It was quiet, so quiet that the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the occasional dripping of water and breathing. The crystal caverns were pitch black. The walls shimmered and the crystals glowed around a hooded purple figure. It was Twilight Sparkle, deep in thought and concentration. A glowing dark cyan crystal was suspended in midair. At her hooves, there were several shiny metal pieces on the ground. She slowly exhaled as a vision flashed in her mind:
She saw herself as a unicorn on a platform in Canterlot. She stood there with princesses and her friends, along with Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex.
“Let us be the first to welcome you as a Republic ally, at least for now,” Obi-Wan said as he shook Celestia’s hoof.
The pieces began to lift off the ground and float. She couldn’t believe she was doing it after practicing for so long to try to get them to move. She had spent long hours reading about the entirety of galactic history and the Jedi Order, not long after they had been visited by the Jedi.
Another vision came to her mind of a new memory: This was a hologram of a hooded figure with a disfigured face and yellow eyes. “The Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire!”
She enclosed the crystal in the primary crystal mount, followed by the focusing lens. The inner workings are locked into place. The pieces slowly came together, first the pommel cap to the power insulator, then the power cell to the crystal chamber. The smaller adjustment knobs slipped into place. Twilight went back to that earlier memory with the Jedi.
“If things were different and your planet was known to us, you would have made a great Jedi,” Kenobi told her.
She then glided the crystal chamber to the upper portion, connecting them, screwing on the activation button and finally sliding the blade emitter shroud.
The hilt slowly turned upward as she heard Obi-Wan’s voice again, “…you would have made a great Jedi.”
The silence was cut when she ignited it. There was a humming sound as the lightsaber came to life. The dark cyan blade lit her face. She smiled softly, deactivated it and placed it in her bag under her cloak, making her way out of the caves.
The daylight was slightly blinding coming out of the caverns to the noisy, busy streets of Canterlot. Over the last two decades, the city has certainly seen growth and change. Upon being introduced into the wider galaxy, the first thing that was built was the Canterlot Royal Starport, a facility with over a hundred hangar bays and landing platforms. Not only that, but many species from around the planet, such as hippogriffs, dragons and kirin, were calling the city of Canterlot home now. She glanced up just in time to see two ships taking off. Even after all this time, though she had gotten used to seeing that, she could still spend hours watching them coming and going. The ponies had embraced many of the technological advancements and had begun creating their own successful line of starships. Ones that could be piloted by ponies as well as other species.
The ponies and other species began colonizing and settling on the other planets in their solar system and even built a space station that orbited their planet. Everything was not perfect, however, as several months after becoming a Republic ally and later member, the Clone Wars ended. The Galactic Republic became the Galactic Empire and the Jedi were declared traitors. An Imperial garrison was set up on the planet, destroying part of the Whitetail Woods. It was just one of the many ways that the Empire used to keep themselves feared and the planet in check.
Princess Luna trotted out of the castle, noticing Twilight going down the street. Luna knew what Twilight was doing; she had seen it in her dreams. She kept her eyes on her and followed close behind. Twilight went through the entrance of a large complex that read Canterlot Starport above the entrance in Aurebesh. She trotted down the bright, shiny white hallway. The walls were trimmed with gold. The gray floor was so reflective that it was like looking in a mirror. Her hooves echoed with each step she took. The drone of background chatter barely registered with her.
She made her way to the elevators and stepped inside. Twilight inserted her horn into the small hole above the level buttons. There was beeping confirmation. Despite their advances in technology, ponies still relied on older systems like this for security because they could not be hacked into easily. Only princesses and those who worked with them had access to the royal hangars. Luna walked in before the door closed and stood alongside her.
“Princess Luna?!” she said, surprised.
The elevator went up until it stopped, then the door opened. She asked, “What are you doing here?”
She walked over to a large, open, three-walled room labeled Hangar R4. There were four smaller Equus-class starfighters located on the right side of the hangar bay. There was a larger starship, a Nonius-class Courier, on the left. It was plated in shiny chromium with a dark purple trim. It had long angled wings with an engine on both sides next to the hull and a cockpit at the end of its long body.
“May we speak… in private, Twilight?” she asked in a hushed tone. They went into an empty room and the door slid closed.
“I know what you are up to, Twilight,” she told her. Twilight stared at her.
“What? I’m just checking in on things here because of a diplomatic mission soon,” she lied.
“You don’t have one scheduled,” said Luna, seeing through her lie. “I know what you are up to,” she repeated again. “And I don’t like it,” she admitted. “It is dangerous.”
“I know it is,” Twilight said.
“You know as well as I what happens to leaders who seem to be sympathizers for the Rebellion or just go against the Empire. They are removed from power and exiled or worse.”
“You’re right,” she admitted to her.
“You think you can just take your ship, the Duskfall, and nopony would notice it? Especially your closest friends or not involve them at all?” Luna stated.
“It does seem impossible for me to do it alone,” Twilight replied.
“Exactly, we all want the Empire to leave us alone, but we don’t need to do the task by ourselves,” Luna said.
They went back down the elevator and began trotting back the way they came. The two ponies noticed a pastel pink unicorn. Her mulberry-purple mane was done in a braid. She had jade green eyes. She was wearing a white and light green dress that hid a scroll cutie mark on her flank.
“Senator Zephyra Sparks,” Twilight said.
She bowed to them, greeting them with, “Princess Luna and Twilight.”
Luna asked, “How are things?” Zephyra sighed, frowning, “The senate seems to be getting less and less done. It seems hopeless.”
“Keep trying,” Twilight said. She nodded. Twilight took the hover train from Canterlot to Ponyville. She made her way to the Castle of Friendship. She pressed a communicator and requested that Fizzlepop Berrytwist come see her. She trotted into the cutie map room.
Tempest got the princess’s message and went to the cutie map room. Gallus, captain of the guard, was standing at attention outside the door. Despite having become a guard before him, he showed great leadership and they had mutual respect for each other. They saluted each other before entering. Tempest Shadow was wearing her guard uniform when she trotted up to Twilight. She had a silver metal prosthetic horn, something ponies were able to invent several years ago.
“You wanted to see me, Twilight?” she asked.
“Yes, I did,” she answered, then followed up by asking, “How has your day been, Fizzlepop?”
“Oh, just the usual really, nothing exciting. Well, except seeing some Imperial stormtroopers arrest an off-worlder while on patrol,” Tempest told her.
“I have a special mission for you that should be top secret,” Twilight said.
The unicorn raised an eyebrow, giving a perplexed look. She asked in response, “What kind of mission?”
“I want you to get in contact with the Rebel Alliance. They can help free our world,” Twilight answered.
“Are you serious? That is incredibly risky,” she replied, then asked, “What about the other nations?”
“When we met with them for the United Equestrian Nations meetings, they expressed their frustrations with the Empire,” Twilight answered.
“No one knows where the rebels really are and there are only some rumors,” Tempest said.
“I know, but I have confidence in you that you can do it,” Twilight responded.
“I want you to take anypony that you believe could help you.” There was a long silence as they stared at each other, pondering over this request that the princess had given her.
Tempest let out a long sigh and said, “Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Excellent,” Twilight replied. “Go to the spaceport in Fau'lau City to get transport to the planet of Terminus.”
Tempest nodded her head, responding, “Why go there and how exactly do you expect me to get in contact with the rebels?”
Twilight answered, “I figured Terminus would be a good place to start since it is a crossroads of two major hyperspace lanes. There are rumors about an agent named Fulcrum that can get you in contact with the rebels.”
“How?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I want to give you this. If you or I need to contact each other, I have an encrypted channel set up for us,” Twilight told her as she gave her a comlink. “I wish you good luck. May the Force be with you,” Sparkle concluded. She left the room and trotted from the castle to the School of Friendship. She had a good idea of who she wanted to come with her on this journey.
As soon as she entered the front door, she bumped into Sunburst, nearly knocking down the stack of books he was levitating.
“Oh, sorry about that. I didn’t see you,” he said, apologizing.
“It’s ok.” She smiled, replying, “Have you seen Starlight?” He nodded his head.
“Yes, I think she is reading over some student papers with Sunset,” he answered. She nodded.
“Thanks,” she said and continued on her way. Sunset Shimmer had come back to live in Equestria after finishing her last year of school and then became a teacher at Twilight’s school. She knocked on the door as she was told to come in.
“Hello, girls,” she greeted them. The two unicorns looked up from the desk.
They both exclaimed, “Hi Fizzlepop!”
“What’s up?” Sunset asked.
“Can I talk to you about something?” She asked in response.
“Sure,” Starlight answered. She sat down in a seat.
“Well, Twilight has given me an assignment and I need somepony to come with me,” she replied. “I need to go off-world and search for the Rebel Alliance.”
“Wait, you mean the Rebellion?” Sunset inquired.
“Yes, she thinks it is the only way for us to be free,” Tempest said. Starlight shook her head.
“Doing that will only make the Empire enslave us. It will make King Sombra look like foal’s play.”
Sunset questioned, “Has she thought about what the other kingdoms and nations think?” “Twilight has indeed thought about that. UEN members are frustrated with them,” Tempest replied.
“Will you two join me?” The other two unicorns looked at each other.
“Well, neither of us have been off-world before,” Starlight said, “But I’m sure things will be in capable hooves with Sunburst.” “I’m in,” she declared. They looked at Sunset.
“I… um… think I’d better stay here,” she answered. “Alright, let us know if you change your mind,” Tempest said to Sunset. Tempest and Starlight got themselves ready for the journey. Twilight gave Tempest some supplies that she thought would help her. Even though ponies aren’t known for wearing clothes, they put some on. The two met outside Twilight’s castle. They were both wearing cloaks and had saddle bags on underneath them. Tempest was wearing a dark gray one while Starlight had on a medium-shaded violet cloak.
Fau'lau City was a town built at the close of the Clone Wars and then expanded after the rise of the Empire. Most of the residents were humans or alien species. It was located to the east of Ponyville, on the other side of Saddle Lake near the Rumbling Rock Ridge. They made their way across the bridge and around the lake.
The city felt like a different planet as they arrived and trotted on the outskirts of town. The buildings were rectangular with flat roofs, some including small central domes. Some of the buildings were two or three stories tall, with stepped pyramid floor levels. They watched as a YT-2400 freighter lifted off into the sky as a GX1 Short Hauler came in for a landing.
“So what’s the plan, Fizzlepop?” Starlight asked as they trotted through the streets.
“First off, it’s Tempest Shadow from now on,” she corrected her, talking in a hushed tone. “And to answer your question, we are going to the spaceport to find a pilot.” She briefly looked away as two stormtroopers went past them.
“Ohhh, should I have an alias too?” Starlight inquired and continued, “How about Gothlight? Or Shadow Star?”
Tempest sighed and suggested, “Umbra?”
“Oh, I like that,” she replied. Starlight kept glancing slowly around the streets, taking in the sights, nearly getting run over in the process by a passing landspeeder. She jumped out of its way. The driver yelled at her in an alien language, shaking his fist.
“May I ask why are we seeking transport here instead of Canterlot? I mean, it’s a lot bigger.” Starlight asked, quickly galloping to catch up with Tempest. “You have your own personal ship there, Shadow Huntress.”
“Exactly, it’s larger. Canterlot’s spaceport has more of an Imperial presence and is keeping a closer eye on us,” she explained to her. Starlight looked around. They were getting glances from the local residents around them.
“Are you sure about that?” she replied. They made it to their destination. Outside the cantina, a neon-lit sign reads in Aurebesh and High Galactic underneath, The Drunken Hutt. The building was a single-story and had some dark carbon scouring on the outer walls.
The sound of band music could be heard as the door whooshed open. The two ponies slowly trotted into the short entry hall, went down two short steps, then into the larger main room. It was crowded with a diversity of species. Despite being one of the world’s most populous species, ponies were rarely seen in this area. They were also one of the shorter species in the room. There were numerous tables spread throughout, with booths against the walls of the room. The bar was in the center of the room, a long oval shape with chairs surrounding it. There were a few tables with sabacc. The cantina band, G'hozia and the Cryohearts, were performing on a raised stage in the back.
The group consisted of six members. The band leader, a male Bith named G’hozia, was playing a synthesizer. A pale female Zabrak with brown hair and eyes was playing the kloo horn, while a blue female Twi'lek with white freckles and green eyes was playing the double viol. A green male Rodian with blue multifaceted eyes was playing the fanfar. A female Togruta with red skin and yellow/white striped lekku with blue eyes, was playing the mandoviol. A pale pink female Theelin with red hair and hazel eyes, was playing the drums.
“Do you even have any idea where we’re going or how to get a pilot?” She inquired softly, raising an eyebrow.
“Twilight told me where to go,” she answered back. The band finished playing their instrumental music piece.
The cantina was lively with chatter all around them. Tempest glanced over at a male Dug smoking a pipe sitting at a table alone.
He growled in Huttese, scowling, “Hi chuba da naga, schutta?” [What do you want, bitch?] She immediately looked away from the table as she went on her way. The band began playing a song as the Twi’lek and Togruta started singing. The two ponies made their way to an empty table and sat down.
“…Jee pushee noleeya ta manta an la sa du holo noleeya ma koga. Whee sa la du holo noleeya ma koga?…”
While making the rounds, a bronze-plated 3PO protocol droid carrying a silver tray peered down with its glowing blue sensors at the ponies.
“Hello there! I am J-3PO, a protocol droid and part of the waitstaff here at The Drunken Hutt cantina. How can I assist you?” The droid talked in a prissy feminine tone.
“The band, what are they singing about?” Starlight asked.
“Oh…” The droid glanced over at the band before returning her attention to the ponies. “It is a song about drinking in excess, blacking out and getting up the next morning to find there is a holo in bed with you,” the droid informed them. “Personally, I find it too risqué for my tastes. I prefer their song, Drive My Podracer.” They both exchanged glances with each other. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” the droid asked.
“We are looking for a pilot,” Starlight answered.
“There are many pilots that come through here,” J-3PO replied. “I don’t know any of them personally.” There was a figure hidden in the shadows in a nearby booth. There was a second figure sitting with them. The two were listening in on their conversation. Tempest seemed to notice them as the conversation was drowned out by the band’s music and other noises in the room. “— I wish you luck in your travels. I must get going.”
“Thanks for the help,” Starlight said politely.
“You are quite welcome,” J-3PO replied as the droid moved on from their table.
One of the figures moved from the booth. The figure was clearly a female. The woman walked up to their table. She appeared human except for her skin color, which was yellow-green, and the geometric tattoos on her face. She had deep blue eyes and brown hair in a topknot with hoops on the back. She was wearing a maroon vest, a long-sleeve white shirt, a brown belt with a 434 Deathhammer blaster pistol in her holster, reddish-brown pants and dark gray boots. The two ponies She took a seat in an empty chair. The female Mirialan smirked.
“So you ladies are looking for a ship? I’m Risvoa Quzoko,” she introduced herself. “It just depends on the destination and how much you are willing to pay.” The ponies gave each other brief side glances before focusing back on her.
“That depends on what you are flying,” Tempest answered back.
Risvoa put her hands together on the table. “I’m the captain and pilot of the Song of the Siren, a Corellian-built YU-410 light freighter. I modified her myself with updated engines and hyperdrive," she boasted. "She is now just as fast and maneuverable as any of CEC's YT-series vessels.” “Where are you going? How many are coming along for the ride?” she asked.
“We’re going to Terminus. It’s just us,” Tempest said.
“Just so you know, we need to make a quick stop at Veredusiko beforehand before leaving the system,” she informed the ponies.
“We’ll give you 12,000 credits for the trip,” Tempest offered.
“Alright, you got yourself a deal,” Risvoa said, shaking Tempest’s hoof. The second person from the booth came over. It was a female Rodian with turquoise skin, purple multifaceted eyes and an orange mohawk. She was wearing a high-collared brown jacket, a bandolier over her right shoulder, a tan shirt, blue pants and black boots. “This is Ziimnee. She is a part of my crew. You’ll meet the rest of them at the bay.” The band began playing their song, Take a Spin Around Bespin. “You got yourself a ship. It’ll be at Docking Bay 24.” The two walked out of the cantina. The ponies soon followed.
Anchormare Spaceport was quite different from the one at Canterlot; it was smaller with fewer docking bays than the capital city’s. Yes, they had both been around for almost the same amount of time, but Canterlot was kept spotless while this one was not. They made their way to Docking Bay 24, where a droid was carrying containers to the ship. The YU-410 freighter had blue stripes. When the pair entered the docking bay, they were greeted by a purple-skinned female Twi’lek with dark purple stripes and hazel eyes. She wore a green jacket, a dark green midriff top, black pants and brown boots. She had two DL-17 blaster pistols in holsters.
“Are you two the ponies that the captain said were hitching a ride?” She said, in a French accent.
“We are,” Tempest replied.
Risvoa walked up to them and said, “This is Shakka Freykaa, my navigator.” The Rodian walked past them to continue readying the ship for departure. “You met Ziimnee Plyoro, my co-pilot,” she mentioned. “What were your names again?”
“Tempest and this is Umbra,” Tempest answered.
“I thought you ponies had funnier sounding names like Silver Sunshine, Lillypad Love or Glimmering Starlight?” Shakka commented, giggling and shrugging her shoulders. Starlight’s face flushed slightly, letting out a few awkward laughs. A female Wookiee walked down the ship’s ramp. She had red and light brown fur and green eyes. She was wearing two bandoliers across both shoulders.
“This is Kuldawraanh, but call her Kulda,” she said.
The Wookiee growled a few times towards them as the droid brought the containers inside. [The ship is ready for takeoff at any time, Captain Risvoaquzoko.]
“Thanks, Kulda,” she replied. They walked up the landing ramp. The droid from earlier saw the ponies as they came in. He was a G2 repair droid.
“Hello there, I’m G2-K1, but everyone here calls me Geki,” he said. “I’m the engineer on this vessel.”
“You two take your seats; we’ll be leaving shortly,” Risvoa told them as she walked over to the front of the ship. Tempest and Starlight took a seat in the lounge. She sat down in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit. Ziimnee sat in the co-pilot’s seat. “Traffic control, this is Docking Bay 24, requesting clearance for departure,” she said.
A voice came on, “Copy that twenty-four, stand by.” Shakka sat down in the navigation chair. The voice returned, “Permission granted, you are cleared to depart.”
“Ramp is up,” Ziimnee said. Risvoa started up the engines as they roared to life. The Siren lifted off and out of the bay.
“Set course for Veredusiko,” Risvoa said. The landing gear closed as the ship hovered in midair before thrusting forward. It ascended high into the sky, through the clouds. After a short time, the blue of the atmosphere fell away into the blackness of space.