Chapter 3: Team Effort
"They ain't coming back, are they?" Applejack asked, though only silence answered her as they hung. The net swayed, jostled by their own movements and what little breeze there was but it was clear Jarg and Sorno were gone. They were alone, helpless and hanging twenty feet above the ground.
"Sev?"
"Yeah, Vars?"
"I think... Rarity, if you could move your leg just a bit-"
"Which way?" Rarity asked, squeezed in between the two Jedi and her friend.
"Move it up a bit and then, Sev-"
"I got ya, hold on," Sev said, twisting his body to angle his belt towards Vars' hand. "Can you reach it with the Force?"
"Yeah, I'm trying to unclip it," Vars said, reaching with his hand. His friend's double-bladed lightsaber twitched at his belt. "It's stuck."
"You have to pull it up first."
"I am pulling it up, it's stuck!"
"No, up towards you!"
"What does that even mean?!"
"Guys," AJ interrupted, "probably not the best time to fight when we're dangling like fish in a net. Just a thought."
Her words were not heeded. "Which way are you pulling it?"
"I'm pulling it up!"
"That's the wrong way- pull it towards you!" Sev yelled.
"Maybe I can reach it with magic," Rarity suggested.
Applejack took the opportunity to get comfortable. "Don't try to help them, Rars, I'm sure they got this all figured out."
"No, no, I've almost got it!" Vars protested.
"You don't have it at all!" Sev said back. "Let her help!"
"She might accidentally turn it on!"
"Give her a chance! You've been trying here for almost-"
"I've almost got it! I've almost-"
Rarity, squashed to the side of the two of them, didn't know what to do. "Should I help or not?"
"At this point, I don't think you could make things any-"
*voom-voom*
Two flashes of blue suddenly flew overhead. They sliced through the top of the net causing it to fall around them. But they did not fall with it. For a brief moment, it was as if time had stopped for the four of them. They hung in the air, supported by seemingly nothing at all.
"What's... going on?" Sev asked, looking around. "You doing this Vars?"
"Was about to ask if you were doing it."
Even Rarity was confused for a moment. But Applejack wasn't. For once, she knew exactly what was going on. "Relax, fellers. The pros have arrived," she said, feeling better than she had all day.
The group was gently lowered to the ground in a purple field of energy, not of the Force but of something else all together. Applejack didn't need to be told what it was, didn't need to turn around to see who it was, didn't need to ask the name of the person, of the pony who had rescued them. She already knew the answer.
"Twilight!!!"
"Applejack!" The two mares ran to each other and embraced.
"Twilight, darling!" Rarity was quick to run up after them and join the hug. Vars and Sev were content to watch, relieved that the ordeal was finally over.
"I'm happy to see you're all safe," another voice said. The five of them looked up to see another cloaked figure, another Jedi Master, this time, a female.
"Master Arralai!" the other Jedi exclaimed. They ran past the ponies up to her, nearly running through them. She pulled her hood back as they approached, revealing she wasn't a human but a zabrak. She nodded to both of them individually as they approached.
"Twilight, where were you?" Applejack asked. "What happened out there? Why didn't y'all tell me you were leaving early?"
"A lot of things happened," Twilight said. "We found a possible connection between Equestrians and the ancient inhabitants of Taris. Logs left behind by a group of exiles called the Outcasts make references to the lost history of this planet."
Applejack shook her head. "Twi, Twi, Twi, you're telling me you came all the way out here just because somebody went and dug up some old books?"
The purple unicorn bashfully shrugged. "Well, these logs might be the only clues we have to that time period, and whether or not ponies visited this planet, too. So... yes? But, they're really important. I was hoping to research this more for Princess Celestia."
Rarity smiled softly at both of them. "If there's one thing we can always be certain of, it's our Twilight will never pass an opportunity to learn something new."
"Especially if it means dragging us along for the ride."
Twilight blushed. They were right and there was no way for her to hide it. Still, she was happy to see them and she knew they were happy to see her. "Thank you both for coming. I'm sorry I made you go to all the trouble of searching for me."
"What caused you to drop out of contact?" Rarity asked. "We were afraid you ran into those two bounty hunters."
"We did," the female Jedi said. She strode over to the ponies with an air of confidence about her. It was somewhat unsettling in the ruined landscape. "We were actually hunting for them after we rescued the prisoners. Instead, we found and rescued all of you."
"You rescued the other prisoners?" Rarity asked. "You mean the ones from Gendar Station?"
Twilight nodded. "That's right; Master Arralai and I managed to lose the bounty hunters but then they captured Gendar Station. It seemed like they wanted to lure us out," she explained.
"Well, that's great!" AJ remarked. "Finally, some good news! We were due for some after all of this."
"I think we are all agreed on that," Vars added.
"The troopers we rescued should already be back at Olaris by now. We should check in with the governor so she can call off the search," Twilight said.
Applejack put her hat back on its rightful place atop her head. "Now, that sounds like a plan, Twi. Best one I've heard since I came to this planet, anyway," she declared, striding off back to base.
Just as soon as she walked off, Twilight turned to Rarity and asked, "Has she been like this since she got here?"
Rarity simply smiled, a little too wide to be entirely genuine. "Hardly noticed at all, dear Twilight. Hardly noticed at all."
"That makes one of us," Vars commented.
"Y'all gonna stand around all day? Come on, let's get back to base camp before somepony else goes missing," Applejack said. None of them raised any objections. Taking the same path they had used to get there, they journeyed back to Olaris.
Although AJ had started out in front, her concern for Twilight's well-being gradually saw her drift further back to the middle of the group with her friends. Master Arralai was out in front with the other two Jedi taking up the rear, both to keep the ponies safe and simply because the female Jedi was walking considerably faster than the rest of them.
"How you holding up, Twi?" AJ asked.
"Good... good," Twilight said. She looked over to her orange friend, walking beside her. "How've you been, though?" AJ glanced at her from the side as she asked that question. "Rarity tells me you haven't exactly enjoyed the trip here so far."
"I think that's putting it a bit generously," Applejack said, her tone blunt and honest as always.
"We were both concerned with finding you," Rarity interjected. "It was a bit strenuous on all of us, no doubt."
"I appreciate it," Twilight said, "but what we're doing here is important. Not more important than any of us, of course but... we really could use your help here, Applejack."
Applejack sighed. "I know, Twi, I know. I'd just like it if we were doing this a little closer to home, is all. Call it a personal preference."
"That's the only real difficulty you're having with this place?"
"It's a pretty strong preference."
Twilight nodded. "I can understand that. It definitely felt like I was out of my element when I first got here. But... you get used to it."
Rarity giggled. "I believe it took me the longest to "find my element" here. Being out here, so far away from civilization... and insect repellant. But, we go where we're needed to help Equestria. Even if it's a little further from Equestria than we're comfortable with, at first."
"I know, I know. I guess this is just a little bit of an adjustment for me, is all," she admitted. She looked down at her own hooves as she walked, stepping lightly on the grass underneath them. "I'm pretty sure I'll be able to manage." Even lightyears away from Equestria, on an entirely different planet, the grass was green, cool and felt the same as the grass back on her farm. It wasn't the same on every planet and some planets didn't even have plant life. But it was the same here and it reminded her of home. It made sense that it took her friends to get her to see it. She finally felt comfortable on Taris, walking beside them.
"So, what exactly are we doing here, anyway? Some kinda community project?"
"Something like that," Twilight said. "The Republic wants to rebuild Taris to make it a symbol, a beacon of hope. This project will be a testament to our cooperation and the message that when we work together, anything is possible. Every species that contributes here will be allowed to establish a colony on this planet. This could be the first colony for ponies on a new world."
"A colony?" AJ repeated. "We're here to build our own pony colony?"
Twilight patted her saddlebag. "Well, not quite. Based on the information I've found, we won't be building a colony- we'll be restoring one." She rubbed the back of her neck and added, "As soon as we find it, anyway."
AJ raised her head and looked around her. Amongst the ruins, there were trees of different kinds, flowers in some places and vines and foliage of all kinds throughout the destroyed buildings. She felt the grass underneath her hooves and knew that there was soil underneath all of this, rich, ripe and ready. They could do this.
"I think we can do this, Twi."
Both of Applejack's friends grabbed each other excitedly, turned to her and asked, "Does this mean you'll stay?!" They looked at her with eyes wide and gleaming, full of sparkly, excited hope.
She nodded. "I wasn't planning on leaving until you guys did anyway."
The sun was beginning to set by the time they arrived in the resettlement zone. Sounds of strange creatures, the early calls and howls of predators began to ring out as daylight retreated. They increased their pace a little but thankfully were not accosted further in their travels back to base. As they approached, they noticed more activity in and around the base: the gate was manned again and there were people working on the early settlement sites they passed. Corporal Vasser waved as they entered the base, closing the gate behind them.
"The base seems to still be in order," Rarity said, looking around. "That's a welcome bit of good fortune."
"Heh, yeah, would'a just been our luck to come back and find this place wrecked, too." They all looked at Applejack. "I, uh... hey, what's with the crowd?" As they passed the large supply building in the center of the base, they were greeted by a large crowd. Or rather, they'd just walked into the back of a large crowd.
"You can't just keep us here!"
"Screw the contracts! We're leaving NOW!" Dozens of people, beings from all over the galaxy and even a few ponies were all assembled in front of the spaceport. The doors in front were closed, as if the base was still under attack. From the looks of the people there, angered, shouting and a few banging on the doors, it may have been.
"What are all these people doing?" Twilight asked.
"Let's find out," Master Arralai said. She strode up to the nearest person at the back of the crowd, a tall bothan.
"Easy there, darlin'," AJ cautioned, trotting up to join her. Her friends followed close behind.
"Excuse me, sir, but can you tell me what's going on?"
"Oh ho, Jedi," the cat-like alien said, turning around. Several others turned around at the sound of the word Jedi. "I don't know exactly who's idea this was but maybe you can talk some sense into the governor."
"Governor Saresh? What's she got to do with this?"
"She's not letting anyone leave!" a woman behind them yelled.
"She claims our contracts "forbid" it and that we have to stay here on Taris until they're up," the alien explained. "I don't know about anyone else here but I didn't sign up to get eaten!"
"This is outrageous!"
"The Republic can't keep us here!"
"We're not your slaves! We're not your slaves!"
The crowd grew angrier. The doors to the spaceport were still closed with only a shimmering blue hologram in front, a hologram of Governor Saresh.
Applejack careened over shoulders, stood up on her hind legs but still couldn't see. "One thing's for sure, we ain't gonna get any answers back here, so-"
"We should assert ourselves to the front," Master Arralai declared. The Jedi proceeded to do exactly that- she walked forward and immediately, the crowd began to part. She didn't appear to touch other beings but they were pushed aside, as if they had been shoved. Some were only bumped while others were more harshly shoved. A few responded by turning around in quick hostility, but when they saw who was in their way, they stopped.
"Guess she has the right idea. We're with her! Comin' through!" AJ called.
"Yes, um, excuse us," Rarity added. Both she and Twilight continued excusing their party all the way to the steps of the spaceport. As they approached, the massive doors opened. HK-55 was standing there to "greet" them with his rifle drawn.
"Assertion: For your safety, I must ask that you stay clear of the premises."
"What's goin' on?"
"Has there been an accident?" Twilight asked. "Was it the rakghouls?"
A tall, broad-shouldered man with slicked-back brown hair stepped to the side of HK. He stood a full head taller than everyone else, but somehow didn't look like he was talking down to them. "The situation has become a bit more complicated than that, I'm afraid." It sounded like there were more people behind him, but the others couldn't tell.
Before the others could ask, the green-skinned Jedi erupted in praise. "Master Cerik! It's so good to see you back!"
He smiled. "And you too, Kara." The sound of boots behind the new master grew louder.
"ANOTHER Master?" Applejack said, her voice nearly a sigh. "How many 'masters' are on this planet, exactly?"
"Dozens," Arralai answered matter-of-factly, turning to her. "Master Cerik, however, is the leader of the Jedi Order's operations on the planet."
He nodded. "The Jedi Order has an investment in this world, as does the Republic."
"As do the colonists," Twilight added. Cerik looked down at her. "Oh, uh, I didn't mean to interru-"
"You're correct," he said stoically, making some wonder if he approved or disapproved of Twilight's addition. "Taris is an investment for all of us. We've all risked much coming here and now, that investment is being recognized."
As Cerik spoke, the doors opened further, pulling back all the way to reveal green-armored soldiers marching out from either side of the divider. Single-file, the soldiers poured out, filling the entrance. Behind them, more robed figures, more Jedi assembled. Men, women, soldiers and Jedi assembled like they were going to war. They assembled behind Master Cerik.
"What... in the hay are all these guys?"
Cerik clasped his considerably-large hands behind his back. "The Senate has approved more military, financial and Jedi support for Taris. Even though resources are stretched thin, your efforts here are being recognized. I'm here to reassure you all that more help is on the way."
Applejack and the others had to step back as the soldiers filed out. More poured out of the space port in lines along with the Jedi. For every ten soldiers, there was a clocked figure in front of them, another Jedi. The colonists who had been dissenting before were now silent.
"Twi..." AJ began, "Something tells me these new fellers aren't here to help us do any digging." Applejack stood resolutely as a sea of green flowed around her, out into Olaris to do Celestia only knows what.
But whatever they were starting, there was no stopping it. Vars and Sev started talking to one of them while the other troopers continued. More ships flew overhead, casting shadows on the settlers. The soldiers who were already deployed quickly began setting up new and building things. Not engineers or workers, but soldiers.
"We will get to the bottom of this. Taris is a dangerous place," Twilight said.
AJ nodded. "Looks like it just got a lot more dangerous."
Cerik stepped forward. He looked down at the ponies, resembling to them something of a centaur or minotaur from Equestria. "You are the Equestrian survey group."
"Survey group?" AJ repeated.
He looked at her, his green eyes striking. He seemed to be examining something about her until finally, he smiled. "I sense your unease. Your kind are still new to the galaxy, you have yet to witness devestation like on Taris."
"I, uh, would have to agree," AJ admitted, tilting her hat back. "What exactly y'all bringing all these soldiers here for? Ya got dragons are something I haven't seen 'round here?"
Cerik quirked an eyebrow. His expression and voice remained stoic. "There is much you haven't seen. Including above us." The last of the troops filed out of the building as more ships flew overhead. A shuttle dropped off a large four-legged vehicle and landed nearby to open its rear bay and deploy yet more troops.
The tall Jedi took center stage on the steps again. "There is a Sith battle fleet at the edge of the system. We don't know what they're doing, we do not believe they are hostile at this time. The Treaty of Coruscant and the Treaty of Equestria are still being upheld by both sides. But, we have noticed unauthorized landings in this area. Olaris will remain on alert, as per the governor's instructions."
"Alert? What the hell does that mean?"
"We want off this rock!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible at this time," Cerik said, his voice booming. "For security measures, Taris is effectively under a quarantine. No ships may leave." The crowd boo'd, despite the soldiers around them, even louder than before. It looked almost like a revolt might be forming. "People, please. The Republic is here for you."
"We need food!"
"And you will get food," Cerik said, swiftly responding. "You will get whatever you need. I understand that it has been very difficult. And the Republic acknowledges your resolve, your courage, your sacrifice. I am here as a representative of the Jedi Order with word from the High Council and the Senate. I'm here to say we are not abandoning you. On the contrary- we are reinforcing you."
Applejack looked behind her. The gate of Olaris, the one she'd seen before was being taken down. In its place, a pair of turrets and barricades were being set up. "Reinforcing? Y'all are turning this into a combat base!"
Cerik looked at her. "That is exactly what we are doing," he said, not missing a beat.
Governor Saresh and HK-55 appeared from behind him. "Taris is a member of the Republic," she said, addressing the crowd right after him. The massive Jedi stepped aside for the small green woman. "I'm proud to announce that all of our reconstruction projects have just had their funding approved. We will be getting more supplies and manpower than we ever dreamed. And all of it paid for by the Senate!"
The crowd cheered. One moment they had been ready to take arms, the next they were celebrating. Several of the Cathar roared their approval, making AJ's skin crawl.
"Things have been hard for us," Saresh said. "This planet, this Republic, all of you have endured so much. But it is a testament to our unshakable unity, our resolve to take whatever this galaxy, whatever the Sith can throw at us and still stand. This world, our Taris, it is destined to become a beacon of our unity, our resolve and our hope for the entire galaxy that we can recover from any atrocity. Taris will become that beacon because of you, because all of us are working together to build a brighter future. This future belongs to all of us and now, with the Republic's help, we can make it a reality today! I am proud to welcome all of you officially to the Taris Resettlement Initiative! The future of Taris is ours!"
People clapped. Even the soldiers stopped what they were doing to clap. The settlers cheered and AJ saw that even Twilight and Rarity cheered. It was like a switch flipped. The colonists all went back to work. The green-armored soldiers and some of the Jedi went with them to supervise and assist. Olaris came to life.
Is this what passes for business as usual around here? AJ asked herself, watching the colonists.
Twilight seemed to sense what was on her friend's mind. "Sometimes, people just need a little inspiration. When times are tough, even a single bright spot can make all the difference."
"A blank check from the Senate helps, too," Saresh remarked, chuckling as she approached the others. "It's good to see you back, Captain Sparkle."
"Captain Sparkle?"
"It's, umm... thank you, governor," Twilight said bashfully.
Applejack folded her hooves. "Alright, a lot of stuff has been goin' on since I got here, since BEFORE I got here, I think somepony needs to tell me exactly what is goin' on. Are we restorin' a colony, buildin' a new one or...? What's goin' on, Twi?"
Saresh interrupted before she could answer. "You do deserve a full explanation. All of you. Please, come with me to the governor's building, I'll explain everything there." She started walking down the path, intent on leading them.
"Hold on," AJ stopped her, "where's Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy? I'm not going anywhere until they-"
"They're fine, I assure you," the green twi'lek said with a firm but not stern expression. "We'll contact them on their holocommunicators and have them meet us at my office. Is that all right?"
Applejack frowned, but nodded. She followed the governor down the path to a squat, square prefabricated building on a platform next to the north wall. For better or worse, Applejack was intent on getting answers.