Start a Core Pod

Chapter 1236 Is this Tatooine? (It’s the end of the month and I am begging for monthly tickets to make a nest)

“Master, do you believe that fleet is on Tatooine?”

While controlling the spacecraft to Tatooine, Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice Obi-Wan asked.

 “I don’t know, Obi-Wan.”

Qui-Gon Jinn shook his head.

"It is the territory of the Hutts. It is far away from the shipping routes. It is indeed a paradise for all kinds of escapees, but I always feel that things are not that simple. Think about it, a fleet, hundreds of warships, the supplies and personnel needed It’s an astronomical figure, and even Tatooine may not be able to support such material consumption.”

“So, is it the Hutts who are behind this?”

Obi-Wan's speculation is not entirely unreasonable. The Hutts control the criminal activities of the entire Galactic Republic. It can be said that these Hutts are indispensable behind all kinds of criminal acts. They can simply be said to be the masters of the criminal empire. If the Hutts were really involved in this dispute, it wouldn't be unreasonable.

　　……I always feel that things are not that simple.”

Qui-Gon Jinn did not make a decision immediately.

“Anyway, let’s go to Tatooine and find out.”

As he spoke, the starry sky in front of them suddenly changed, and then, a planet appeared in front of the two of them.

However………

 “This is... Tatooine?”

 Looking at the planet in front of him, Qui-Gon Jinn looked confused. It was not that he had never been to Tatooine. As a Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon Jinn had visited here before. In his memory, Tatooine was a dry planet that was not suitable for human habitation. This is also the reason why it has become a paradise for these exiles. However, what appears in their eyes now is a blue planet, even with lush green...

 “We didn’t go to the wrong place, right?”

 “No, Master.”

Obi-Wan glanced at the star map.

“According to the star map comparison, this is indeed Tatooine.”

　　　…………Let’s go and have a look.”

Qui-Gon Jinn's face became a little serious. If this was not Tatooine, but some other planet, and they just took the wrong path, that would be fine. But if this is really Tatooine...then something might be wrong.

Through the atmosphere, Qui-Gon Jinn saw a city below. However... this once again made Qui-Gon Jinn doubt his life.

“Is this really Tatooine?”

Looking at the city in front of him, Qui-Gon Jinn couldn't believe his eyes. The Tatooine he remembered was a town located next to the desert. There were low trees everywhere that looked like Eskimo snow. Of course, this is also because of the drought and lack of rain in Tatooine for years, so it makes no sense to build high-rise buildings on the ground, and most people would rather dig caves underground to live.

There is also a considerable shortage of water resources here. Most people on Tatooine rely on condensers to obtain water. Because the temperature difference between day and night is large on Tatooine, they will use condensers to collect water vapor at night and then use it for living.

 But what is now displayed in front of Qui-Gon Jinn is a completely different city!

 Under the sunlight, the two of them could clearly see green farmland everywhere on the ground, with the crops swaying in the wind like waves. In the distance, forests and lakes can be seen everywhere, so that this place does not look like the dry and hot Tatooine at all, but more like a gorgeous natural planet!

Moreover, you can't see those low mud buildings here. Instead, there are rows of metal and stone buildings that look extremely exquisite and beautiful. There is a large town in the middle, and around the outside of the town there are circles. A circle of farmland and crops.

 “We really didn’t make a mistake?”

"Yes, Master, at least...that's what the star map shows."

Even Obi-Wan was a little unsure.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　————!

Just as the two were hesitating, a voice suddenly came from the communication channel.

“Hello, outsiders, welcome to Tatooine, now please follow our guidance to the landing pad.”

　　　　…………?!”

Qui-Gon Jinn was even more shocked when he heard what the other party said. In the past, there were no investigation facilities in a place of exile like Tatooine. There is no air traffic control, so people can come and leave as they please. And now, there is actually air traffic control here? In other words, Tatooine now has a powerful ruler?

But then again, is this really Tatooine? !

 “Master? What should we do now?”

 “Follow their guidance.”

Qui-Gon Jinn stared ahead with a serious expression and spoke.

Now it seems that the situation is getting weirder and weirder.

Soon, under guidance, the two drove the spacecraft to an apron near the town and landed. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan stepped out of the spacecraft and looked around - the first thing they encountered was moist, fresh water vapor, which made people feel refreshed. This was a far cry from the dry, hot planet Qui-Gon Jinn remembered.

“Have we really gone to the wrong place? Master?”

Even Obi-Wan was a little skeptical about life in this situation, but Qui-Gon Jinn shook his head.

 “No, we didn’t go wrong.”

As he spoke, Qui-Gon Jinn raised his head and looked at the building in front of him—it was a metal, church-like building. There was nothing special about it, but what caught Qui-Gon Jinn's attention was not the church itself, but the huge metal skull carved on the church.

If Qui-Gon Jinn remembered correctly, the battleships he saw claiming to be from the Tribunal also had the same logo on them.

"It seems that we have found the right place."

Muttering to himself, Qui-Gon Jinn's eyes flashed with uneasiness.

This is all so wrong...

To be honest, if the Tribunal is a mysterious force that hides its head and is almost faceless, then it would be in line with Qui-Gon Jinn's understanding. But if the other party showed his existence so blatantly, without caring whether he would be discovered by others, it would make people think too much.

 “Hello, dear Jedi.”

At this moment, the guard responsible for inspection also came over and nodded to Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan.

 “Welcome to Tatooine.”

"Hello."

Qui-Gon Jinn hurriedly returned the greeting, and Obi-Wan, who was standing next to him, also looked away. Seeing this scene, the guard showed a smile.

“Hahaha, you two must be surprised by the changes here.”

"indeed so."

 Qui-Gon Jinn did not deny it.

“Actually, I have been to Tatooine before, and I have to say that the feeling of Tatooine now is completely different from that of then.”

 “Hahahaha, of course.”

Hearing Qui-Gon Jinn’s emotion, the guard smiled proudly.

“To be honest, it wasn’t long ago that Tatooine was the same ghost, but now everything is different, and that’s all thanks to the Inquisition.”

　　　……Inquisition?”

 Hearing this, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan were shocked.

 Shouldn’t the Inquisition be an evil, secret organization hidden in darkness?

 In broad daylight, is it okay for you to say this?

"Yes, it was the Tribunal that made this planet what it is now, and also allowed us to live the life we ​​live now. Frankly speaking, I quite like the life we ​​live now... Oh, by the way, please come. What's going on on Tatooine?"

　　　…………”

 Listening to the guard's conversation, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan looked at each other.

“We are here on behalf of the Galactic Parliament and want to meet with the ruler here to discuss something.”

"no problem."

The guard answered readily, then turned around and pointed at the building that looked like a church not far away.

"The governor is right there. You just have to go and meet him." "Thank you. Can we walk around the city?"

“Of course, we are still very relieved about the Jedi Knights.”

As he spoke, the guard finished registering and smiled at them again.

 “Have a nice stay on Tatooine.”

 After saying this, the guard turned and left, leaving only Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan looking at each other.

“…What should we do now? Master?”

“Anyway, let’s go take a look on the street first.”

The streets of Tatooine are smooth and wide, perhaps because it just rained and there is still a bit of moisture. As the two of them walked along, they could feel that the atmosphere here was very leisurely and natural, and people were living their own lives. They all seemed to be smiling and living a good life.

“…Obi-Wan, do you notice anything wrong?”

"question?"

 Hearing Qui-Gon Jinn's question, Obi-Wan was stunned for a moment.

“I didn’t find any problem? Master.”

 “Look at the street.”

Standing on the side of the street, Qui-Gon Jinn stretched out his hand and pointed at the people coming and going. Obi-Wan also turned his head and stared at the street in front of him.

“………I’m sorry, Master, I really don’t feel anything special…”

 “Haven’t you noticed yet?”

Qui-Gon Jin sighed silently. He originally thought that his disciple could accept the test and become a disciple, but now it seems that he is still far away.

“We have been walking along the way and the only people we saw here besides humans are Twi’leks, Togruta and Zabrak!”

 “All are humanoid races!”

 After being reminded by Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan also reacted. Indeed, when you think about it, this is really strange, although there are some planets where humans and humanoid races dominate. But Tatooine was originally a place of exile for fugitives from the Galactic Republic. Logically speaking, there should be a variety of races here, so how could there be only humanoid races?

 “Perhaps we can find out just by asking.”

As he spoke, Qui-Gon Jinn looked at a nearby hut, and saw a teenage boy walking out of it. He walked forward, came to the child, and smiled at him.

 “Hey, hello.”

 “Ah, hello.”

 The little boy was a little surprised to see Qui-Gon Jinn, but he still said hello to him.

 “My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, and I just arrived here.”

 “Hello, my name is Anakin.”

 Looking at Qui-Gon Jinn, the little boy also introduced himself.

 “Are you going to settle here?”

 “No, I just have something to talk about here...”

As he spoke, Qui-Gon Jinn looked at Anakin carefully.

"I found that there seem to be only humans and some humanoid races here. I remember that Tatooine was not like this before, right? Where are the others?"

When asked about this topic, Qui-Gon Jinn looked calm, but he kept looking at the little boy in front of him, wanting to see his reaction. However—the little boy's answer surprised Qui-Gon Jinn.

 “Oh, they...were all executed by the Inquisition.”

 “Executed?”

"Yes."

 The little boy nodded vigorously.

“The Inquisition said that these alien races were the chief culprits in oppressing mankind and deserved death, so they were all executed.”

 “No one objects?”

“Of course there is, but he was also executed by the Inquisition.”

　　　………………”

 Looking at the little boy's natural answer, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan looked at each other.

 “Do you think this is the right thing to do?”

"I have no idea."

Facing Qui-Gon Jinn’s question, the little boy shook his head.

“My mother and I were both slaves before. At that time, I hoped that some Jedi would come and liberate us. But no Jedi ever came..."

Hearing this, both Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan looked a little embarrassed, but the little boy didn't pay attention and continued.

"But then, the Inquisition came, they liberated us, killed those who enslaved us, and allowed us to live a good life that we had never imagined before. My previous dream was to become a Jedi Knight, but now I have changed my mind. No matter how powerful the Jedi are, they will not fight for humanity. But I want to fight for humanity and destroy the aliens who oppress humanity, so I will join the Tribunal and become an Astra Militarum! Fight to liberate mankind!"

　　　…………”

Hearing what the little boy said, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan looked at each other speechlessly, and then Qui-Gon Jinn reluctantly showed a smile.

 “Thank you, that’s all I want to ask.”

 “Goodbye, I wish you a pleasant stay here.”

The little boy smiled and waved to the two of them, then turned and left. As Qui-Gon Jin watched the little boy disappear, his expression became much more serious.

"What do you think?"

 “I...Master, I don’t know what to say...”

Obi-Wan was also speechless for a moment. From the perspective of a Jedi knight, he felt that the little boy's words were wrong. After all, the Galactic Republic is a country, and of course the Jedi knights could not favor one and the other, specializing in protecting humans without caring about other alien races. However, he could not refute what the other party said. After all, this little boy had been a slave before. However, the Jedi did not save them, but the Inquisition did!

 This... is very embarrassing.

 “The situation is very serious.”

Qui-Gon Jinn raised his head again and looked at the Gothic church-like building, his eyes solemn and serious. He previously thought that the Tribunal only threatened the Galactic Republic militarily, but now it seems that it even poses an unimaginable threat to the Galactic Republic at the political level!

Every race hopes to have a patron saint. However, as the little boy said, no matter how powerful the Jedi are, they cannot exclusively protect humans. Because in addition to humans, there are other alien races in the Jedi Order, so naturally the ideas of other races must be considered.

Things like liberating the slave trade on Tatooine are indeed what the Jedi should do, logically speaking. Moreover, the Galactic Republic also has anti-slavery laws, and they should do so due to circumstances and reasons.

 But the Jedi cannot do this.

Why?

The reason is simple. This is the territory of the Hutts. If the Jedi clash with the Hutts to liberate the slaves, it will cause turmoil to the Republic and even lead to further crises.

 But for people who were slaves, would they care about this?

Of course not. Even from Qui-Gon Jinn's perspective, he could not say to these slaves, "For the sake of the stability of the Galactic Republic, please forgive yourself and continue to be slaves."

 But this is the limit of the Jedi.

But now it seems that the Tribunal is obviously not limited to this.

 The situation may be more complicated than they thought before.

Thinking of this, Qui-Gon Jinn sighed silently.

 “Let’s go and see the governor here.”

 Then he made a decision.