the controled chaos of hyperspeed, he sighed softly. He had just departed the Jedi world of Naboo, where he had stayed for little over a month.
He had found no rest there, as he had hoped. He had completed his Jedi training several years before, and had seen action at some of the most intense battles of the modern age of the galaxy. He had been there when the New Alliance had seized Myrkr, Wayland, Sernpidal. He had been present at the Battle of Dantooine, Corellia, and Onyx. He had also been present when the Zoist Empire attacked Naboo, and had assisted in the cleanup of the city of Theed.
But those days were behind him. After the Battle of Dantooine he had left the New Alliance, and had never looked back. He had served for some time, under Gash Jiren, in the New Republic. But he could find no peace there. After the Battle of Bastion, he had abandoned the Republic, and had wandered around the galaxy, helping where he could, assisting where he was needed. He had even provided some much needed information to the Jutraalian Empire, in order for them to help the last survivors of the New Republic.
But then he had tired of his travels and had finally returned to Naboo, to offer his assistance to the Jedi Order. But he wasn't needed there either, and he could find no rest there.
There was but one last place where he could visit. The final resting place of a great Sith Lord, and an entire race of beings.
Yavin 4.
It had been suggested to him, by a very old Jedi Master on Drall, that he seek out Yavin 4. There he could keep watch of the Temples there, and perhaps make sure that no more evil would ever reside there.
A sudden whistling suddenly snapped him out of his reverie. He glanced back at the closed door to the cockpit and heard a muffled voice and whistleing.
He stood and ventured to the common area, where a dejarik board and a kitchen was located. He smiled as he saw his protocal droid, C2, and his astromech, nicknamed 'Rocky' arguing with each other.
"Master Wade!" Exclaimed C2. He was actually, a small round slicer droid, inhabiting the metal body of a protocal droid. He was a counterpart of the famous assassin droid C4 Sith/Yuuzhan Vong hunter. And Wade had received him and Rocky as a parting gift from Joren Logan of the New Alliance, all those years ago.
"Hello guys. What is going on?"
"Well, sir" C2 said, "I have discovered that astromechs, particularly this one, are adept at cheating at dejarik!"
Wade laughed, as Rocky gave an electronic snort in C2 general direction.
"How unthinkable! I am a protocal droid! I do not cheat!"
Rocky gave another series of toots and whistles, probably reminding the other that he was not a protocal droid. But a slicer droid who could very well be capable of cheating.
"Master Wade! Do you see what I must go through? I cannot stand these unfathomable lies!" C2 Announced.
Wade laughed to himself and returned to the cockpit, just in time to see a red light blinking. It was a minor console, the scientific navigational computer. He had New Alliance techs install it to help detect hyperspace lanes.
Most hyperspace lanes were marked by the incredible amount of 'hyperspace trails'. Since most starship engines rely on ion power, it left an easily detectable trail of ion backwash. And the scientific navigational computer was designed to continuously sweep the surrounding area for such Ion trails, mostly to help avoid crossing hyperspace lanes at their busiest points. Now, the SNC was detecting massive amounts of ion backwash. As if a a large number of ships had been travelling back and forth across this area.
He scanned forward, and tracked the trails.
After a few moments, another red light began to go off. It was the hyperspace counter, and it was begining to tick down. Wade watched it, and placed his hands on the lever, ready to haul back on it when the time was right. But he was still concerned about those ion trails. There were dozens of them, and whatever ships had been there, it had been recent. That is so, because ion trails dissipate very quickly. These trails were not years old.
"Rocky, you had better get up here. We are preparing to come out of hyperspace."
The droid twittled over the commlink.
Wade was a bit uneasy, and he felt a disturbance in the Force. Almost warning him of impending danger. He ignored it for now, determined to find out what had become of the Jedi world of Yavin 4.
The counter ticked to zero and Wade pulled the lever back just as the astromech rolled into the cockpit.
The Yavin system instantly replaced the brightness of hyperspace. Wade had chosen a vector that took him close to Yavin, the gas giant, which would scramble any sensors that were pointed his way.
He instantly scaned the entire system, and felt slightly sickened at what he found.
Shipyards. Orbiting Yavin 4.
As he stared out into space at the controled chaos of hyperspeed, he sighed softly. He had just departed the Jedi world of Naboo, where he had stayed for little over a month.
He had found no rest there, as he had hoped. He had completed his Jedi training several years before, and had seen action at some of the most intense battles of the modern age of the galaxy. He had been there when the New Alliance had seized Myrkr, Wayland, Sernpidal. He had been present at the Battle of Dantooine, Corellia, and Onyx. He had also been present when the Zoist Empire attacked Naboo, and had assisted in the cleanup of the city of Theed.
But those days were behind him. After the Battle of Dantooine he had left the New Alliance, and had never looked back. He had served for some time, under Gash Jiren, in the New Republic. But he could find no peace there. After the Battle of Bastion, he had abandoned the Republic, and had wandered around the galaxy, helping where he could, assisting where he was needed. He had even provided some much needed information to the Jutraalian Empire, in order for them to help the last survivors of the New Republic.
But then he had tired of his travels and had finally returned to Naboo, to offer his assistance to the Jedi Order. But he wasn't needed there either, and he could find no rest there.
There was but one last place where he could visit. The final resting place of a great Sith Lord, and an entire race of beings.
Yavin 4.
It had been suggested to him, by a very old Jedi Master on Drall, that he seek out Yavin 4. There he could keep watch of the Temples there, and perhaps make sure that no more evil would ever reside there.
A sudden whistling suddenly snapped him out of his reverie. He glanced back at the closed door to the cockpit and heard a muffled voice and whistleing.
He stood and ventured to the common area, where a dejarik board and a kitchen was located. He smiled as he saw his protocal droid, C2, and his astromech, nicknamed 'Rocky' arguing with each other.
"Master Wade!" Exclaimed C2. He was actually, a small round slicer droid, inhabiting the metal body of a protocal droid. He was a counterpart of the famous assassin droid C4 Sith/Yuuzhan Vong hunter. And Wade had received him and Rocky as a parting gift from Joren Logan of the New Alliance, all those years ago.
"Hello guys. What is going on?"
"Well, sir" C2 said, "I have discovered that astromechs, particularly this one, are adept at cheating at dejarik!"
Wade laughed, as Rocky gave an electronic snort in C2 general direction.
"How unthinkable! I am a protocal droid! I do not cheat!"
Rocky gave another series of toots and whistles, probably reminding the other that he was not a protocal droid. But a slicer droid who could very well be capable of cheating.
"Master Wade! Do you see what I must go through? I cannot stand these unfathomable lies!" C2 Announced.
Wade laughed to himself and returned to the cockpit, just in time to see a red light blinking. It was a minor console, the scientific navigational computer. He had New Alliance techs install it to help detect hyperspace lanes.
Most hyperspace lanes were marked by the incredible amount of 'hyperspace trails'. Since most starship engines rely on ion power, it left an easily detectable trail of ion backwash. And the scientific navigational computer was designed to continuously sweep the surrounding area for such Ion trails, mostly to help avoid crossing hyperspace lanes at their busiest points. Now, the SNC was detecting massive amounts of ion backwash. As if a a large number of ships had been travelling back and forth across this area.
He scanned forward, and tracked the trails.
After a few moments, another red light began to go off. It was the hyperspace counter, and it was begining to tick down. Wade watched it, and placed his hands on the lever, ready to haul back on it when the time was right. But he was still concerned about those ion trails. There were dozens of them, and whatever ships had been there, it had been recent. That is so, because ion trails dissipate very quickly. These trails were not years old.
"Rocky, you had better get up here. We are preparing to come out of hyperspace."
The droid twittled over the commlink.
Wade was a bit uneasy, and he felt a disturbance in the Force. Almost warning him of impending danger. He ignored it for now, determined to find out what had become of the Jedi world of Yavin 4.
The counter ticked to zero and Wade pulled the lever back just as the astromech rolled into the cockpit.
The Yavin system instantly replaced the brightness of hyperspace. Wade had chosen a vector that took him close to Yavin, the gas giant, which would scramble any sensors that were pointed his way.
He instantly scaned the entire system, and felt slightly sickened at what he found.
Shipyards. Orbiting Yavin 4.
