Star Wars: Escape from the Jedi Temple Begins

Chapter 11 Salukamai Star, Sunken Lake

He had only refueled halfway, but that was enough to get him to the next supply point.

Lance used the Force to pull off the delivery pipe and immediately started the engine.

The power system responded instantly, and the tail nozzle of the N-1 starfighter lit up with blue light.

It retracted its tripod and flew into the sky.

"Stop him!"

Seeing that the fat sheep was about to escape, Xanthos roared in exasperation.

"Shoot! Shoot! Take it down!"

He ordered the fire to be opened in a fuel plant filled with highly explosive gases, completely disregarding the potential explosion.

If the fuel pipeline is hit accidentally, the entire factory will be blown up, and he himself will not be spared.

But by this time, Xanthos was consumed by rage and, fueled by alcohol, had completely lost his mind.

The robots, however, faithfully carried out his commands according to the program, and raised their blaster guns one after another.

The trigger was pulled.

Instantly, a dense burst of energy struck the fighter jet's outer shell, melting through the alloy casing and leaving behind coin-sized, scorching craters.

Xanthos grabbed the blaster rifle next to him, opened the door, and fired at the fighter jet that was taking off without even aiming.

Lance slammed the control stick, and the fighter jet quickly took off.

The engine reached maximum power and roared.

In the blink of an eye, the fighter jet had rushed out of the firing range, trailing a thick plume of smoke into outer space.

Xanthos stood there, breathing heavily, the blaster in his hand still slightly warm.

He watched the rapidly receding trail of flame, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"His fighter jet has been damaged; dispatch fighter jets immediately to pursue him."

Moments later, several fighter jets took off and quickly chased after N-1.

Lance frowned slightly as he looked through the transparent canopy and saw that the fuselage was riddled with bomb craters.

The fighter jets had just taken off and were completely unable to make an effective evasive maneuver.

"R2-P18, report on the damage to the fighter jet."

"Beep beep...beep beep..."

Multiple system failures.

The deflection shield generator overloaded, and the hyperspace engine sustained minor damage.

Fortunately, the most important oxygen supply system and thrusters were intact.

Lance secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, he sensed that the pursuers behind him were rapidly closing in.

Although he was confident of defeating them, this was their stronghold, and he didn't know how many reinforcements would arrive.

Given that the fighter jet was damaged and they were carrying Gugu, the risks were too great and not worth the risk.

Lance decisively chose to evacuate.

Once the coordinates are set, the hyperspace engine will be activated immediately.

Blue starlight stretched into lines, forming a deep blue passage.

In the blink of an eye, the fighter jet disappeared from the spot.

in the office.

Xanthos stared at the cursor that had suddenly disappeared from the radar, furious. He grabbed a bottle and smashed it to the ground.

boom.

The sound of shattering glass lingered, each echo like a merciless mockery.

"...Jedi."

He braced his hands on the table, his fists clenched, and the veins on his wrists bulged.

At this point, he had already guessed that the despicable brat must have used some kind of desperate measure to control him.

Although he had never witnessed it firsthand, similar stories have been circulating ever since.

Xanthos slammed his fist on the table, his anger mixed with a hint of vengeful satisfaction:

"Use your bounty to make up for my losses."

......

"...Drip...Drip."

"What do you mean by 'if we don't break free, we'll be thrown out of hyperspace'?"

"Beep beep".

"Can't you find a way to fix it?"

"Drip... drip..."

Lance quickly shut down the hyperspace engine.

He feared that if he had been any later, the fighter jet would have been torn to pieces.

Suddenly, a Naboo N-1 appeared in the void.

The fuselage was damaged in many places, and black smoke billowed from it.

Exposed pipes and wires are tangled together, occasionally emitting tiny sparks of electricity.

Lance looked at the instrument panel, where the fault indicator kept flashing.

He sighed softly.

"We'll just have to find somewhere nearby to get it repaired..."

He piloted the fighter jet, flying towards a yellow planet not far ahead.

The star chart shows that it is Salukamai.

A barren planet.

This place was once one of the main battlegrounds between the Galactic Republic and separatist forces.

Several Jedi Masters once led clone soldiers to defeat the robot army here.

From then on, Salukamai came under the control of the Galactic Republic.

Now, it is the Galactic Empire.

To avoid being locked onto by Imperial reconnaissance aircraft and radar, the N-1 quickly lowered its altitude and flew close to the ground after passing through the atmosphere.

Lance looked down through the hatch.

The ground is covered with strange bulbous plants, and occasionally large wild animals can be seen running and hunting in the forest.

He was looking for a repair shop.

But then I thought about it again, and the Naboo N-1 fighter jet was just too conspicuous.

It's likely that its appearance will immediately attract the attention of the empire.

After much deliberation, he abandoned the plan.

The fighter jet flew for a while longer.

Finally, deep in a dense forest, he found a suitable landing spot.

It was a large lake, surrounded by dense forests.

On this desert planet, water is already scarce.

High temperatures can rapidly deplete the body's water content.

Their food and drinking water supplies are running low.

This place is undoubtedly an ideal temporary resting place.

Lance maneuvered his fighter jet to descend slowly.

After a slight jolt, it landed safely.

He looked down at Gugu on his lap:

"Stay here and don't move."

"Eeya."

Gu Gu looked up at him and waved the ball in her hand.

He quickly refocused his attention and started playing by himself.

Lance let out a soft sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this baby, who is several decades old, is very well-behaved, neither crying nor fussing, which is a real relief.

At the same time, R2-P18 popped out of the recess in the fuselage.

It extended a nozzle from its abdomen and sprayed a stream of white gas toward the spot where sparks were being emitted.

The black smoke gradually dissipated.

Lance nodded, somewhat satisfied with its performance.

A robot that can see living robots is a good robot.

He retrieved the toolbox from under the driver's seat and jumped out of the cockpit.

The hatch closed rapidly behind them.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a wave of scorching heat hit me, and the air carried a slightly astringent taste.

He cautiously looked around.

As far as the eye could see, there was a patch of tall, yellowish-brown plants.

They have no branches or leaves, only thick stems, like wine bottles stuck upside down in the ground.

The air was filled with the chirping of insects, and the occasional low roar of a wild beast could be heard in the distance.

Lance opened his toolbox, removed the fighter jet's outer shell, and began inspecting for malfunctions.

As the inspection progressed, his expression grew increasingly serious.

This fighter jet is no longer a simple matter of maintenance.

Instead, it requires a complete overhaul.

A large number of parts and pipelines need to be replaced, the most critical of which is the hyperspace transition stabilizing core.

All of these combined would amount to a considerable sum.

But he's penniless right now and can't afford it at all.

Moreover, the repairs will take at least several days.

What he lacks most is precisely time.

Salukamai remains under the control of the empire.

A large number of clone soldiers who were stationed during the war are still stationed here.

These disciplined soldiers are not like those lazy, perfunctory local guards.

The longer he stays here, the higher the risk of being discovered.

Lance stood up and stared at the fighter jet in thought.

"Instead of fixing it, we might as well just buy a new interstellar spaceship."

"Firstly, it can confuse the empire, and secondly, it can make their whereabouts even more unpredictable."

He was certain that the fighter jet had been locked onto by the Empire.

Wherever it appears, the empire's henchmen will inevitably follow.

"If we just leave it here, our whereabouts will definitely be exposed."

His gaze fell upon the body of water not far away.

A thought popped into my mind.

Submerged in the lake.