Epilogue

A young man named Peter Parker sat on the edge of a tall building, gazing into nothingness as the coldness of an autumn evening slowly began to settle in. So much had happened and so much had changed, and finally it was all over now.

“You okay?” the familiar warm voice of Doctor Strange asked. Peter had not heard him approach, yet here he was, suddenly floating beside him; perhaps he had come straight to the building’s wall; ah, the benefits of magic. 

“Everywhere I look I see his face,” Peter sighed, staring up at an enormous billboard on the building across the street, which depicted the smiling and cheerful image of Pom Pom.

“It’s not like they died or anything,” Doctor Strange protested, “But yes, I know what you mean. The memories of it all are still fresh. And they feel like you and I.”

“Are we though?” Peter asked, “Are we real?”

“In the strictest sense, we are not,” Doctor Strange replied honestly, “But to many people out there, children and adults alike, we are, and so are our adventures. And now at last things have been put right again and we can entertain them again, as we were meant to be, be it in comic form, as a cartoon or even in the MCU.”

“That Tom Holland is really something,” Peter smiled.

“Yes,” Doctor Strange nodded, “But we can’t use his name more than once in this story, else Disney’s lawyers will have our hide.”

“Once is enough,” Peter smiled, “So, what will happen now? Will we always remember?”

“The memories will fade,” Doctor Strange replied, “When you wake up tomorrow, everything will probably be as it has been, and everybody will find their happy ending, their resolution, as they were meant to be, outside the realm of fan fiction. Even for those who might end up playing the part of the villain, they will be cherished, they will be loved; plenty of people always love the underdog. So in that sense, they too will find respect and happiness, as they deserve. After all, what is a hero without a good villain?”

“Or a villain with the potential to become the hero,” Peter smiled.

“Exactly,” Doctor Strange said and smiled again; at last the boy understood.

“Will any of this ever happen again?” Peter asked.

“That all depends,” Doctor Strange replied.

“On what?”

“On him,” he said, and pointed at the screen, where one sat typing, “If he cooks up another mad story such as this.”

Peter nodded, and smiled. It was a Strange answer in every sense of the word, but somehow he felt okay with that, felt that it just had to be this way. And as the sun began to set in the distance, he smiled and stared down at a city at peace. Maybe this story was done and closed, but his own story, it was still going strong, and had barely even started yet. 

The End.

Chapter XI – Battle over Coruscant: Oh yeah, it’s all coming together now

A day of Hyperspace travel had passed and the Black Sun Pearl was still underway towards the galactic capital of Coruscant at top speed. They were unable to receive communications while in Hyperspace, the ship simply wasn’t equipped with technology for that, so there was no telling what the situation on the planet was like; the fighting could already be over for all they knew, or it could be escalating even further.
The situation aboard the Black Sun Pearl was still tense. Anakin had almost not said a word and was often meditating, looking for answers, and even Peter didn’t have his usual quips ready to lighten the mood. The only occasional updates came from Alpha Five, who reported their expected time of arrival whenever it changed a little. 

“Are you going to tell us why we need to go for Coruscant so urgently?” Lieutenant Strange finally asked his companion Welt Yang, “You seemed adamant on going there, yet you’ve been quite secretive about it.”

“I’ve been researching the Anomaly from within for years,” Welt replied, “Well, in the first years that I arrived here, that is; after that I resigned myself that I would be stuck here, and more or less forgot about my mission.”

“The Interstellar Express is a beautiful ship, isn’t it?” Lieutenant Strange guessed.

“Unique in its kind,” Welt sighed happily as he stared off into the distance, “Apart from transporting Imperial citizens all over the Empire, it’s also a tool; it finds the right people at the right moment, and gets them where they need to be. It delivers you to destiny.”

“That’s a romantic way of putting it,” Lieutenant Strange smiled.

“It’s true in every sense of the word,” Welt smiled, “I’ve seen wonders happen because the Express delivered.”

“I wish it delivered in the current crisis,” Lieutenant Strange sighed. 

“Who knows, maybe it did,” Welt smiled, “Some of the people aboard this ship met through the Interstellar Express. Maybe that was destiny too.”

“Maybe…” Lieutenant Strange said, but he dropped the subject after that.

Several hours later they reached their destination and after a short update from Alpha Five the freighter ship dropped out of Hyperspace, this time a good distance away from the planet, since there might be a hostile situation going on. “Okay, so what do we have?” Peter asked.

Coruscant

“There are a lot of ships in orbit around Coruscant,” Alpha Five reported, “A small number of them belong to the Empire, the rest are of several unknown configurations. I presume they would be of the Frieza Force.”

“That is correct,” Grimlock said, “I don’t know every ship in the Force, but I do recognise some of those configurations.”

“The Imperial ships are on the losing side, but these appear to be only the ships guarding Coruscant and ships from the direct vicinity. It stands to reason that more Imperial vessels could be arriving any moment. At the moment however, the battle favors the Frieza Force.”

“Then we will intervene,” Anakin said sternly, “Target the nearest vessel and fire photon torpedoes.”

“This isn’t Star Trek, dad,” Luke sighed, “And we’re not going to join the battle. This ship barely has any weapons to begin with.”

“Don’t understand the Black Sun Pearl,” Peter grinned, “But Luke’s right. The Empire can finish up their naval battle. We need to get down to the surface as soon as possible. Can you do that, Alpha Five?”

“We’re not an imperial ship, so it’s likely the Frieza Force will ignore us,” Alpha Five guessed, “So if we avoid the Imperial ships, who might instead think we’re the enemy, we should be fine. I’ll get us down there at top speed.”

“Do it,” Peter replied.

Alpha Five switched the controls of the Black Sun Pearl to manual and took them closer to Coruscant. Fortunately enough the larger ships were too focused on each other and ignored them, but some of the smaller fighter ships came after them, from both sides. But they were no match for Alpha Five’s highly advanced piloting skills, and so the pirate ship was able to stay ahead of them without much difficulty. Finally the Black Sun Pearl entered Coruscant’s atmosphere and the pursuing fighter ships gave up, instead returning to the larger battle taking place in the planet’s orbit.
Some of the planet’s defenses took a shot of them, but there was no difficulty in avoiding them; most of the planetary defense system had already been damaged or taken out by the invading Frieza Force. Finally the ship landed in one of the space ports, where chaos awaited them.
As soon as they left the freighter they were attacked by a group of warriors of various races, accompanied by battle droids. The fight however didn’t last long; the Frieza warriors were expecting more imperial forces, not seasoned space pirates with special powers and a Jedi. After the battle was over, Anakin stepped forward and confronted their leader, who was crouched down on the floor, suffering from a broken arm after trying to go head to head with Goku.

“What’s your name, warrior?” Anakin demanded, grabbing the fallen warrior by his jacket, “And what is your intention here?”

“My name is of no importance, Jedi,” the fallen warrior said smugly, “But I will give it to you, and it will be all you get from me. I am Jason Lee Scott, a warrior of the Frieza Force, member of the special task force, The Power Rangers.”

“A kid’s TV show on Earth,” Lieutenant Strange murmured, “Reality is really getting more mixed up by the minute.”

“It pleases me that this special task force is no match for imperial might,” Anakin said, letting go of the fallen warrior, “But I’ve learned enough; you’re no more than a guard dog, stationed here to keep an eye on the space port and keep meddlers away from whatever’s going on at the imperial palace.”

“You’re too late anyway,” Jason groaned, “Our forces are led by Lord Frieza himself; they will have reached your precious Emperor by now and then it’s all over.”

“We’ll see about that,” Anakin said, walking away and ignoring the fallen warrior, “I’m headed for the imperial palace. Don’t try to stop me.”

“But father,” Luke protested, “We still don’t know what we’re getting into. We should proceed with caution.”

“Fine, then you proceed with caution. I’m going to defend my Emperor,” Anakin said angrily, and rushed off down the corridor, advancing alone.

“Well, that just happened,” Welt said.

“He’s often like that,” Luke sighed, “So stubborn. But he’ll be alright, we’ll  just have to catch up with him again.”

“Then let’s hurry then,” Peter agreed, “I don’t like this situation one bit. But if we get to the Emperor, a lot of this will be cleared up, that much is clear to me.”

They rushed down the corridor Anakin had taken, dispatching any opposition they came across; but after the battle of the space port they hardly encountered any; the Stormtroopers they encountered had already been taken down, and it seemed like the bulk of the Frieza Force had advanced towards the imperial palace, not bothering to secure the area. 

“That warrior was talking about someone named Frieza,” Goku said as they were walking, “Do you know him, Grimlock?”

“He is the leader of the Frieza Force and also its founder, hence the name,” Grimlock replied, “Although I haven’t personally met him, his reputation is known well throughout the Force.”

“He’s strong then, isn’t he?” Goku asked, “I mean, if he can raise and lead such a massive power, he’s gotta be.”

“Massively strong, from what I’ve heard,” Grimlock replied, “Perhaps one of the strongest individuals in the universe.”

“I want to fight him,” Goku grinned hopefully. 

They made their way across the inner city and towards the palace, which had once been a temple dedicated to the Jedi. But when Emperor Palpatine rose to power, the Jedi gladly gave up their precious building, instead serving the Emperor as his loyal guardians and enforcers.
Their first form of resistance came when they reached the palace entry. Here Frieza had left behind a considerable task force to guard the entrance and keep any meddlers out. Oddly enough, they didn’t encounter Anakin here; apparently the Jedi Knight had taken another route. 

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re Imperial, mercenary or outsider, no one is getting inside!” the leader of the group announced, “I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and any who challenge us, will fall to my blade.”

“Incredible,” Welt whispered, “He’s carrying a sword. But no lightsaber.”

“The weapon must be made of a special alloy,” Luke guessed, “It will allow him to fight blaster guns and lightsabers altogether. We shouldn’t underestimate him.”

Lieutenant Strange fired his blaster gun. It hit Aragorn in the shoulder, and the warrior let go of his sword and dropped to his knee in sheer agony. “Who dares!” he shouted.

“Or it’s just an odd choice for a guard,” Luke shrugged.

“There’s still the matter of his flunkies though,” Goku said, flexing his knuckles, “Allow me…”

A brief but intense fight followed as Goku took on the remaining Frieza Force flunkies, making short work of them, despite their sheer numbers. The brawl didn’t last long and as the last fighter went down, the group moved on, advancing into the palace proper itself.

“Where to next?” Lieutenant Strange asked.

“The upper levels,” Luke said, “It’s where the old Jedi Council chambers were, and where the Emperor has his personal quarters. Unless he has been evacuated, we will find him there.”

“I can’t imagine how he wasn’t evacuated during this mess,” Welt said, “But the Frieza Force went here as well. They wouldn’t do so without reason.”

“You are correct,” a voice in front of them said, “They certainly would not come here without reason.”

They recognised the person blocking their path immediately, a man in red robes wearing a turban and sporting a wicked grin. It had been a while since they had run into him, but this was obviously Jafar, of the Triumvirate. “I must admit, I was expecting more Frieza Force weaklings. But I wasn’t counting on any pirates.”

“Come to take advantage of the chaos?” Welt spat, “Your reputation as a snake precedes you, Jafar.”

“My, my, even the great Welt Yang knows about me,” Jafar grinned, “My reputation truly must be rising.”

“Your reputation as a swindler and a bully,” Welt retorted, “How often I’d heard people complain about you aboard the Express. You’re not more than a petty thief.”

“I am a member of the Triumvirate,” Jafar retorted, advancing menacingly, “We will be the dominant power in this galaxy soon, after doing away with petty fools such as yourselves.”

“Do you really think you have what it takes to beat us?” Peter warned, “Your buddy Skeletor didn’t fare so well last time.”

“Don’t lump me in with that fool,” Jafar sneered, “Skeletor is a coward who fights through proxies. Me? I will show you the true power of magic.”

“You call yourself a Triumvirate, yet you hardly work together,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “Show us your might then. And we’ll beat you down again.”

“You’ll regret that, Strange,” Jafar smirked, raising his staff high. A glow of energy appeared on it which surrounded Jafar as well, and they could feel the power building, the kind of magic that was at work here. Then Jafar’s form began to change, merging with the staff, and a massive snake monster appeared in his place, slithering through the hallway, rapidly rushing towards them.

“Split up,” Luke shouted, “We have to take that thing down!”

Goku leapt at the massive snake first, trying to take it down fast, but was completely surprised by Jafar’s increased agility. As the warrior monk rushed forward, the snake slithered up on him, swiftly surrounding him with its body and wrapping itself around Goku, constraining him, attempting to strangle him. Of course Goku’s body was much too tough to be crushed like that, but at the same time he was also unable to wrest himself free.
Peter leapt up as the snake monster was preoccupied, swinging his fist and punching the snake’s massive head hard. It was enough to send the head and upper part of the body reeling backwards, but not enough to lessen its grip on Goku, who remained constrained by the massive monster.
Welt Yand and Lieutenant Strange both attacked the creature from a distance with blaster fire but the energy blasts didn’t even penetrate the massive snake’s thick skin. Instead it ignored the attacks and tried to tackle Peter instead with the tip of its tail, but the young pirate could easily avoid every attack with his spider agility. 

“It’s too quick!” Luke shouted, “We can never take it down like that!”

“It’s quick, but not strong,” Peter shouted back, dodging the tail again, “And it made one critical error! It caught Goku!”

“But Goku can’t get out,” Luke said, “He’s been trying ever since that snake grabbed him. But that thing is too strong.”

“Nah, I just think Goku isn’t motivated enough,” Peter grinned.

Peter leapt forward and dodged the tail once again of a monstrous snake that grew more and more frustrated. “Goku!” Peter shouted, “We’re about to have dinner! Make sure you join us soon, okay?!”

“All right!” Goku smiled and flexed his muscles again, more intense this time. The snake shrieked as the small warrior monk wrestled himself free, seemingly without effort now. The snake tried to strike again, swinging its head down to deliver a devastating bite attack, but Goku reacted swiftly, spinning around, and uppercutting the snake hard. With a roar the beast staggered backwards and turned into Jafar again, who lay on the ground unconscious. 

“Damn,” Luke commented.

“We should interrogate him,” Lieutenant Strange proposed.

“There is no time,” Welt disagreed, “He was obviously sent here to delay us. That means time is of the essence. It’s better if we rush now.”

“Agreed,” Peter said, “And I’m worried about Anakin.”

“Alright,” Welt agreed, “Let’s hurry up then. Hope this snake doesn’t come back to bite us in the tailend.” 

They went ahead and further into the temple, but not before tying Jafar up quickly, to ensure he wouldn’t escape easily. There was still some opposition, but nothing noteworthy and eventually they made their way up to the upper levels of the palace and were only a few hallways away from the imperial throne room. Opposition was more fierce here, as they now encountered soldiers of Frieza’s main force. Their opponent would be close. 

The throne room itself had already been compromised, its massive entrance doors bent out of shape and forced open. The pirate group rushed inside, only to find an utter and total chaos.
There was fighting everywhere between buff looking warriors and imperial defenders clad in bloodred armor. On the throne floor Anakin Skywalker was facing off against another Jedi Knight, wielding a lightsaber of his own. Peter and Luke immediately recognised the legendary figure who had become famous years ago and was still one of this time’s greatest legends: Anakin’s opponent was none other than the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi. Behind them the Emperor sat on his throne, observing the carnage in front of him, watching events unfold with a cold and calculating gaze. From the sidelines another was watching events unfold, an alien creature with white skin and purple patches of armored hide on his body, perhaps the size of a tall infant. Peter guessed it would have to be Frieza. 

“Stay back!” Anakin shouted, sensing the arrival of his son and the other pirates, “I have this! I will finish this fight!”

“What are you talking about?” Luke shouted back, “That is Obi-Wan Kenobi you’re fighting! Hero of the Empire! The one who captured Hondo Ohnaka!”

“Not anymore he is!” Anakin shouted back, “Obi-Wan is with the Frieza Force! He’s attempting to overthrow the Emperor!”

“I’m telling you, Anakin, it’s not like that!” Obi-Wan shouted as well, “My allegiance is to the people of this galaxy! To their true lives!”

“Liar!” Anakin spat back, “I see how it is! You are on the side of evil, Obi-Wan. And I will do what I must to stop you!”

“Then I will do what I must as well,” Obi-Wan replied with a sigh, “I’m sorry, Anakin.”

“What is this madness, Master Kenobi!” Luke shouted, “Why are you fighting for a group of mercenaries who want to kidnap the emperor! This isn’t like you!”

“Anakin’s son, isn’t it?” Obi-Wan replied as he parried one of Anakin’s blows, “You are mistaken, child. We are not here to kidnap the Emperor. We’re here to restore order.”

“A funny way of doing it, with an invasion force!” Anakin interrupted, taking another swing at the veteran Jedi Knight. 

“I’ve been trying to do this the civil way, Anakin!” Obi-Wan shouted back as he drove the other Jedi back a little, “I’ve requested an audience with the Emperor because of what I believe; the result was a refusal and suddenly there was a bounty on my head. What am I to make of that then, eh?”

“A misunderstanding and someone with a grudge, for sure!” Anakin shouted back, “What about Grievous? He still hates your guts!”

“I’ve already checked out that lead, it wasn’t Grievous, Anakin!” the Jedi replied, “The order came from Coruscant. And then I met up with Frieza, who told me the truth about this galaxy and the Space Piece. I didn’t believe him, until he proved it to me; and then it all added up. We’ve been living a lie, boy!”

“Stop calling me that!” Anakin shouted, “And so what if this is an Anomaly? We were happy here!”

“You knew about the Anomaly!” Obi-Wan accused, “And yet you still fight us! Are you that content living a lie, Anakin?”

“The Emperor told me!” Anakin said, “I don’t like every aspect of it, but I live a happy existence here! I refuse to give that up!”

“Then you are truly lost,” Obi-Wan sighed.

“The boy can’t help it, he has been written this way,” Frieza suddenly spoke, suddenly stepping forward, “But we don’t have time for you two to have a romantic duel of the fates. If this takes too long, the process will become irreversible.”

“I can talk him out of it, Frieza!” Obi-Wan shouted, “There’s no need for this!”

“It looks like the time of talk has long since passed, Kenobi,” Frieza smirked, “I am going to end this now, but I’ll try not to kill him.”

“He is my brother, in many ways, Frieza,” Obi-Wan warned, “do be gentle.”

“Not my middle name, but I try,” Frieza smirked, advancing at the two fighting Jedi.

But before the mysterious warlord could intervene, he was struck in the back by an energy blast. Frieza looked like he could take a hit or two, yet the energy blast sent him falling to his knees. Second later, a dome of energy surrounded him, trapping the warrior within. “Who dares?!” he called out.

The Spider-Man Pirates looked in the direction of where the attack had come from, as did Frieza, glaring over his shoulder. From the shadows both Mephisto and Skeletor emerged, it was clear that one of them had attacked the space warlord from behind. “Looking good there, sport,” Mephisto taunted as they walked up to the trapped warrior.

“Mephisto,” Frieza replied, recognising the voice, “What is the meaning of this betrayal exactly?” 

“Nothing special, just clipping your wings, Lord Frieza,”  Mephisto smirked, “I can’t have you going any further here.”

“Ridiculous,” Frieza grumbled, raising back to his feet and turning around to face the diabolical fiend, “You were the one who helped me raise this army in the first place. And now you turn to oppose me.” 

“I gave you this power to provide conflict in the galaxy, to do the dirty work of those in power,”  Mephisto replied, “But I can’t have you intervene here, with the Emperor directly. That will work against my own plans.” 

“You’re the one who caused this,” Frieza concluded, “You gave him the…” 

“Eh eh, that’s enough out of you,”  Mephisto warned, wagging his finger, “One more word, and the air will magically disappear from your little imprisonment.” 

Frieza fell silent. But his glare was killer. 

“I’m not sure what is going on here, but if the Triumvirate is involved, at least we know who the bad guys are,” Peter said, “Let’s help out Master Kenobi then!” 

“What are you saying?” Luke cried out, grabbing Peter by the arm and holding me back, “You’re expecting me to go against my own father?” 

“Your father is choosing the wrong side here, Luke,”  Peter replied, “And he’s too stubborn to see it any other way. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.” 

“I…” Luke began, but said no more. He then let go of Peter’s arm, knowing that his captain was right. His father was on the wrong side here. 

“You too would go against me, Luke?” Anakin glared over his shoulder, after finally getting some distance between himself and Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Can’t you see we need to stop these invaders?” 

“Is that really the way, father?” Luke shouted back, “Look at all this chaos! And not just here, but everywhere. The galaxy may look peaceful, but under the surface there is just so much mismatched… so much out of order. As if someone has taken different worlds and mashed them altogether.”

“An interesting choice of words,”  Mephisto smiled.

“You did all of this!” Lieutenant Strange shouted, pointing at Mephisto, “You arranged for it all! The Frieza Force, the Anomaly, the Empire! It was all you!”

“Ah, someone has been whispering into your ear,” Mephisto purred back, “I wish I could take credit for all of it, my dear Strange. But it wasn’t all me.”

“You lie,” Strange replied, “I can see it now, memories flowing into me as if they are my own; you have the power.”

“I have a lot of that, it’s true,” Mephisto said, “But even I can’t rewrite reality. But I can bring that power together with one who can use it.”

“Who could possibly control that kind of power?” Welt asked.

“Who indeed?” Lieutenant Strange said, glaring across the room, “I can think of only one…”

They all glanced in the same direction, Spider-Man Pirates, Frieza Force members, heroes and villains alike, and all focused on the same individual who still sat there on his throne, his hands folded against each other, smirking as he watched the ongoing events unfold. Emperor Sheev Palpatine. 

“Of course!” Welt concluded, “He is already in control of the whole galaxy. Who else could it be but the most powerful politician this universe knows?”

“Oh, he’s more than just a powerful politician,” Lieutenant Strange said, “He’s a Sith Lord, an ancient sorcerer well versed in The Force. But how do I know that?”

“It’s because of your proximity to me, our memories tend to overflow,” Doctor Strange said, stepping into the room, “But I couldn’t have summarized it any better myself.”

“Strange!” Mephisto spat, “You’re not supposed to be here!”

“I know that’s what you hoped for, Mephisto,” Doctor Strange answered calmly, “You thought I would be unable to get here, that Coruscant was sealed from me; that’s what I wanted you to believe.”

“You mean you could have come here all along?” Mephisto spat, “Then why these young ones? Why gather a group of heroes?”

“To catch you off guard,” Doctor Strange smiled, “I wanted you to believe I could not come here, that I would need a group of proxies, of pure young heroes to come here in my stead. Truth is, I still do. I’m just their backup.”

“The arrogance,” Mephisto spat, “You think you’ve outsmarted Mephisto? You’re a fool to underestimate me, Strange.”

“I underestimate no one,” Strange smiled, “This little game ends here, today, fiend!”

“I think enough words have been wasted here,” Mephisto concluded, “Skeletor, do your thing and take them out.”

“About time a true villain takes the stage here,” Skeletor sneered and stepped forward, past the energy dome that contained Frieza and ready to take on the whole group of heroes all at once, “Today you will be different, young Spider-Man. Today you will face the true and full power of Skeletor!”

Just then Frieza turned around again, focusing his power and shooting an energy straight through the energy dome, as well as through Skeletor’s body, striking him from the back. “Eh?” was all Skeletor could exclaim, before collapsing on the floor, at the same time breaking in two. There was no coming back from that.

“Impossible!” Mephisto shouted, “You should have been sealed!”

“You fell for a cheap ploy, fiend,” Frieza grinned at the devil, “I’ve been only using one third of my total fighting power these last few months, and thus you underestimated me and thought you could imprison me. It gave me a perfect angle to take down that fool Skeletor.”

“But why?” Mephisto asked, “You had everything a tyrant could possibly want in this world! Power, influence, and no real opposition!”

“Exactly that,” Frieza said, “No opposition, no true opponent to challenge me and keep me on my toes; but Doctor Strange came to me, and showed me how it could have been, how my true destiny could have been, it would have been…” he briefly glanced over at Son Goku and gave a soft smirk, “…very entertaining.”

“I can’t believe it,” Mephisto said softly, “I have been bested after all…”

“You’re right, Mephisto; it’s over,” Doctor Strange said.

“That is quite enough, gentlemen,” the Emperor’s voice suddenly echoed throughout the hallway, putting a temporary halt to all the fighting and drawing everyone’s gaze to the elder ruler. “It’s time for this little conflict to end. You’ve made a mess of my throne room long enough now.”

“My Lord, what do you mean?” Anakin replied, “Don’t we need to drive off these invaders?”

“Observe,” the Emperor replied, gesturing at a small pedestal next to his throne; there a thick booklet lay, faintly glowing in the otherwise darkened room, “The Siege Perilous.”

“The Siege Perilous,” Doctor Strange repeated, “An ancient item that has the power to traverse reality, to visit new worlds.”

“Yes, a simple thing,” Mephisto grinned, “But with my power added to it, it became so much more; it became an item of will, an object which allows one to reshape reality as he or she sees fit. All it needed was a man with vision, with power, to use it. And then I found Palpatine.”

“Or did I find you?” Palpatine smirked, “Your gift was a welcome one, fiend.”

“So that’s what happened?” Peter asked, “You gave Palpatine the power to rewrite reality and he used it to create a world with him in power and the universe unable to resist, a reality that is gradually overwriting the real world?”

“No, rather he created the perfect world,” Luke replied, “One without conflict, except for necessary ones. A world at peace.”

“You really think that was what he created?” Mephisto laughed, “Oh, you have no idea.” 

“Then enlighten them, Mephisto,” Frieza spat, “Tell them of your shame.” 

Mephisto sighed and Peter realized at that point that things probably hadn’t gone according to the fiend’s plan, but rather something unexpected had happened.

“Tell them,” Frieza pressed.

But Mephisto refused.

And then Peter realized what the issue was: “He used the Siege Perilous. But not in the way you expected it to, right? In fact, the Emperor did something completely unexpected.”

“Fan Fiction…” Mephisto grumbled softly.

“What was that?” Peter asked.

“Louder!” Frieza laughed.

“Fan Fiction!” Mephisto shouted.

Frieza just laughed aloud at this point.

“What?!” Peter asked, “What does that mean?!”

“He could have wished for anything he wanted,” Mephisto grumbled, “Created a reality where he was the supreme ruler, where he had a power beyond anyone, and could rule unopposed. But instead he used it to create… Fan Fiction!”

“I understand what Fan Fiction is,” Lieutenant Strange said, “But not in this context. Did he write a novel or something?”

“Oh no,” Doctor Strange smiled, “It’s much, much worse than that.”

“You mean all of this..?” Peter began to ask; but he already knew the answer. 

“Yes,” Mephisto confirmed, “All of this, everything within this galaxy, this reality, is the product of Palpatine’s wishes and desires. But not his wishes and desire to rule, no rather his wishes and desires for actual characters, for the important characters in well known and less well known stories. They are the relationships that Palpatine wishes would have been or that he thinks shouldn’t have been, the way those stories should have gone, and the untold stories that lay hidden on the edge of the original. In short, this entire reality is Sheev Palpatine’s Fan Fiction Story!”

“Dear lord!” Obi-Wan Kenobi exclaimed.

“What an abomination!” Anakin agreed, “So all of this, Obi-Wan and me clashing here and now, that is the result of the Emperor’s fantasies?”

“No,” Mephisto shook his head, “He intended for the two of you to go on a mission together a few months from now and get stranded on a remote planet, where you discover your true feelings for each other in the ultimate bromance. No, this situation is your own doing, the consequence of meddling with Palpatine’s story by outside forces such as Doctor Strange and Welt Yang.”

“And I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling main characters!” Palpatine said, shaking his fist, “But don’t think you have won yet! I will erase all of you and set things right again! You all will have your happy endings!”

“You can’t force us!” Luke shouted, “We have a right to choose our own destiny, not act according to the whims of some dirty old man!”

“Try and stop me if you can,” Palpatine smirked, “This is still my reality, and I am all powerful here.”

At that point Frieza had had quite enough of the whole thing and charged. “Exactly why we came here to stop you!” he shouted, “Exactly why I founded the Frieza Force in this reality! I want my life back!”

But Palpatine reacted faster, raising his hands and shooting blasts of lightning from his hands, shocking the charging alien and sending him hurling across the throne room.
Anakin was the next one to make an attempt, charging his Emperor with a lightsaber, but the Emperor sent him flying too with a kinetic push of The Force. Then all others attacked, attempting to overwhelm the tyrant with sheer numbers, yet somehow Palpatine was still able to keep everyone at bay.

That is, until suddenly his powers disappeared, as did his guards, and some of the people in the room. Glancing back at the Throne, Peter realized that the Siege Perilous was no longer on its pedestal; instead it was held aloft by a smirking Mephisto. “Oh no,” he gasped.

“Oh yes!” Mephisto smirked, “I guess if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself! I’ll erase this reality and replace it with one of my own, one filled with pain, anguish and suffering!”

Just then Pom Pom came rushing out of nowhere, straight at the demon, who was taken totally by surprise. “Pom Pom has had quite enough of this!” they shouted, and crashed violently into Mephisto, who lost his balance and dropped the Siege Perilous. The book bounced on the pedestal, then dropped straight into a fire pit which Palpatine always kept in his throne room for dramatic effect. Being a tome of ancient power made it quite flammable, and thus it burnt to a crisp within seconds. 

“NO!” Mephisto shouted.

And then the whole world exploded in blinding light.

Chapter X – The Interstellar Express: Another Ride / Scarif or bust

The group of Spider-Man Space Pirates was flabbergasted, so Lieutenant Strange repeated himself again: “You just came from the Space Piece, didn’t you know that?”

“You mean we were the Space Piece all along?” Peter gasped, “That’s weird… and strangely philosophical.”

“No, it’s just weird,” Luke said, “Where are we now then?”

“You’re still in the universe as it exists,” the lieutenant replied, “But you’re outside of something which we call The Singularity, or the AO3. Though not many know where that abbreviation stands for.”

“Do you?” Goku asked.

“No.”

“Look at the monitor,” Alpha Five said, punching in a few commands on his console, “I think I understand what he means.”

The screen which had previously displayed the planet Earth and the USS Gin now switched to what lay behind them: an enormous swirling mass of barely visible matter and energy, larger than the planet itself, perhaps even larger than the sun in the distance that barely illuminated this strange mass. “What is that?” Peter gasped.

“The AO3 Singularity,” Lieutenant Strange repeated, “A massive disruption in time, space and reality. It is often also referred to as “that piece of space” or The Space Piece.”

“The Space Piece is real,” Grimlock repeated his own words, “I never would have known…”

“What is it exactly?” Luke asked, “Is this the Multiverse that Doctor Strange spoke off?”

“I suppose you could describe it like that,” Lieutenant Strange said, “It is a realm where past, present, reality and fiction meet, where worlds cross over into each other and where stories come to life. It is something that should not exist and.. it is growing.”

“It’s encroaching on your universe?” Alpha Five concluded.

“It is,” Lieutenant Strange nodded, “It was discovered weeks ago and has grown exponentially since. We expect it will consume our solar system within a matter of weeks, the galaxy in years. We don’t know if the expansion will stop or if it will continue until it has consumed and corrupted everything.”

“That’s impossible,” Luke said, “Hondo Ohnaka must have gone here over a decade ago; yet this singularity of yours is only weeks old? Then where did he travel to?”

“Hondo Ohnaka appeared from the singularity a little over a week ago,” Lieutenant Strange said, “Time clearly flows differently within the Singularity so it might have been different for you guys. He caused quite a ruckus too, so Captain Reynolds was a little on edge when you mentioned him. I think he still is.”

“I don’t blame him,” Grimlock said, “We really shouldn’t be here. Just our presence outside of the Singularity could already further destabilize the space-time continuum, and cause the Singularity to grow even faster.”

“It’s probably already too late for that,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “The Singularity is already bleeding past its outer edges, and messing with our reality; Captain Reynolds isn’t supposed to exist, rather he should be an actor making heroes about funny characters and grumpy superheroes; yet few remember that expect of him, or regard it as a piece of fiction. And me, I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to exist here either, that Doctor Strange name you mentioned, it had a familiar ring to it; heck, I don’t even know if planet Earth is supposed to even have a space force.”

“It sounds like a very problematic event,” Peter said, “Do you have any idea how this can be reversed? Can it even be reversed?”

“We’re not sure,” Lieutenant Strange said, “We have been able to probe some of the singularity but most of it is unknown to us. It’s clearly bigger on the inside than the visible outside, the fact that you describe a galaxy within it confirms that; but we know precious little, except that whatever is driving the expansion exists within the Singularity itself.”

“You are certain of this?” Goku asked.

“Every reading we could confirm, does seem to indicate that,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “But we can’t find out the source, nor can we stop the process from the outside.”

“Have you tried entering the singularity?” Peter asked, “If we could get out of it, and Hondo returned as well, then it makes sense that it’s a two way system, right?”

“That’s what we figured as well,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “We sent someone in a few days ago, but he never returned, and we lost all contact. it has put the top brass quite on edge on any next steps.”

“So no new plans to enter the singularity?” Peter asked.

“Not officially,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “But I would volunteer with a heartbeat. If only to find out what happened to Commander Yang.”

“Wait,” Luke said, realizing the name sounded familiar, “Did you say Commander Yang? Welt Yang?”

The lieutenant’s gaze brightened up with hope: “You know Commander Yang?”

“The place where we met was a massive interplanetary transport system called the Interstellar Express. We also met some of its crew, including Welt Yang,” Luke explained.

“Incredible,” Lieutenant Strange gasped, “Did he say anything about the universe outside the Singularity?”

“Nothing,” Luke shook his head, “If anything, he had been a pivotal member of the Interstellar Express for many years.”

“That makes no sense with any calculations we’ve made,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “Even with the different way time flows inside the Singularity, no more than a few weeks should have passed. Time really does work differently inside the AO3.”

“According to Hondo Ohnaka’s final words, the one who found The Space Piece would inherit it, his greatest treasure,” Peter said, “Never would I expected it to be something like this.”

“Knowledge is a treasure on its own,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “And I can imagine it would upset quite a few people inside the Singularity if they found out the truth.”

“Why?” Goku asked, “Don’t they want to know the truth?”

“Only if it’s convenient,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “An uncomfortable truth would lead to discord and maybe even panic; those in power might lose their power, and would seek to avoid that.”

“What do we do now?” Luke asked, “This really changes everything.”

“I want to enter the Singularity,” Lieutenant Strange said, “It’s the only way to find out what happened to Commander Yang, and to find out the truth about the Singularity itself. But my superiors would never allow such a mission, especially not after you people emerged.”

“Then come with us,” Peter offered suddenly.

“Excuse me?” Luke asked.

“Wait what?” a flabbergasted Lieutenant Strange said. 

“We’re going back into the Singularity,” Peter Parker explained, “Now that we know what it is, I think the true quest lies within, and it’s probably also why Hondo Ohnaka went back. I want to get back there and you can come with us. Don’t ask for permission. Be a pirate.”

“Course is already laid in,” Alpha Five announced, “We can leave anytime we want to. But Captain Reynolds has also been hailing us again, he wants Lieutenant Strange to return to his ship and for us to power down our engines.”

“We just learned that Captain Reynolds isn’t real but is an actor affected by the Singularity,” Peter replied, “So by that knowledge, we don’t need to take orders from him. In fact, it would be wiser if we don’t do that, and do the exact opposite.”

“Activating engines,” Alpha Five replied, “Taking us back in.”

The Black Sun Pearl immediately jumped to live and moved forward a bit before gradually changing course and eventually turning 180 degrees. The USS Gin came to life shortly later as well in response and opened fire on the pirate ship, but the Black Sun Pearl was much faster and more agile and had a head start, so none of the shots fired hit the freighter.

“Hang on,” Alpha Five, “Impacting Singularity in three… two… one..!”

And then the universe around them disappeared again for a moment and they were surrounded by a pitch blackness. That is, until the stars returned and Alpha Five had to make an emergency course correction, to avoid slamming directly into what appeared to be the side of the Interstellar Express. 

“Was that the Interstellar Express?!” Luke shouted out, while Alpha Five was trying to keep control of the ship.

“We didn’t reappear at the moon of Thundera?!” Grimlock wondered.

“It would seem a lot about this Singularity is unstable and unpredictable,” Lieutenant Strange said, “Or maybe we just don’t understand it yet. And… was that a train in space?”

“The Interstellar Express,” Luke answered, “The vessel we told you about. And fortune is with it, because that’s where we’ll also find Welt Yang!”

“It looks like we’re somewhere in the vicinity of the Dantooine system,” Alpha Five reported, “That would make sense, as it is one of the destinations of the Interstellar Express.”

“But a good distance away from Thundera,” Luke said, “We’re not even in the unknown regions anymore.”

“Send a message to the Interstellar Express,” Peter told Alpha Five, “Tell them we want to meet up with Welt Yang after they have landed on the planet. Then take us down to the surface as well.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Alpha Five agreed.

After a message to the space train and a brief interaction Alpha Five plotted a course to the planet surface, landing the Black Sun Pearl in proximity of the Interstellar Express’ designated landing site. Not much later after they had exited the spaceship did they watch the massive space train as it descended from orbit, touching down on the planet surface.

The group of Spider-Man pirates waited until the passengers with Dantooine as their destination had left the train, then approached it, finding Pom Pom and their team already waiting for them. Most of them were in a calm mood, but Pom  Pom was literally fuming and stomping their little feet. Something had clearly upset him. “I wonder what they are so mad about,” Goku wondered.

“You brutes almost crashed into my beautiful Interstellar Express!” Pom Pom fumed when they got close enough, “How can you be so reckless?!”

“Aye yi yi! What an anxious little thing!” Alpha Five exclaimed.

“We’re sorry, Pom Pom,” Luke said, apologizing while kneeling down, “We really didn’t have any control of our vessel for a moment, it was never our intention to cause a panic.”

“Hmpf, as long as you watch yourselves from now on,” Pom Pom replied, angrily folding their arms and looking away, offended. 

“Perhaps you would care to elaborate a little more about that,” Tony Stark suggested, “We didn’t see anything dropping out of Hyperspace. It’s as if you simply suddenly were there all of a sudden, right in our path.”

“In a way, I think we were,” Peter replied, “It’s a complicated story.”

“I would love to hear it,” Tony Stark replied with a smug grin.

“Commander Yang!” Lieutenant Strange suddenly blurted out when he spotted Welt Yang, “It really is you!”

“Lieutenant Strange?” Welt Yang replied, visibly surprised, “Is that really you? You look like you haven’t aged a day.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “But much less time has passed for me when compared to you. For me, you were only gone for a few weeks.”

“Inconceivable,” Welt Yang murmured, rubbing his chin, “It has been nearly twenty years for me. I even witnessed the life of Hondo Ohnaka on the galactic news here. I have been flung back in time. Or perhaps something different happened, that we can’t explain.”

“Would still love to hear an attempt though,” Tony tried to interrupt, overcome with curiosity.

“You two know each other?” Ben Solo asked, “Isn’t that a great thing?”

“We did, a long time ago, in a life I had almost forgotten,” Welt Yang replied, “And I never believed I would have a chance to return to it someday.”

“We’re not sure if we can or should,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “The situation outside the Anomaly is a stalemate. If we’re going to change something, it needs to happen here.”

“Still confused,” Tony Stark reminded them.

“I was afraid of that,” Welt Yang continued their conversation, “In that case we need to act fast. I think I know where we need to go, but before that there is someone we must recruit first.”

“Who is that?” Peter asked.

“The greatest Jedi Knight who ever lived, even greater than the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Welt Yang replied, “We need to find Anakin Skywalker.”

“My father,” Luke gasped.

“Your father?” Welt Yang repeated, “That will make things a lot easier, hopefully. Can you tell us where he is?”

“Of course I can,” Luke said, slightly annoyed, “I would know where my own father is, of course. In fact, I was on my way to meet him, before I joined Spider-Man here on his adventure as a space pirate.”

“That’s great,” Welt Yang smiled, “We had best leave right away then. Since we don’t know the way time works, it’s best not to take any chances and hurry when we can.”

“Pom Pom doesn’t like speeding though,” Pom Pom protested.

“Of course,” Welt Yang smiled, “You, Tony and Ben keep an eye on the Express for me, will you? I need to join these fine… pirates. There is something I must do.”

“After all these years building a reputation aboard the Interstellar Express you’re going to join a band of space pirates now?” Tony Stark asked, “Wow. Not the career move I expected.”

“I’m sure the Express will be fine with all of you,” Welt Yang smiled, “But sometimes destiny catches up with you. Thank you all for having me, my friends.”

“Just make sure you stay safe,” Pom Pom huffed.

“I will,” Welt smiled.

“Make sure you make some headlines,” Tony grinned.

“I won’t let you down,” Welt grinned back.

The group left with Welt Yang as their latest team member, even though he technically hadn’t joined the Spider-Man pirates… yet. Behind them, the Interstellar Express was already making preparations for departure again. Welt wondered if he would ever see that magnificent train again. 

“Where to then?” Alpha Five asked, “Where do we find your father, Luke?”

“In his last message he told me the Emperor had sent him to the imperial world of Scarif. He didn’t give much details, so it would have been a mission with classified information.”

“He probably won’t like us dropping in on him then,” Welt surmised, “We might be walking into something, by the sound of it.”

“I’m sure we’ll be alright,” Luke smiled, “He’s been on special missions before. And it usually didn’t bother him if I visited then.”

“Very well then,” Alpha Five concluded and seated himself behind the navigational controls, “Plotting a course for Scarif.”

“What can you tell me about Scarif?” Lieutenant Strange asked as the freighter began to take off, “What kind of world is it?”

“It’s a tropical planet,” Peter replied, “And the Empire has some sort of presence there, something secret; there isn’t a lot known about it in normal media, or on the holo web.” 

“It’s a knowledge center,” Luke replied, “My dad sometimes talked about it; the whole planet is a massive collection of data, an archive of all sorts of information relevant to the Empire. Sensitive information as well, so access to the planet is classified and very limited. It won’t be easy to get in.” 

“It can’t be that hard, right?”  Peter guessed, “We can just get a fake ID to make us look like a normal freighter, or mask ourselves to their sensors, right? Those are some of the oldest pirate tricks out there.” 

“Scarif is different,” Luke protested, “The entire planet has been sealed off by a massive energy shield. Even the Empire’s strongest firepower can’t breach that easily. We need to get past that shield somehow. But there is only one entrance, and it is heavily guarded by some wily people.” 

“That’s some pretty advanced security,” Lieutenant Strange said, rubbing his goatee, “The Empire really must want to keep people out of there.”

“Mostly they want to keep data in,”  Welt Yang replied, “Data can be dangerous. It could be used to blackmail people, and there could be schematics to some powerful weaponry there. You wouldn’t want that kind of knowledge getting out. It’s a clever solution to console your knowledge like that, albeit a bit risky, and a bit extreme.”

“A tad much extreme,” Goku said “So what do we do now? Wear disguises?”

“The shield entrance still seems to be the weak point in this defense,” Welt Yang surmised, “I’ll come up with a plan as we travel there; I will need access to the holo web though.” 

“That’s no problem,”  Alpha Five said, “The Black Sun Pearl has access, and several advanced encryption devices to prevent us from being tracked. You can use the system here.”

“Excellent,” Welt Yang, “I’ll get busy then. The rest of you, take some time to prepare. Even when we get past the energy shield, I doubt this is going to be an easy voyage.”

“Aye sir,” Alpha Five replied and entered the final coordinates of their destination. Once again the familiar distortion of Hyperspace surrounded them as the Black Sun Pearl shot off towards this destination, and the first brush against the Galactic Empire for the Spider-Man Pirates. 

Several hours had gone by on the pirates’ Hyperspace journey. Finally Welt called the group together, as he had come up with an idea, and had worked out the details and necessities as well. “What did you get?” Grimlock asked.

“I’ve created a fake ID for myself and Peter,” Welt said, “I will be an Imperial auditor come to inspect the shield system, and Peter will be my assistant. Luke Skywalker will accompany us as well as himself, to throw some weight around and add credibility. We will tour the facility and act like real auditors.”

“And what about the rest of us?” Grimlock asked, “Do we wait until you sabotage the system from within?”

“There will be no sabotage,” Welt shook his head, “That would alert security and send the whole planet after us; we might be able to avoid a confrontation for a short while, but we’d never last. And we would never be able to reach Anakin Skywalker that way.”

“Then what is the plan?” Goku asked.

“During our inspection, you will fake an interstellar message from Coruscant,” Welt replied, “You, Goku, will pretend to be the Emperor himself, with a special mission.”

“That will be credible,” Luke said sarcastically.

“It will work,” Welt assured, “Even if Goku’s performance isn’t all that good, the Emperor is beloved and respected across the galaxy. No one will even consider that someone would imitate him for personal gain, nor will they doubt his genuinity.” 

“That’s a big gamble,” Peter said.

“It’s not that bad,” Welt replied, “There have been instances like this in the past, but they were either covered up or they simply worked. We’ll be fine, I have no doubt about this.”

“So what’s the message the Emperor will relay?” Alpha Five asked.

“The Emperor will say that he has a special assignment for Anakin Skywalker,” Welt explained, “And that he will send the information to Luke Skywalker, due to the classified nature of it all. Then he will order Luke to go down to the planet to talk to his father and inform him of this… mission.”

“It’s not entirely untrue either, since that’s what we’re seeking him out for,” Luke shrugged.

“Best case, the commander on site will allow us to go with him; worst case, Anakin has some alone time with his father, and can still convince him to help us.”

“It will be difficult to convince him without telling him what is going on,” Luke replied, “Even when he’s son is asking for it.” 

“We need him to accompany us to Coruscant,” Welt replied, “He’s the fastest and most reliable way to get an audience with the Emperor.”

“I wonder if I’ll be able to convince him of that,” Luke said, “But I’ll give it a shot.”

“Very well then, we have our plan,” Welt replied, “How long until we arrive at Scarif?”

“Just thirty more minutes,” Alpha Five reported, “You’d best get that imperial uniform on, if you want to make a convincing impression.”

“All right then,” Peter grinned, “Into the fold we go.”

Scarif

Not much later the freighter shipped drop out of Hyperspace and Alpha Five sent a course towards the jungle planet, guiding the Black Sun Pearl towards the entrance of the massive planet encompassing energy shield. Not much later were they picked up by the planet’s security forces and they received an incoming message: “Attention unknown vessel, identify yourself and state your business. This is a restricted area.”

“This is the imperial freighter Savage Opress,” Alpha Five replied, “I have aboard the Imperial Auditor Wilhuff Tarkin who has come to inspect your shield system.”

“Your arrival is not  in our flight plan,” the person on the other side announced, “And Auditor Tarkin’s visit is most unexpected.”

“That is the general purpose of an unexpected audit,” Alpha Five replied, “I am sending you our travel log and mission statement, you will find everything to be in order.”

Alpha Five cut the transmission and sent the falsified information to the planet. There was a few minutes of silence as the falsified data was being processed. The crew was nervous, hoping the Imperial forces would fall for their trick, but Welt Yang seemed confident enough that their plan would work.

Then, minutes later the transmission was restored and the planetary commander replied: “Everything checks out, Savage Opress. You may continue and dock with the shield station. Someone will be there to pick you up.” – and the transmission was cut off.

“Looks like it worked,” Grimlock said, “Easier than expected.”

“Or they know what’s up and there will be a whole platoon of Stormtroopers waiting for us when we dock,” Luke said.

“Only one way to find out,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “Take us in, Alpha Five.”

The shuttle approached the main entrance to the Scarif energy shield, which was surrounded by a massive orbital base. The Black Sun Pearl landed, and just as planned Welt Yang, Peter Parker and Luke Skywalker left the ship and met up with the local commander who was already waiting for them, accompanied by a pair of Stormtroopers acting as guard; no massive platoon of soldiers waiting for them, fortunately!

“Lord Tarkin,” the commander greeted them, “Welcome to Scarif. Your visit is most unexpected.”

“The Emperor wished it that way,” Welt Yang replied, “Don’t worry, we only wish to tour this facility, make sure the administration is in order. It won’t be a full audit.”

“That pleases me,” the commander replied, “We are quite busy, as you might have heard we recently received a large shipment of archival material from Coruscant. We’re still processing that.”

“Very well,” Welt replied, “Show me the administration on that then.”

“One moment,” the commander replied, as one of his assistants began accessing a console, “It’ll take a few moments to access it and deactivate the encryption.”

“Commander,” the assistant replied, “We have an incoming transmission from Coruscant. It’s Emperor Palpatine in person!”

“What?!” the commander said, taken by surprise, “What would the Emperor want with us, especially now? Put it through, lieutenant!”

The assistant nodded and moments later a holographic image of Emperor Palpatine appeared, though it was in fact Son Goku in disguise, which you could barely make out if you paid close enough attention to the details. “My Lord,” the commander greeted his emperor. 

“Commander, what’s up?” the Emperor greeted them, which led to some confusion, “I mean, what is the status of your station?”

“All operation at optimum efficiency,” the commander reassured, “We’re almost done processing Coruscant’s data; I was just showing your auditor this.” 

“Ah yes, Auditor Tarkin,” the Emperor replied, “That brings us to my reason for contacting you.”

“We are at your service, My Emperor,” the commander replied.

“I have an important message for Anakin Skywalker, who is on the surface of Scarif,” the Emperor replied, “The blonde haired boy in front of you is his son; you will allow him passage to the surface so he can deliver my message and will.”

“It shall be done, my lord,”  the commander replied.

“Secondly, Auditor Tarkin’s crew is to be rewarded. Have some of your finest food brought to the shuttle so they may enjoy the Empire’s hospitality,” the Emperor ordered.

“Goku…”  Luke groaned. 

“It… it shall be done, my lord,” the commander assured after a moment of hesitation. The order had sounded unusual.

“Excellent,” the Emperor replied, “You shall be rewarded for your service, commander. I look forward to hearing good news in the near future.”

Then the transmission ended and they were alone again. “Prepare a shuttlecraft for the young Skywalker,”  the commander ordered, “Meanwhile, we will continue with the audit.”

The shuttlecraft left, carrying Luke and a small escort down to the surface, while Welt Yang and Peter kept up the facade of an audit. Little time had passed when a holographic viewing displaying international news caught their attention. There was the usual news about high interest rates imposed by the Trade Federation and political friction, but what caught their attention was a news message. “A shocking development in the galactic center today,” the news reader announced, “As an armada of heavily armed ships has made its way to the galaxy’s center, headed for Coruscant. This mysterious fleet, calling itself The Frieza Force, has made only a single demand: the unconditional surrender of Coruscant and of Emperor Palpatine.”

“The Frieza Force,” Welt mumbled, “That’s the group you mentioned in your recollection of past events, is it not?”

“Grimlock’s group,” Peter whispered, “We’ll have to do something about that somewhere in the future.”

“Right,” Welt agreed, “But it’s out of our hands for now; let’s focus on the fake audit for now, and confront Grimlock with this development after we’ve left Scarif.”

“Agreed,” Peter said.

Several hours passed after that. The fake audit went off without any difficulties and afterwards the group remained on the Black Sun Pearl, waiting for any news from the surface of Luke Skywalker or his father. Finally a message came from the base staff that a shuttle was returning from the surface, so they went outside to welcome it.
The shuttle opened up after landing safely in the docking bay and Luke emerged from it, along with the two guards who had accompanied him down to the surface. “No luck?” Peter asked.

“Yes, but my father needs a moment to put his formal outfit on; he insisted on it,” Luke replied.

Just then another figure emerged from the shuttle, and the whole docking area fell silent. The Jedi Knight they had wanted to meet was dressed imposingly in black armor, sporting a dark cape behind him, and a black mask that obscured his face. The figure advanced slowly, in an almost menacing way and made his way towards Luke and the other Spider-Man pirates. Then he stopped, unclasping his helmet and removing it, revealing a man in his fourtees with short dark brown hair: “Luke’s companions?” he asked.

“An honor to meet you, Master Skywalker,” Welt Yang greeted him.

“The honor is mine altogether, sir… Tarkin, was it?”

“Perhaps we should continue our conversation later,” Anakin Skywalker proposed.

“A good idea,” Welt agreed.

“Master Skywalker, do you require any further assistance?” the commander of the Scarif orbital station asked, “We’ll be happy to oblige.”

“Thank you commander, but that won’t be necessary,” Anakin replied with a warm smile, “My mission on Scarif has been postponed; I’ll be joining the crew of this ship for something of far greater importance.”

“Yes, sir!”

The group of Spider-Man pirates boarded the Black Sun Pearl again and this time Anakin Skywalker joined them. The ship had already been cleared for take off, so Alpha Five could immediately take off, bringing the freighter in orbit around Scarif, but not quite into deep space yet. 

“All right, now that we’re away from prying eyes, why don’t you tell me what’s going on here,” Anakin demanded, “The only reason I’m here is because my son insisted and claimed it was a matter of great importance for the safety of the galaxy. Make it a good story, or I’m out of here, maybe even with taking you in; don’t think I haven’t realized that you lot are pirates.”

“Nothing gets past a Jedi Knight,” Welt grinned, folding his hands across his chest. 

“Very well then,” Lieutenant Strange said, “Listen well, Master Skywalker, for it’s a long story, and a complex one too, but I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.”

Lieutenant Strange and Welt Yang proceeded to explain the whole situation to Anakin Skywalker, leaving no details out. Peter and Luke added details where needed about the part where the two veterans hadn’t been present, making sure Anakin got the complete picture of it all. Finally they were done and there was a silence as the Jedi Knight processed the information. 

“Did you understand everything, Master Skywalker?” Welt asked, “Do I need to explain part of it again?”

“Oh, I understood it all right,” Anakin replied, “It’s just… a lot to take in. Quite an incredible story.”

“I’m afraid it’s more than just a story, master warrior,” Lieutenant Strange replied, “The Space Piece is real, or the Anomaly as we call it, and it is threatening to devour our world.”

“Yes, I understood that much,” Anakin said, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms, “But what I fail to see is how this is my problem.”

“Excuse me?” Welt asked.

“Father, what are you saying?” Luke asked, and couldn’t believe his ears.

“This Anomaly of yours, it’s changing the world you live in, right?” Anakin repeated.

“Correct,” Lieutenant Strange confirmed with a nod.

“But if we dissolve it, it will cease to exist; this galaxy will cease to exist. I will cease to exist,” Anakin went on, “Why would I want that?”

“You won’t cease to exist,” Lieutenant Strange corrected, “This galaxy… this world, it’s not the true order of things. People, worlds, things, they have been taken from their true story and mixed together into something new, something… unnatural.”

“So what?” Anakin protested, “I just happen to like who I am, a Jedi Knight, with a family. And the world is at peace as well. Everything is perfect.”

“But it’s still a lie,” Welt interjected, “And given the nature of the anomaly, it may become something different just like that.”

“I am not convinced yet, but I will fulfill your request and accompany you to Coruscant,” Anakin said, “But not because of this tale of because you want to save your world; you’ve seen the news; Coruscant is under attack by the Frieza Force. It’s my duty as a Jedi Knight to defend it. To protect the Emperor.”

“The Frieza Force?” Grimlock repeated, “Are you certain?”

“He is correct,” Peter replied, “We heard it on the news as well; it was something we had to discuss at some point.”

“I can’t believe it,” Grimlock replied, “I know we’re a band of mercenaries, but to attack the imperial capitol. It sounds like suicide.”

“It is,” Anakin replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re already wiped out by the time we arrive. If not, I’ll make sure to finish the job.”

“Some of those people are my friends,” Grimlock protested.

“Then they picked the wrong side,” Anakin spat back.

“Enough,” Peter interrupted, “Let’s get to Coruscant, top speed; we’ll assess the situation, see if we can intervene and stop the fighting. Sound good?”

“Acceptable,” Anakin answered.

Grimlock said nothing.

“Inputting course to Coruscant,” Alpha Five reported, “We should be arriving in one day, six hours, so I suggest you all get some rest.”

“He’s right,” Welt agreed, “No way to know what we’re getting into, so we need to be at our best. Get your rest, everyone.”

“Dad…” Luke began. 

“Don’t worry about it, Luke,” Anakin replied, “I’m sure we’ll get everything sorted out once we arrive at Coruscant. And if not, we’ll put an end to the fighting.”

Luke said nothing after that. He had actually wanted to address his father’s opinion on the Singularity and the lies of the Space Piece. But he knew his father was a stubborn one, who wouldn’t change his mind easily once he’d set himself to something. And so he dropped the subject. Maybe Anakin was right; maybe it would all work out somehow. If only he could believe his own thoughts…

Chapter IX – Revelation at Thundera: Something is seriously wrong in the galaxy far, far away

Despite the fact that the Black Sun Pearl was traveling faster than the speed of light, time aboard the pirate freighter went by very slowly. The situation aboard was very boring and the various crew members had little in common with each other, so any form of entertainment was pretty much out the window. It was perhaps a miracle that they weren’t at each other’s throat yet and on the third day everyone was pretty much done with each other.

“Are we there yet?” Goku asked, “I’m bored.”

“We know,” Alpha Five snapped back, “You told us several times already in the past few hours. And the answer is the same: We still have a few hours to go.”

“You can’t blame him for being bored, Alpha Five,” Luke scolded, “Goku is a man who needs space and action, and all he’s had these last few days is plenty of space, but no action.”

“We could have stopped at a planet in between,” Alpha Five said, “But you lot wanted to go to Thundera as quickly as possible.”

“Peter wanted that,” Luke corrected, “He decided for us. Just as he decided to include my father in his deal with General Grievous.”

“I thought you agreed with me, that we were on the same page!” Peter replied, surprised by his friend’s outburst. 

“Clearly we are not!” Luke snapped back.

“Then why didn’t you protest? Say so before?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know, isn’t that how a monarch is supposed to work, King of the Space Pirates?” Luke snapped.

“Luke… I’m sorry,” Peter said, “I didn’t realize…”

“…Because I didn’t say,” Luke said softly, “It’s all right, Peter. We shouldn’t let anger and frustration dictate us. It’s not who we are.”

“It really is not,” Peter smiled.

They gave each other a handshake and vowed never to fight again. And so the rest of the crew made up as well. There was still tension aboard the ship of course, frustration like that just doesn’t go away with a few good words. But gradually it died down… and was forgotten altogether when the Black Sun Pearl finally dropped out of hyperspace. 

“Have we arrived?” Goku asked, as all gathered in the cockpit area to get a view of what lay ahead of them. 

“Yes, ahead is the planet Thundera, the third planet in the system,” Alpha Five replied, “It’s exactly where Grievous’ information said it would be.”

Ahead of them they could see a planet, still a distant circle against the night sky, as they had dropped out of Hyperspace a good distance away from the planet, but still clearly visible. Its orange clouds gave it a bit of an odd appearance, but the familiar blue of the world’s ocean could also be seen. The planet seemed accompanied by three moons, each at different distances from the main planet. There was no sign of any space faring traffic, although they did detect some smaller satellites. 

“Take us closer, Alpha Five,” Peter ordered, folding his arms over his chest as he gradually saw the planet ahead of them grow bigger and bigger.

“Something is amiss,” Luke said, joining Peter and observing the planet as well, “Something is not right with this planet.”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked, “What do you sense?”

“I’m not sure,” Luke said, “Or maybe it is… that I’m not sensing anything. And yet I sense something, I just don’t know what it is.”

“The planet is quiet,” Goku nodded.

“You said you sensed something,” Peter repeated, staring sideways at Luke, “You’ve said that before… that you sensed or felt something. Is that something you’ve experienced more often?”

“No,” Luke replied, “My father often told me about his Jedi abilities and how it allowed him to feel things by instinct, or rather, by something more than instinct; but I never had that talent. Although recently, I did begin to experience something similar.”

“Maybe you are a Jedi after all,” Goku suggested.

“But my father had me tested in the past,” Luke protested, “I never had the gift. It’s unheard of that a sensitivity to The Force manifests itself at a later age.”

“Unheard of but never impossible,” Peter smiled, “A perfect talent for the First Mate of the Spider-Man Pirates.”

“I guess,” Luke grinned, “Or maybe I’m just imagining things. Maybe nothing is wrong down on the planet after all.”

Alpha Five took the Black Sun Pearl closer to the planet and had the shuttle enter orbit around it. However he did not initiate a landing sequence yet, wanting to find out more about the world first before they would pick a landing place. 

thundera

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha Five said not much later, “There seems to be something strange with these readings.”

“What is it, Alpha Five?” Peter asked, “What do the sensors pick up?”

“That is the problem,” Alpha Five replied, “They are not registering anything. There are signs of civilization down there, but there is no activity. No communication signals, no movement, no life signs, not anything. It is as if all advanced life on the planet has mysteriously disappeared.”

“That is what I felt as well,” Luke agreed, “Previously whenever we approached a planet, I would feel some sort of sensation brushing against me, like a gentle wind that washes over you. It was a warmth, I’m not sure how to describe it other than that, but I think it was me sensing the life force of the world we were visiting, of its inhabitants. But here, with Thundera, I sense nothing at all. Well, I do sense something, something unfamiliar, but it is not the touch of life.”

“I don’t like it,” Goku said, “It’s as Luke said. Something feels off.”

Peter was silent for a moment, and the others didn’t speak as well. All of them stared at the world in front of and below them. There was life down there, but only minor life, non complex life, like plants and small animals. “Alpha Five, you said there were signs of civilization, right?” Peter finally spoke, ending the silence, “Can you find the capital city of this world? Or at least a major metropolis?”

“I think I already have,” Alpha Five replied, “There are not many major cities on this world, whoever the inhabitants were, they seemed to prefer either a nomadic lifestyle, or to live in smaller settlements; not something you see often, really. But there is one city that is clearly larger than others. I presume that would have been Thundera’s capital city.”

“Very well,” Peter said, “Take us down there, but remain vigilant; we’ll land directly inside the city and will get to the bottom of this.”

Alpha Five took the shuttle down into Thundera’s atmosphere. There was some turbulence, making the descent a bit bumpier than expected, but no real difficulties. And as they approached the planet’s capital, there was still no attempt to communicate, only confirming that there was no sign of intelligent life to be found on the surface. Given the state of the city, Alpha Five did not bother to seek out any space port or official landing place, but instead landed the Black Sun Pearl on one of the largest open areas, a market square of some sort in front of a massive government building that had all the markings and indication of a palace.

“Where are we?” Goku asked after they had left the shuttle, “And how come such a beautiful city such as this was left abandoned?” 

“I have accessed some global network infrastructure systems before we landed,” Alpha Five replied, “There wasn’t much information, but I found out that this city is called Thundera as well. The planet was caste based with scarce population concentrations, but there was a monarch. The large building in front of us was the royal palace.”

“The city has been abandoned for a while by the looks of it,” Luke said, observing their surroundings, “But it doesn’t look like there has been a battle, there are no signs of damage, except by decay and a lack of maintenance.” 

“What could have happened?” Peter asked, “This place is more emptied out than a town square at a Trump Rally.” 

“What does that mean?” Luke asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I would suggest entering the royal palace,”  Alpha Five spoke, “There might be computer systems I can interface with directly. It might give us some insights on what has transpired here.”

“Let’s go then,”  Peter agreed, “It’s really bizarre how everything looks. I want to find out what happened here.”

They entered the royal palace by ascending a set of massive stairs and went inside through a huge archway which led to an inner courtyard. The doors leading further inside were still open, so they had no trouble entering the complex itself. The building itself was old and rich with decorations in the walls and ceilings themselves, but also in terms of art. At the same time the presence of technology was clear and present, with high density monitors on various walls as well as holographic emitters in various places. None of it was working, of course; whoever had lived here, they had made sure to turn off the lights first before their grand disappearing act.

“Do we know anything about the people of Thundera?” Luke asked.

“Not much, the one Grievous has fought with was one of the few who had traveled beyond the unknown regions,” Alpha Five explained, “As I said, they were clan based, and their appearance was feline. But we know little of their society other than that.”

“Let’s hope we can learn something here then,” Luke replied, “Any idea on where to look?” 

“Assuming the people of Thundera uphold a similar structure as with other common monarchies within the galactic rim, most of the accessible levels of the palace will be reserved for the royal family and will also be set up to receive and accommodate guests. But there should be some space dedicated to communication and infrastructure, usually in the back of the building or at some higher levels. We can start there.” 

They split up but it didn’t take much time to find the palace’s data center; there were signs clearly pointing the way, as it was not a secret installation. Fortunately for them the palace’s main power supply was also nearby, which could be switched on without much difficulties, providing access to the systems they wanted to access. Alpha Five immediately interfaced with one of the terminals, syphing through the data in search of some information on the situation and history of the planet. 

“Any luck finding anything?” Peter asked after roughly twenty minutes had passed.

“Not yet,” Alpha Five replied, “The system is still installing updates; there’s a backlog. But I should be able to access the central database soon, at least the public information. But that should suffice.” 

“All right,” Peter replied, “Tell me when you have something.”

Peter walked over to one of the windows where Luke was already standing, looking outside. The window oversaw part of the city and in the distance the forests beyond. The world looked so tranquil without the presence of sentient life to give it activity. “Nothing at all,” Luke said, responding to the question Peter had not asked yet, “Yet I still have that odd sense of foreboding.” 

“It’s strange,” Peter said, “I’ve heard of worlds being abandoned before, but there’s usually signs of something going on. But here… nothing. It’s as if everyone just went to work one day and didn’t come home again.”

“And yet this feels like an almost perfect world,” Luke said, “Peaceful, remote, hospitable…” 

“Aye yi yi!” Alpha Five suddenly exclaimed, “I’ve gotten access to the central database; and I’m downloading and analyzing information on the last days of Thundera now!” 

“The last days?” Luke repeated, as they both rushed over to where Alpha Five was stationed, “What do you mean? The planet is still here, isn’t it?” 

“It is a term that refers to the days before Thundera was abandoned,”  Alpha Five said, “It looks like the entire population left. The only reason why that was possible was because it wasn’t a sizable population to begin with. So relocation was easily possible.” 

“Where did they go?” Peter asked, “Does it say that?” 

“It doesn’t mention a destination,” Alpha Five replied, “But that might be related to the reason the Thundercats left.”

“Thundercats?” Goku repeated.

“It’s what the native population called themselves,” Alpha Five explained, “The majority of Thunderians was a clan called Thundercats, so the name was adopted by the entire race.” 

“So what happened?” Luke asked, “Why did they leave?”

“They had interactions with an external group that frequented the planet over the years, a group that called itself The Frieza Force,” Alpha Five replied, “They are another group from deep space.”

“I have never heard of them,” Luke said.

“They are a group of mercenaries without a home planet,” Alpha Five replied, “Judging from the information I found on them in the systems here, they operate via a moving space fleet and send our mercenaries for jobs as required. The rewards from these jobs help to sustain and improve the fleet. They have often employed groups of Thundercats in the past because of the fierce and intelligent warriors they make.”

“So the Thundercats were kind of mercenaries for a group of mercenaries?” Peter asked, “Talk about your complex backstories.” 

“It was a mutually beneficial agreement,” Alpha Five explained, “The income from the various mercenary jobs did not only sustain the fleet, but they also helped improve general prosperity at Thundera. And the inhabitants of this world love to fight and to be challenged. The Frieza Force provided that.” 

“I can respect that,” Goku said, “I love a good fight. And I love for it to be challenging.”

“Then what happened?” Luke asked, “Where did they all go?”

“I am accessing that information now,” Alpha Five said, “Hang on. It details one of the Frieza Force’s last visits.”

They waited for a moment while Alpha Five was accessing the information. Then, finally, the droid spoke again: “The Frieza Force had made plans to depart from this region of space for reasons not described in this database. They had given the inhabitants of Thundera a choice: Join them aboard the fleet, or stay behind on Thundera.”

“And they left their home? Just like that?” Goku asked, “I can hardly believe that.” 

“Based on the information I’ve found in this database, it looks like there wasn’t much of a choice,” Alpha Five explained, “The planet’s inhabitants and the mercenary force had become too entwined, to separate both would mean problematic times for both parties. In addition, it seems like the planet Thundera is dying. The core has become unstable and may cause the planet to become uninhabitable in a few generations. The Frieza Force offered a solution by taking them along, giving them an opportunity to relocate, should they encounter a hospitable world at their destination.” 

“You mean they actually left?” Goku asked, “The planet’s entire population, just like that?!”

“Half a year ago,” Alpha Five confirmed, “The last ones to go were the royal family and a team of elites.”

“They will be difficult to find now,” Luke sighed, shaking his head. 

A small orange light began to flash on a nearby console, drawing their attention. “Actually,” Alpha Five said, “Maybe it won’t be so difficult after all.”

“What do you mean?” Luke asked, “What does that light mean?”

“It seems the royal family of Thundera left some security protocols in their data centers,” Alpha Five replied, “It will send a Hyperspace signal if someone attempts to access information, in particular to recent history, dealings with the Frieza Force and the last days of Thundera.”

“Does that blinking light mean that such a signal has been sent?” Peter asked.

“No,” Alpha Five corrected, “It means that the signal has been received.”

“What does that mean?” Peter asked, “Will they come back here? Will the planet explode? They’re probably halfway across the galaxy by now.”

“There is an incoming transmission,” was all Alpha Five said in response.

The console with the blinking light now completely flared to life as it was powering up. The light itself stopped blinking, but instead a device on the console activated. It was a holographic emitter, acting as a communication device, displaying an image of someone who was probably lightyears away. The image showed a young man, perhaps in his early twenties, dressed in decorative armor. His skin color was slightly orange tanned and his hair spikey, the color could not be discerned, as the holographic emitter didn’t show images in color. As impressive as the technology was, that simply wasn’t possible. “Greetings,” the visage spoke, “I am Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats. Can you tell me what you are doing on my planet?”

“A pleasure to meet you, Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats,” Luke greeted, “I am Luke Skywalker, First Mate of the Spider-Man Pirates, this is our captain, Peter Parker, and our… cook slash brute force, Son Goku. The droid is Alpha Five, our current navigator.”

“You are pirates?” Lion-O repeated, “Bold of you to admit this. In respect to that I will give you five minutes to get to your ship and leave my planet before I activate the palace’s defense systems to have the city purged.”

“No, your highness, you misunderstand!” Luke replied hastily and defensively, “We didn’t come here to loot your city! We came here to pursue a quest!”

“What would pirates want on our beautiful world of Thundera?” Lion-O asked.

“We have come seeing the Space Piece,” Peter replied, “Someone told us about an inhabitant from Thundera who was talking about a local legend of the same name. We don’t want to take anything from you except knowledge.”

There was a moment of silence. Then Lion-O spoke again: “You are not like typical pirates.”

“We really are not,” Luke agreed.

“If you want us to leave your planet, we’ll respect that and will leave,” Peter said, “But we do hope you can help us. The Space Piece…”

“The Space Piece is real,” Lion-O interrupted, “But it may not be what you think it is. How do you know about it?” 

“We follow the path of the legendary pirate Hondo Ohnaka,”  Peter replied, “According to information we got, he may have traveled to your world in the past.”

“Yes, we know about the space pirate Ohnaka,” Lion-O replied, “He was troublesome to our world in the past, but in the end he proved to be a great help; he brought us into contact with The Frieza Force.” 

“Then can you help us after all?” Peter asked.

“I think we can, but it is complicated, and I can’t leave my people alone right now,” the Lord of the Thundercats replied, “I will send someone back to Thundera, one of our finest warriors and one of my most loyal vessels. He should arrive within two days. Until then, you are allowed to stay on our planet, as long as you treat it and our legacy with respect.”

“This shall be done,” Peter replied, “Thank you.”

“Good luck on your quest, Spider-Man Pirates,”  Lion-O said, and then the hologram emitter switched off again.

“Do you think we can trust him?” Luke asked after a moment of silence, “He could be headed here with an entire army to ambush us or imprison us for all we know.”

“I trust him,” Peter replied, “And the Black Sun Pearl is a fast ship; it can outrun any ambush they might throw at us.”

“I’ve never camped on a different planet before,” Goku said, “Sounds like fun.”

“Then let’s wait,” Luke proposed, “And see who will come to pick us up.”

Two nights did indeed go by without anything eventful happening. The pirate group remained on the planet but relocated to the edge of the city, closer to the forests where they could easier forage for food and fresh water. Then halfway through the second day the serenity of the planet was disturbed by the arrival of a spaceship which descended into the atmosphere, remaining afloat stationary above the capital city.
The group of pirates observed the ship, wondering if it would come down after finding a place to land or whether a shuttlecraft would fly down instead to deliver its occupants to the surface. But neither happened. Instead a large hatch at the bottom of the vessel opened and two large humanoid figures came flying out, descending towards the surface. They had a metallic appearance, making the group believe they were dealing with droids at first, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The two figures landed a few yards away from the pirate group and after getting their bearings they came walking towards them. The one on the left was shaped like a huge mechanical lizard with odd tiny arms and sharp teeth. The one on the right was more human looking though at least twice the size of a normal human. His body was mainly composed of a bright yellow metal with some black accents, his head like a human head and a viking helmet merged together. At least that’s what the group would think if they knew what vikings were. 

“Greetings, visitors of Thundera!” the yellow colored robot greeted them, “My name is Bumblebee, and this friendly fellow here is called Grimlock.”

“Me Grimlock! Me King!” the other robot proclaimed. 

“Now I’m confused,” Peter replied, “I thought Lion-O was the king here. Or is this one of those planets where everybody is a king in their own hearts?”

“You made fun of Grimlock?” the monstrous lizard threatened and did a single step forward.

“Don’t be a dick, Grimlock,” Bumblebee said, poking his companion, “And don’t stay in your dinosaur form. Be polite and transform for them; and stop talking like that while you’re at it, it’s not fun to tease these people.”

“Oh all right,” the one called Grimlock replied and did a step back again. His body suddenly began to move and twist in odd ways as the lizard figure was coming apart and transforming into something else. Seconds later there stood another humanoid figure, though slightly bigger than Bumblebee was, “I was just making good sport,” he said.

“Not how we typically introduce ourselves,” Bumblebee scolded, “You don’t want to embarrass the Frieza Force.”

“I guess not,” Grimlock said, sounding somewhat apologetic and uncomfortable.

Peter Parker grinned; he could appreciate the robot’s humor. Even though they looked very intimidating, they didn’t seem too harmful. “I am Spider-Man, Captain of the Spider-Man Pirates and future King of the Space Pirates,” he introduced himself, “These are my companions, my first mate Luke Skywalker, our navigator Alpha Five and our companion Son Goku.”

“You not king!” Grimlock began, “Me…”

“Stop it!” Bumblebee interrupted, “You just agreed not to do that.”

“I’m sorry, it was too easy, I couldn’t help myself,” Grimlock said with a somewhat robotic grin.

“You were the ones King Lion-O talked about?” Luke asked, “He said someone would come to us, but I didn’t get the impression he spoke of multiple people.”

“Technically, it’s Prince Lion-O,” Bumblebee corrected, “But that’s a complicated story. But Grimlock was the one he spoke about; I’m just here for the transportation since Grimlock can’t fly a spaceship by himself.”

“It’s difficult!” Grimlock shouted as an excuse.

“It’s those tiny arms of yours when in dinosaur form,” Bumblebee joked.

“Careful or I’ll bite your head off in that same dinosaur form,” Grimlock grinned back.

“Not to worry, we can fit Grimlock aboard our ship if need be,” Peter grinned, “Assuming we need to travel.”

“You won’t need your ship just yet,” Grimlock replied.

“No?” Luke asked, “So Thundera is where we need to be after all?”

“Yes and no,” Grimlock said, “It’s complicated but will be explained.”

“I must leave you and return to The Frieza Force,” Bumblebee said, “I promised Lord Lion-O I wouldn’t take longer than needed, they need my help.”

“Something important going on?” Luke asked.

“The Frieza Force was about to engage in an important conflict,” Bumblebee said, “The battle would have started today; and they need all the capable warriors they can get.”

“I understand,” Luke said, “Then let’s not keep them waiting; thank you, Bumblebee, and good luck.”

Bumblebee flew off into the air and back into the spacecraft’s open hatch again, and shortly later the vessel began gaining altitude again before disappearing into the upper atmosphere and disappearing from view. Moments later they saw a faint flash in the sky when Bumblebee’s ship entered Hyperspace. 

“So what can you tell us about the Space Piece?” Luke asked, “And what is your connection to it all, Grimlock?” 

“Bumblebee and I are travelers without a past,” Grimlock said, “Or rather, our memories of our past are either locked or gone; we’ve been wandering the galaxy for centuries in search of answers, but have found none.” 

“And this brought you to Thundera?” Goku asked. 

“Bumblebee and I sometimes traveled together and sometimes apart,” Grimlock replied, “But yes, the winds of fate did bring me to Thundera over a decade ago, and set me on the course of destiny, the destiny of this galaxy. Maybe this universe.” 

“What do you mean?” Peter asked, “What happened?” 

“I met Hondo Ohnaka when he came to Thundera,” Grimlock replied, “I joined his crew, hoping we could help each other in finding our answers. Me about my past, and Hondo about the Space Piece.” 

“You knew about the Space Piece?” Peter asked.

“I didn’t,” Grimlock replied, “But Hondo had heard about it in ancient stories of legend about Thundera, a legendary place called The Space Piece. He wanted to find out more about it, as it was a place of answers according to legend. With that said, I joined him as well, of course.”

“Then how did you find it?” Luke asked, “A place of legend.”

“A scholar and a warrior accompanied us in our search,” Grimlock explained, “His name was Jaga the wise, a Jedi who had journeyed to Thundera after his graduation from the Jedi Academy. He had become an advisor for the royal court, which is quite something for an outsider, and had grown interested in the planet’s history. He’d already spent many years investigating the Space Piece and was convinced it could be found.” 

“And you did find it?” Peter asked.

“Hondo found it,” Grimlock said, “I wasn’t there for the final moment of his journey, but he did find it. And he returned a changed man. Still cheeky and a pirate, of course, but changed.” 

“Then where do we go?” Peter asked, “How do we reach it?” 

“We must travel to one of the moons of Thundera,” Grimlock said, “There we will find the way to the Space Piece. I can tell you the course Hondo took, but we will need your spaceship to do it.”

“I will activate the ship immediately and remotely,” Alpha Five suggested, “We can depart as soon as we’ve boarded!”

They rushed back and boarded the Black Sun Pearl. It was a tight fit for Grimlock but eventually they managed to get him on board, after which Alpha Five plotted a course for Thundera’s second moon as per Grimlock’s instruction and the freighter turned pirate spaceship finally took off. 

“Following this heading,” Grimlock said, “We tracked Hondo’s ship to this location fifteen years ago and then it disappeared. Oddly enough, other ships tried to stay the same course afterwards, of course, but nothing happened.”

“We’ll see what happens then,” Luke said, “Maybe we’ll find some sort of clue.”

“Crater, dead ahead,” Alpha Five reported, “It’s massive, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“I don’t recall anything like that,” Grimlock said, “Not even in the star charts.”

“Then hang on,” Alpha Five said, “We’re almost at the last known location of Hondo’s ship before it disappeared; five seconds… four.. three… two… one… and now.”

Nothing happened.

“That’s it?” Peter asked, “I would have expected a massive rift in space time or an attack by highly advanced techno aliens in gigantic space cubes or something.”

“This isn’t star trek, Peter,” Luke sighed.

“What’s Star Trek?” Goku asked.

“I can take us around again,” Alpha Five suggested, “But sensors don’t read anything out of the ordinary. I’m not expecting any different results.”

“Don’t bother,” Luke said, “This won’t bring us anything.”

“Take us back to Thundera instead,” Grimlock suggested, “But instead of the main city, head for the south pole, to the small continent just above it. There’s a small mountain range there that we need to go to.”

“Why?” Peter asked, “You have an idea?”

“Jaga the Wise,” Grimlock replied, “We can find him there.”

“That’s impossible,” Alpha Five protested, “We’ve scanned the planet multiple times; there is no sign of any advanced life, no one down there.”

“None that you can find,” Grimlock corrected, “Master Jaga is very skilled at hiding himself. You won’t discover him unless he wishes to be found.”

“Impossible,” Alpha Five protested, “The Black Sun Pearl may be an older ship, but she has a most advanced scanning system. Even people in suspended hibernation wouldn’t escape detection.”

“Do not underestimate the skill of a Jedi,” Grimlock warned, “They are wielders of The Force, which gives them many talents which some may consider unnatural, or at least inexplicable.”

“That is so impressive,” Peter gasped, sparks twinkling in his eyes. 

“Sensors are detecting something on the landmass ahead,” Alpha Five suddenly reported,  “It just showed up on the scanners. A life sign. Only one.”

“Looks like Jaga wishes to be found,” Grimlock concluded. 

“Take us down there, Alpha Five,” Peter commanded, “I want to meet this master.”

Alpha Five landed the spacecraft at the base of the mountain range which Grimlock had described earlier. They didn’t need to go far searching for the Jedi. When they left the ship, Master Jaga was already standing there, waiting for them. He was an elderly man, with gray hair and a beard, dressed in long robes, radiating an aura of calmth and wisdom. “At last you have come,” he greeted them, “Those who will inherit Hondo’s will and legacy.”

“An honor to meet you, sage Jaga,” Peter greeted, “I am…”

“…Peter Parker, the Spider-Man, and the one who will be king of the space pirates,” Jaga finished, “Yes, I am aware; Doctor Strange told me a great deal about you.”

“Doctor Strange was here?” Luke asked, “Then why didn’t he tell us? Tell us about you and to come here? Why the long path we had to take to find out about Thundera?”

“You have your journey, and Doctor Strange has his own,” Jaga replied sagely, “At least, it was what he told me five years ago when he visited.”

“That’s impossible!” Peter shouted, “We met Doctor Strange only a week ago; five years ago I was still a little boy on Coruscant.”

“Time isn’t as linear as you might think,” Jaga explained, “Especially not to one as peculiar as Doctor Strange. But he will probably explain that to you himself one day; or maybe he already has.”

“So what you’re saying is that it was important for us to take the path we took, because it helped us mature and work together better as a team, as well as grow into our powers,” Luke guessed.

“Perhaps,” Jaga smiled. 

“Then we arrived here at the right moment, no shortcuts?” Luke asked.

“Perhaps,” Jaga smiled again.

“Then why didn’t the course Grimlock described paid off,” Luke asked, “Why were we unable to reach the Space Piece?”

“Because you weren’t ready and missing one final piece of the puzzle,” Jaga smiled and briefly tapped his own chest, “Me.”

“I don’t understand,” Grimlock said, “You weren’t with Hondo when he made his flight; how does your presence make a difference?”

“Oh, I won’t be joining you,” Jaga smiled oldly (yes, that is a word), “But I will give you the final bit of information you need to know. And then you are ready.”

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha Five sighed, “You’re not going to tell me to crash the ship, are you?”

“In a way,” Jaga smiled.

“Aye yi yi!”

“The course you flew was the right one,” Jaga said, “Except for the last bit. Downward is the direction you need to go.”

“Into the crater?” Luke asked.

“Aye yi yi!” Alpha Five, “That would work if the crater was a cave leading into the moon. But it’s a shallow crater of some ancient impact! We’ll crash into the surface!”

“Maybe,” Jaga smiled, “Sometimes faith is all you need. Faith in The Force.”

“The Force won’t protect you from the force of impact,” Grimlock protested.

“You have gotten what you need, now go, be on your way,” Jafa said, flinging his cape along himself and disappearing into a shimmer of light, “Good luck, young pirates!”

“Jaga?” Peter shouted, “Jaga? “He is gone!”

“I have been gone for a long time…” the voice of Jaga’s spirit echoed across the lands, fading away in the wind.

“So how about it?”  Peter asked the rest of his crew, “Are you all ready for a little suicide mission?” 

“Grimlock was born ready!” Grimlock said proudly, patting himself on the chest.

“Aye yi yi,”  Alpha Five sighed, “It does sound like suicide! Madness even!” 

They returned to the Black Sun Pearl and Alpha Five entered the exact same course again, taking the pirate spaceship into space and back towards the planet’s second moon. On the viewing screen the massive crater loomed up again, stretching out over an impressively large area. “There we are,” Luke said softly.

“I am taking us into the crater,” Alpha Five announced and took the freighter ship down, sending it directly into the crater. There was a blackness as the sun’s light did not reach entirely into the crater, and then the moon’s surface became visible.

And then everything went dark.

And suddenly there was a brightness as the universe appeared around them again, and they were illuminated by a yellow sun about one Astronomical Unit away from them. Behind them was the moon they had flown out of, showing a similar crater as the one they had flown into, yet the moon was not Thundera’s. In fact, the planet coming into view ahead of them was not Thundera either. 

What also stood out was the massive spaceship blocking their path and approaching them slowly, blotting out the brightness of the new sun eventually. 

“We are being hailed,” Alpha Five reported, “Shall I accept the message?” 

“Sure,”  Peter said, “Let’s hear what they have to say. Maybe we’ll learn something about where we are now.” 

“Attention unknown vessel, this is Captain Ryan Reynolds of the USS Gin. You have entered planet Earth’s sovereign space. Identify yourselves or we will consider you a hostile entity.” 

“Urth?” Goku repeated, “Never heard of that planet before.” 

“Me neither,” Luke said, “We should answer them though.” 

Peter nodded and began: “Attention USS Gin..”

“Don’t tell them we’re pirates,” Luke hissed at him.

“…This is Captain Spider-Man of the Black Sun Pearl,” Peter continued, slightly annoyed at the interruption, “We are space liberators of valuable goods and we seem to have traveled to your star system somehow. We have no hostile intent. Does the name Hondo Ohnaka ring a bell?” 

There was a brief silence. 

Then Captain Reynold’s voice spoke again, and calmly said: “Prepare to be destroyed.”

That answer was enough to cause a panic aboard the Black Sun Pearl, especially Alpha Five of course, who was “Aye yi yi’ing” like there was no tomorrow. “We’re not with Ohnaka,” Peter hastily tried, “But we did follow the course he fared over a decade ago, and it led us here.”

Again there was a brief silence. Then Captain Reynold’s voice responded with the same calmth: “That changes a few things. I’m beaming an agent over to negotiate. Please prepare for their arrival.” 

Moments later the air flickered and a speck of light appeared which grew and took the shape of a humanoid person. The person wore a strange mix between a bodysuit and a military uniform but his face was all too familiar: He looked exactly like Doctor Strange. “Greetings,” he said.

“Doctor Strange,” Luke said, “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised at this point.” 

“Lieutenant Strange,” Lieutenant Strange corrected, “I never went to medical school.” 

“Another variant?” Luke pondered aloud.

“Then hopefully you can help us,” Peter tried, “We’re on a quest to find the galaxy’s greatest secret. We’re searching for the item or the location known as Space Piece.”

Doctor Strange stared at them silently for a moment with a look of disbelief. “What is it?” Peter finally asked.

“That’s odd,” Lieutenant Strange said, “You said you are looking for the Space Piece… but that’s where you just came from.”

Chapter VIII – Pilgrimage to Jedha : Tale of the four armed priest

The Black Sun Pearl dropped out of Hyperspace some distance away from a planet which showed a clearly visible pink hue. “Planet NaJedha,” Alpha Five reported, “An oceanic world, orbited by the pilgrim moon of Jedha.”

“Our actual destination,” Peter added.

The ship flew past the pinky moon and over the planetary horizon a small desert moon became visible which was, as Peter had announced, their actual destination. “The desert moon of Jedha,” Alpha Five confirmed.

Jedha

“One of the most religious heavenly bodies in the galaxy,” Goku said, “A must visit for every spiritual person at least once in their life.”

“Have you been there before, Goku?” Luke asked, “You are a monk after all, aren’t you?”

“I have,” Goku nodded, “I haven’t been to Jedha before, but I’ve always wanted to visit it.”

“Good food?” Peter asked after a brief silence.

“Good food,” Goku nodded.

“I wonder if the tip you got is sound,” Luke said, folding his hand and staring down at the desert moon which became bigger and bigger as they approached, “Are you sure he’s  here?”

“My contact is sure General Grievous is on the planet,” Peter nodded.

“Your contact,” Peter repeated, “Why don’t you just say ‘my aunt’?”

“My contact,” Peter repeated, “Thinks we can find Grievous outside of the religious capital.”

“It’s still a strange place for a war general to be,” Goku pondered, “Jedha is mostly known for its religious sites and good food, but not much other than that.”

“Maybe he likes good food too,” Peter guessed, “Or he’s trying to establish a cult.”

“You can discuss your silly theories later,” Alpha Five interrupted, “Strap yourselves in first; I’m going to land us near the holy city.”

“Will you be going with us after we’ve landed?” Luke asked.

“Aye yi yi, no thank you!” Alpha Five squeaked, “I’ve seen enough desert for a lifetime.”

“Still hate sand?” Peter grinned.

“Don’t get him started,” Luke warned.

They ended the discussion with that and Alpha Five took the Black Sun Pearl down to the moon’s surface, setting the freighter turned pirate ship down gently just outside of the city, near one of the major roads. Jedha was a sacred place and not popular with criminals so there was no need for secrecy. Even pirates were condoned here, as long as they behaved: the planet’s dominant forces believed that everyone should deserve a chance to explore their religious side. Even former war generals with a cyborg body.

“Where do we go from here?” Goku asked, after they had left the ship.

“According to our intel the general was spotted east from the holy city,” Peter said, “But we don’t have any information other than that.”

“So we can follow this road,” Luke suggested, “And maybe ask around?”

“That’s the plan,” Peter agreed, “Hopefully someone will have heard of Grievous, or have seen him.”

“A massive cyborg that looks more droid than human,” Luke said, “Shouldn’t be hard to miss.”

“You’d be surprised how little people pay attention to each other and their surroundings,” Peter said, “And Grievous might have disguised himself.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Peter said, “Let’s get going anyway. A walk will do us good. I’ve been sitting in space ships too much.”

“Are you sure?” Goku asked, “Aren’t you incredibly hot in that suit of yours?”

“It’s a special fabric that regulates my temperature as needed,” Peter replied, putting on his mask, “Trust me, I’m as cool in there as I am inside our ship.”

“Cool,” Goku said, impressed by this.

“Exactly,” Peter grinned from under his mask.

They began walking in the eastern direction, leaving the holy city behind them. However the city was a massive construct that had grown in size over many centuries, and even after walking for several hours the contours of the holy city were still visible on the horizon. They passed the occasional holy shrine or small temple, and even a stray house or two, but other than that the path was as desolate and abandoned as you would expect of a desert world. They also barely encountered any travelers. Most visitors to Jedha remained in the holy city or only visited the shrines directly surrounding the city. The rest of the moon was much less interesting. They only encountered the occasional pilgrim or peddler, but other than that, the road was barren and empty.
It wasn’t until several hours of walking later – the holy city had finally disappeared behind the horizon – that they encountered a larger group of oddly dressed individuals, some of them wearing an odd and tight yellow and blue spandex, an odd choice of clothing, considering this was still a desert world. “Greetings, travelers,” one of them spoke, presumably the leader. He was wearing a darker shade of spandex, or something akin to it, and wore a helmet with a visor which obscured his eyes, “You are a fair distance away from the holy city.”

“As are you, friends,” Luke Skywalker greeted them.

“We are traveling to visit a shrine on this planet dedicated to the Phoenix Force,” the group leader replied, “We recently lost a friend to unnatural causes, and we hope the Phoenix Force is benevolent and will grant our request, bringing her back to us.” 

“A noble cause,” Luke replied, “We hope you will find your request granted; or that the voyage here will help you in dealing with your loss.” 

“Thank you,”  a woman in the group replied.

“We’re here looking for someone, an individual who holds information on something we seek,”  Luke replied in turn.

“A droid of over two meters in size,” Peter added, “Although he might have disguised himself to stand out less.”

“Don’t think we’ve seen that one,” the group leader replied.

“Actually, Cyclops, I think we did,” one of the women in the group replied, “A while back, a tall figure wearing robes. Do you remember?” 

“Oh, now that you mention it, you’re right, Storm,”  the man called Cyclops realized, “A little while back at that odd private villa. There was this huge guy walking around in the inner garden.”

“Do you remember what he looked like?”  Peter asked.

Cyclops shook his head. “It was as you said, he was wearing robes to obscure his body. But he really was massive; larger than a human for sure.”

“Could be him,” Goku guessed.

“It’s worth checking out,” Luke agreed.

“You’ll find this mansion about ten minutes down the road,” Storm said, “You can’t miss it, really.”

“Thank you,” Peter said, “And good luck with your own journey. I hope you will find what you are looking for.”

“Thank you,” Cyclops said, and the group of traveling individuals continued their journey, leaving the Spider-Man Pirates alone again.

“They’re an interesting group,” Goku said, “You think that’ll come back to haunt us later at some point?” 

“Nah, I can’t see anything happening there,” Peter said, waving the suggestion off.

They continued their walk and as the woman named Storm had described they saw a villa in the distance not much later, surrounded by a large lush garden and protected by a tall wall, with iron gates blocking the only way inside. Peter tried looking through the iron gate to see what was going on inside, but didn’t see anything; the garden was empty.

“So what do we do now?” Goku asked, “Knock the wall down?” 

“Or use our powers to sneak inside over the wall,” Peter suggested.

“Or we could simply ring the doorbell and see if this person is the one we’re looking for and if he’s willing to talk to us,” Luke groaned, and pressed the doorbell.

There was only silence. Luke pressed the doorbell again.

“Yes, who is there?” a low and wheezing voice responded a little later, “I am not interested in any wares you might have.”

“We’re not selling anything,” Luke replied, “We’re looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone you are?” the voice replied, “Well, you’ve found someone, hmm?”

“Are you drunk?” Peter now asked, “Or using anything?”

For a moment there was silence. Then the voice asked again: “What do you want? Are you here to join our group?”

Luke wanted to say something, but Peter interrupted him: “Yes, yes we’re here to join your group!”

“Excellent!” the voice replied, “I will open the gate for you and will come to greet you in person. You will make a fine addition to our collection!”

“Pardon?” Luke asked.

“Collective,” the voice corrected, “I meant to say collective; I will be right with you, please wait at the entrance.”

The massive iron gate began to slide open and the Spider-Man pirates stepped inside. After they had entered the gate closed again behind them and they patiently waited for someone to come and greet them.
They didn’t have to wait long. The figure that Cyclops and Storm had described exited the mansion and came walking up to them. He seemed to be limping a bit, or at least there was an odd pacing in his walk, and as Cyclops had said, most of his body was obscured by robes. “Welcome to The Separation Mansion,” he greeted.

“The Separation Mansion?” Luke repeated, “That’s an odd name for this place.”

“Oh?” their host asked, “But you came here to join us, right? Surely that means you must have heard the name before?”

“We were introduced to this place under a different name by one of your promoters,” Luke hastily said, hoping the quick lie would preserve their cover. 

“Ah, that Ventress again,” their host replied, “I really have to talk to her about her marketing strategies someday. It’s setting up so many false expectations. I hope you will not be disappointed after your arrival here.”

“Why would we be disappointed?” Goku asked, “You have food, right?” 

“We do take care of our own,” the host replied, “There is ample food present.”

Goku beamed with happiness.

“The Separation Mansion is a place secluded from the galaxy, and from the rest of Jedha,” the host explained, “Here there are no classes, no races, no religion, except our own religion of freedom. Here you will discover who you really are.”

“Is this where you discovered who you really are, General Grievous?” Luke suddenly asked.

And immediately all were silent, it was an awkward silence where no one knew how to proceed. Only Luke seemed determined, glaring at their host, waiting to see how he would respond. 

“You remind me of someone,” the host said after a moment, “But who are you? You are not here to join the Separation Mansion, that much is clear.”

“Are you General Grievous?” Peter asked, seeing how their host seemed to avoid the subject.

Their host hesitated for a moment, then threw off his hood, revealing a massive form constructed of some white and silver metal. There were still signs that this person had once been humanoid, but very little seemed to remain of that. “A name I have not heard in a long time,” Grievous replied.

“You knew my father,” Luke replied, “Although he never spoke of you.”

“Oh?” Grievous replied. And suddenly approached Luke with an impressive and unnatural speed. But Luke didn’t flinch. “I see,” Grievous replied, “What is your name, child?”

“I am Luke Skywalker,” Luke said, staring up into the monstrous cyborg’s eyes, “My father is Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight.”

“Skywalker,” Grievous repeated, “Yes, I remember the name quite well. Another name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

“It has been a long time,” Peter said.

“Indeed,” General Grievous confirmed, “So it’s revenge you seek then? Retribution?” 

“Retribution for what?” Luke asked, “You never succeeded in killing or defeating my father. I doubt you were even able to wound him.”

“There is a reason your father never spoke of me,” Grievous taunted back, “I’m sure he is ashamed of the many times he faced defeat or injury at my hand.”

“Yeah right,” Luke retorted, “Like a piece of junk like you could…”

“We didn’t come here with hostile intentions,” Peter interrupted, “We’re simply looking for information. Your help even.”

“I am a retired man,” Grievous said, “Or cyborg; wars no longer interest me, the galaxy no longer interests me. I have come here to be reborn, established the Separation Mansion to find the meaning of existence and help others in achieving the same. How would I be able to help you?”

“The same way you helped Hondo Ohnaka all those years ago,” Peter Parker replied, “We are looking for the Space Piece. I am going to be King of the Space Pirates!”

Grievous began laughing at that point, which annoyed Peter, until the large cyborg began to choke due to a lack of air. “So,” he finally said, “Hondo Ohnaka. Another name from the past; a name I dislike hearing as much as I dislike hearing the name Skywalker again.”

“Your own actions are to blame for your life, general,” Luke glared.

“I know, I have my regrets in life, but I have accepted them,” Grievous replied, “Still, no one is pleased when the past comes back to haunt them. It is counterproductive to becoming a better person.”

“Have you become a better person?” Goku asked.

“That is not for me to judge but for those who come after me,” Grievous replied, “But I have spent the last years in becoming a better someone, and in helping others who are lost to do the same. Are you sure the Separation Mansion is not where you would like to spend some time? You are free to leave whenever you want, of course.”

“No thank you,” Luke said, “Just answer Peter’s question, if you can help him.

“Ah, yes,” Grievous said, turning his gaze towards Peter again, “The Pirate King.”

“What did you tell Hondo Ohnaka all those years ago?” Peter asked, “Do you know the location of the Space Piece?”

“If I did, I would have retrieved it myself,” Grievous said, “But I did give Hondo Ohnaka the pivotal clue he needed which allowed him to find it. It was information I picked up during the war, from an alien fighter from a distant world, in the unknown regions.”

“Which is where Ohnaka went after speaking with you,” Luke added.

“Yes,” Grievous replied, “I assume you are aware of the deal we struck as well then?”

“You helped Ohnaka,” Luke replied, “And in return he would help you in defeating my father, Anakin Skywalker.”

“A deal which he broke,” Grievous replied, and for the first time, they heard resentment and some anger in his voice.

“An agreement he couldn’t help because he was arrested and executed,” Peter said.

“A pirate’s trick,” Grievous replied, “One I should have anticipated. And now you want me to help you as well? Free of charge?”

“Why not?” Luke asked, “That is who you are now, right? You were just going on and on about being a new person and about helping others.”

“I was talking about a spiritual journey, not an actual one,” General Grievous replied, “The Space Piece is no small prize, and I will not share what I have for free. Compensation is required, young ones.”

“You would make a fine pirate yourself,” Luke spat.

“Fine then,” Peter said, “What is it you require?”

“And you’d better not be going after my father again!” Luke warned.

“Oh, I am beyond such petty things as revenge,” Grievous replied, “No, Anakin Skywalker no longer holds my interest. But there is something I want.”

“Name it,” Peter suggested.

“I desire independence for Jedha,” General Grievous replied with a calm voice, “Independence from Emperor Palpatine’s Galactic Empire.”

“Wow!” Goku exclaimed.

“You can’t be serious!” Luke shouted.

“This is my demand,” Grievous assured again.

“It’s an impossible demand,” Luke replied, “We’re pirates. Enemies of the Empire! How do you expect us to convince the Emperor of granting Jedha independence?!”

“Jedha is a religious world but doesn’t contribute much to the Empire other than that,” Grievous explained, “But that is not the major point here. The Emperor will listen if the suggestion comes from someone faithful to the Empire, someone close to him.”

“Someone like my father,” Luke surmised. 

“Master Skywalker’s voice holds sway in the Empire,” General Grievous confirmed, “If the suggestion comes from him, it will be done.”

“And if the Emperor doesn’t listen, the one who made the suggestion will fall from grace,”  Luke also surmised, “My father.”

“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Grievous assured. But Peter thought he heard a soft chuckle at the end of that sentence. 

“We can’t guarantee the Emperor will listen and do it,” Peter said.

“The attempt itself is sufficient to me,” Grievous assured, “If you agree to my terms.”

“I agree,” Peter said almost directly.

“Very well then,” Grievous said, “Then I will tell you what you need to know, the same thing I told Hondo Ohnaka.”

“What did you tell him?” Peter asked.

“I told him about a warrior that I had often fought with in the Trade Wars, a hero with feline characteristics exiled from his home world of Thundera,” Grievous began, “This warrior, he would often speak of home and of the many tales and legends interwoven into his culture. One of those spoke of a distant and mysterious world outside of our current space and time, where the power of legends could be found, the ancient treasure that would answer all. His culture called that special place The Space Piece.”

“It’s a place? Not a treasure?” Luke gasped.

“No, it’s treasure all right,” Peter said, pondering, “There is enough literature about the Space Piece to confirm it. That being said, the name can’t be a coincidence.”

“Return to your ship,” General Grievous said, “I will transmit the coordinates of Thundera to your ship once you’re in orbit, but not before that.”

“Why only then and not now?” Luke asked, “If you betray us, we’ll be back.”

“I am many things, but I am not without honor,” Grievous replied, annoyance in his voice, “My word is my bond. But I also want you away from my colony, my collection. I will transmit the coordinates once you’re off this planet, and no sooner.”

“Very well, that is acceptable,” Peter Parker said with a sigh, “Thank you very much for your help, General Grievous. We’ll be leaving now.”

“Until we meet again,” General Grievous said, which was both courteous and ominous at the same time. 

They left the general and his odd mansion alone after that, journeying back to the Black Sun Pearl. Alpha Five took the vessel into orbit and as soon as they had achieved orbit, there was an incoming transmission from General Grievous, containing the coordinates, just as he’d promised. Alpha Five entered the coordinates into the system and began plotting a course that would take them to this mysterious planet Thundera in the unknown regions.

“Are you okay?” Goku asked Luke, “That was your father’s great nemesis, after all.”

“I am fine,” Luke said, “For such a great foe, my father never spoke about it; either he didn’t feel like sharing it with me for some reason, or General Grievous isn’t as big of an opponent as he considers himself to be.”

“He did seem formidable enough,” Goku said, “He seemed strong. I like strong opponents.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Alpha Five, who had just finished preparing everything: “Aye yi yi! Thundera is this far into the unknown regions? It will take us nearly four days to reach it!”

“Then we have plenty of time to consider where to go from there,” Luke said, “Onward!”

And again the pirate vessel accelerated tremendously into Hyperspace, beginning what might be the final stretch of their voyage. A trip that would now take them to an area of space well beyond the edges of the Galactic Empire, to unmapped space where very few had dared to travel. Their next destination would be deep within the unknown regions.

Chapter VII – Tatooine and back again: Everybody hates sand, it’s rough and coarse and gets everywhere. Yes, everywhere.

The next day the Spider-Man Pirates approached the Mandalorian senate building and while the guards did stop them at the entrance, they were allowed to proceed after a short introduction, and escorted to the chancellor’s office by one of the officials, dressed in the traditional armor of course.
When they entered, the chancellor was standing behind his desk, looking out the window at the city below. He turned around when he heard the door opening, greeting his visitors: “Ah, welcome,” he smiled, “I hope you are all well rested.” 

“We are,”  Luke smiled.

“We are particularly satisfied with the extended breakfast,”  young Goku grinned, who had certainly eaten his fill.

“We are,” Peter agreed, also quite stuffed, “Thank you for your hospitality, chancellor.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” the chancellor said as he said down, “And please, call me Bruce.” 

“Did Doctor Eggman give you any further trouble?” Luke asked.

“The good doctor was imprisoned in a high security facility,” Bruce replied, “He won’t be bothering anyone anymore anytime soon. In fact, he won’t for the rest of his remaining natural life.”

“Glad to be of help,” Peter grinned, “I’m glad we could become friends.” 

Chancellor Bruce Banner stared at Peter in response, and they could feel him glaring underneath that Mandalorean helmet of this. “Make no mistake, Mandalore does not condone piracy, and if the circumstances had been any different, you would be in a cell next to Doctor Eggman,” he said sternly, “But you are pirates on Imperial territory mostly, so that only benefits Mandalore, be it indirectly; and you did help out  me personally last night, for which I am grateful. That earns you this treatment, but make no mistake: you will be treated as pirates the next time you come to Mandalore.” 

“I wouldn’t want it any different,”  Peter grinned.

“I would,” Luke sighed.

“As long as the food rewards remain unchanged,” Goku added.

“But that is not why you’re here,” Bruce then said, “I want to uphold the promise I made to you.”

The Space Piece,” Peter said after a brief moment of silence.

“The Space Piece, “ the chancellor confirmed.

“What can you tell us about it?” Peter asked, “You said you had information?”

“I have some information from my predecessor,” Bruce replied, “Pedro Pascal was chancellor of Mandalore before my time; it was a different world then, but it was during his rule that the legendary pirate Hondo Ohnaka visited our world.”

“The legendary space pirate who supposedly found the Space Piece,” Luke knew.

“I don’t think there is anyone in the known galaxy who doesn’t know about him,” Bruce nodded, “The legendary pirate who changed the galaxy forever and whose execution was the dawn of the Great Age of Space Pirates.”

“And he visited Mandalore?” Luke asked.

“He did,” Bruce nodded, “He and Chancellor Pascal became good friends, which caused quite a stir and led to decreased relations with the Galactic Empire. The Chancellor was absent for a while after joining Ohnaka’s crew, though he left before the pirate found the Sky Piece. But the tales they lived through together have been recorded in our sacred archives.”

“Can we access those?” Peter asked, “They might contain a clue on where we should go next.”

“There is no need for that,” Bruce replied, “I’ve read those chronicles multiple times as I’m interested in this part of our history, so I know the contents very well. Most of them are just details of adventures of pirating, logs and the likes; but there was one piece of writing I remember very well, and that might be helpful to you.”

“What is it about?” Peter asked.

“It describes an event involving two people, both who influenced Ohnaka’s journey greatly,” the chancellor replied, “The first is Obi-Wan Kenobi, the imperial officer and Jedi Knight who has been chasing Hondo for years and was the one to finally bring him in when Ohnaka appeared again from his journey to the unknown regions.”

“Everybody knows about Master Kenobi,” Luke nodded.

“Who’s the second person?” Goku asked.

“Starlight,” Bruce replied.

There was a moment of awkward silence, this revelation surprised every single member of the Spider-Man Pirates. Starlight was no unknown name in the galaxy, after all.

“Starlight?” Luke repeated, “Of The Seven? The most famous entertainers to exist over a decade ago? That Starlight?!”

“But Starlight was the image and epitome of innocence!” Peter added, “She was never linked to anything bad; I can’t imagine her being part of the Ohnaka Pirates!”

“And yet she was,” Bruce said, “We’re not sure for how long, or how she made it work, but she’s been Ohnaka’s First Mate for at least some time. The timeline puts it just before she quit The Seven over what was then described as professional disagreements.”

“I still can hardly believe it,” Peter repeated, “What does the recording say about her? About them?”

“Kenobi is mostly mentioned as an interfering factor, so basically how history knows him,” the chancellor explained, “But Starlight is mentioned as a first mate and someone who joined Ohnaka to the unknown regions. However she left the ship before Ohnaka turned himself in, so her being unknown is known to most, except for those who know about this recording. And those people are a precious few.”

“But Starlight disappeared around that time,” Luke said, “After she retreated from The Seven, she never appeared again in public and pretty much went off the radar. No one knows where she went.”

“Does the recording give a clue about that?” Peter asked.

The chancellor nodded. “Indeed it does,” he said, “It mentioned a final talk with Hondo, though the details aren’t mentioned, and finally how she departed on a shuttle to Tatooine, headed for a small town called Mos Hughie.”

“Tatooine,” Luke sighed, “We were just days ago!”

“It is a place to start,” the chancellor suggested, “She might not be there now, this recording is over a decade old after all, but maybe you can find someone there who knows where she went, or knows something about the past.”

“It’s the best lead we’ve got, I guess,” Peter said, though he didn’t sound very hopeful.

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha Five said, breaking a long moment of silence, “Very well! Let’s return to the Black Sun Pearl then! I’ll get us back to that desert world in no time!”

“Very well,” Peter said, and to the chancellor he added: “Thank you very much for your assistance, chancellor… Bruce. You’ve given us a precious clue; we’ll be on our way soon so your security forces can rest easy.”

“Thank you,” the chancellor replied, and Peter thought he heard a soft chuckle from underneath that helmet, “And safe journey.”

The group kept their word and returned to the spaceport promptly, where Alpha Five entered a new course to Tatooine. There were no incidents during departure or in orbit with Mandalore’s security forces and pretty soon after the space freighter turned pirate vessel was underway, back to the desert world of Tatooine. 

“What kind of person do you think Starlight really is?” Peter asked Luke to kill time while they were traveling.

“Hard to say,” Luke replied, “Back on holo shows she was always the innocent factor of The Seven, a complete opposite to the playboy image of Homelander. But that might have just been an image created for the masses; she turned out to be a pirate, after all.”

“Assuming that was her role with the Ohnaka Pirates,” Peter interjected, “And that she wasn’t there for some other purpose.”

“What?” Luke laughed, “Like for Pirate PR?”

“Who knows,” Peter smiled, “I find it difficult to believe that such an innocent face could be part of such a ruthless group.”

“Maybe we’ll find out today or tomorrow,” Luke said, “If we’re lucky…”

“If we’re lucky…” Peter repeated.

Tatooine

Hours later the Black Sun Pearl exited Hyperspace and dropped into orbit around the planet they had visited only days ago, the desert world of Tatooine. Despite an Imperial presence Tatooine had always been a lawless world, and so there were no patrols to ask any questions, allowing the pirate group to descend to the surface unhindered. Mos Hughie didn’t have its own space port, so instead Alpha Five landed their ship just outside of town, away from prying eyes, close to a rocky area to avoid any soft surfaces made of desert sand.

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha Five chattered, “I hate sand. It’s rough and coarse and really gets everywhere! It’s clogging up my transistors!”

“You can stay on the ship if you want,” Luke offered.

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha whined again, “No thank you! There are marauders and pillagers in the area. I don’t want to be taken apart, or sold as a robotic slave to some Hutt gangster!”

“I don’t think you’d have to worry much about that last part,” Peter taunted, “Unless they want to use you in gladiatorial combat.”

“They wouldn’t!” Alpha Five protested, panicking.

“Never say never,” Peter grinned.

“Let’s enter the city,” Luke suggested, “The desert winds are less strong there, so less chance of sand getting everywhere.” 

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha Five complained, “And more chances of kidnapping!” 

They ignored the droid’s complaints and made their way towards the settlement of Mos Hughie. It was a fairly small town, so their arrival didn’t go unnoticed, and the streets slowly seemed to clear out of townspeople as they progressed further into the city. 

“Are you noticing that as well?” Luke whispered to Peter.

“Yes,” Peter replied with a soft tone,”It looks like they’re afraid of something; do they know we’re pirates?”

“I don’t think that’s it,”  Luke replied, “But I’m not sure what’s up either. I sense a lot of uneasiness, even fear.” 

“Someone’s lying in ambush up ahead,” Goku sensed.

“Yes, Peter agreed, feeling his Spider-Sense activating as well, “Something is up.”

They stopped walking and waited for something to happen. They didn’t have to wait long either, as various people began to emerge from hiding places and buildings, blocking their path. They were mostly human, though there were a few aliens among them as well, all of them wearing either a completely white outfit or a completely black outfit, yet all of them sporting the same red ‘R’ on their shirt. Two of them stepped out in front of the group, a young man with medium length blue hair, and a young girl with long curvy styled fiery red hair. “So, you found out about us,” one of them said. “Impressive,”  the other added.

“Who are you?” Peter demanded, “The local entertainment?”

“Oh he’s asking for introductions, Jessie,” the blue haired man smirked.

“Then let’s provide him with the entertainment he seeks, James,” the woman replied.

“Why do I have the feeling we’ve started something terrible..”  Peter whispered to Goku.

“Prepare for trouble!” Jessie began suddenly, striking a pose.

“Make that double!” James added, also taking a pose.

“To protect the world from devastation!” Jessie continued

“And unite all people within every star system… ehr, nation,” James added.

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”  Jessie shouted.

“And extend our reach to the stars above,” James added.

“Jessie!” she introduced herself again.

“And James,” James added.

“Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!” Jessie shouted.

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!” James smirked.

A Wookie suddenly emerged from the crowd, roaring loudly. It held aloft a small sign which read: “MURRRRRRR!!! “That’s right.” 

“Why is everyone we encounter simply batshit crazy?”  Luke sighed.

“I don’t know,” Peter grinned, “I think it was kind of catchy. Inspirational even.” 

“Don’t you dare,” Luke said, pointing a warning finger at Peter Parker, “We’re not going to announce ourselves by singing from now on!” 

“How about by dance?” Goku suggested.

“That sounds even better,” Peter replied, his eyes twinkling.

“We agree!” James and Jessie replied in chorus.

“ You stay out of it!” Peter warned, and then to his pirate crew he said: “No, we’re not going to change anything. The Spider-Man Pirates are fine the way they are!” 

“Aye yi yi!” Alpha Five complained, “And I had already begun to install new dance subroutines. What a waste of memory!” 

“You have no one but yourself to blame for that!” Luke scolded.

“We’ll discuss it after we’ve left this town,”  Peter suggested, hoping Luke would go along with that.

“Let’s deal with these thugs first,” Luke sighed.

“Are you prepared for trouble?” James asked, “Because we can give you plenty of that.” 

“That’s enough of this crazy act,” Luke interrupted, “Just tell us what you want. Are you going to rob us? Kill us? Make us join your crazy gang?”

“All of the above?” Peter added.

“What do you mean?” Jessie asked, “Who do you think we are?”

“A criminal gang who’s taken over this town and prey on the townspeople and any visitors that stop by?” Luke tried.

“WHAT?!” Jessie blurted out, and she looked visibly offended by that.

“What gave you that idea?!” James shouted out, equally offended, “We’re a dance troupe, we perform for visitors to Mos Hughie! I mean, what kind of criminal would introduce themselves through song or dance?!” 

“Yes, who indeed?” Luke repeated, glaring at Goku and Peter.

“So you’re not hardcore criminals?” Goku asked.

“Not even softcore ones,” Jessie confirmed. 

“I’ve never heard of a troupe named Team Rocket before though,” Peter said, “But given the amount of people you have here, I wouldn’t think you are new to the business or anything.” 

“We’re very local,” James replied, “Touring Tatooine, but Tatooine isn’t exactly a major tourist attraction within the Empire.”

“Too much sand,” Jessie elaborated, “It’s rough and coarse and really does get everywhere.”

“Aye yi yi! Tell me about it!” Alpha Five agreed.

“How long have you been working in this town, you’d say?” Peter asked.

“What, you mean here at Mos Hughie?” James asked.

“Most of the troupe are fairly new, but me and James,we’ve been around for quite a while, “Jessie replied, “I’d say we’ve been in the business for nearly ten years now.” 

“Do you know about a woman who arrived here about ten years ago?” Luke asked, “Maybe even lived here for a while?” 

“Maybe,” James said, “Do you know her name?” 

“She might have used another name when she was here,” Peter said, “But the name she used to go by was Starlight.” 

“Ah, Starlight!” James smiled, “You’re right, she did arrive by another name. I don’t even remember what it was, as it didn’t stick with us. When you’re in the business like us you recognise a celebrity like Starlight immediately!” 

“She was radiant even when not wearing her usual outfit,” Jessie added, “A true inspiration to us all!” 

“I will never forget about her,” James nodded.

“Did she leave town?” Luke asked, wondering about the past tense, “Or did she even pass away?”

“Oh no,” Jessie replied hastily, “That would be terrible!” 

“Starlight is still alive and kicking,” James said, “In fact, she’s still living here, in Mos Hughie.”

“That’s great news!” Peter smiled, “Can you point us to her home?”

“We could,” James replied, “It’s…”

“Not so fast!” Jessie interrupted, “What exactly do you want? Why is someone looking for Staglight in this day and age? You aren’t obsessed fans, right?”

“Yeah!” James now shouted, going along with his partner, “Or even worse: hateful fans.”

“Oh no, no we’re not,” Peter reassured, “Well, some of us are fans, but we’re not here for her career in The Seven. But we do have questions about someone she used to work with. Outside the Seven.”

“Outside the Seven..?” James repeated, “You can’t mean…” 

“Let’s leave it at that,” Jessie said, “Starlight can sort them out herself.” 

“You will tell us where she lives?” Peter asked.

“Follow this road until the edge of town and beyond,” James replied, “There’s a little hut just outside of town, on the right side. That’s where you’ll find Starlight.” 

“Just be nice to her,” Jessie said with a threatening tone.

“We will,” Luke assured, “Thank you so much for helping us. And good luck with your act!” 

The pirates left the members of Team Rocket alone to prepare for their next performance and hurried down the road. Peter Parker was taking the lead, excited to not only meet an idol, but also about getting another clue on finding the legendary Space Piece.
As James has described, they found a little hut just outside of town, looking a bit worn down but still habitable. As they approached the hut, the front entrance opened and a young woman stepped outside. It was Starlight, and much to their surprise and amazement she still looked the same in age as she did ten years ago, even though her outfit and hairstyle had changed quite a bit. “Ah,” she said, “At last you’ve arrived.”

“You were expecting us?” a surprised Luke Skywalker answered.

“I have been expecting you for ten years,” she replied, “Please, come inside. We need to talk.”

She didn’t wait for an answer but stepped back inside the hut, leaving the front door open as an invitation for them to follow here. The pirates looked at each other, and after a brief moment of soundless debate and hesitation, they followed Starlight inside. 

“I am Peter Parker,” Peter introduced himself, and then proceeded to introduce his comrades, “This is Luke Skywalker, my first mate, Alpha Five, our navigator droid, and Goku our… complicated companion.”

Starlight chuckled at that last introduction. “Oh my,” she said, “Your crew is as diverse and special as his was.”

“You mean Hondo Ohnaka,” Peter guessed.

“I’ve been with him for quite some time after my life on The Seven,” Starlight said, “He was witty, always had an answer for anyone, and anything. But few knew how complex he really was.”

“You loved him?” Luke asked.

“Oh heavens no, our band was nothing like that,” Starlight chuckled at the insinuation, “No, but we were deeply connected. But he was always talking about his quest, about the future. It was why I left in the end.”

“And just after that, he found the Space Piece,” Peter recalled.

She nodded: “So he did. And then the galaxy changed forever.”

“Did you talk to him afterwards?” Goku asked.

“No,” she shook her head, “When he returned, he immediately turned himself in. I had already disappeared from the spotlight by then, but I doubt that even with my fame I would have gotten to see him. Security was too tight.”

“And did you know where he was headed?” Luke asked, “What his final destination was when he departed to the unknown regions?”

Again she shook her head: “I didn’t. I knew he was headed for the unknown regions, but he never told me what his final goal was.”

“So another dead end,” Peter sighed, “We had hoped you’d be able to tell us something about Hondo. So that we’d find a clue to obtaining the Space Piece. Of course I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple, else someone else would have done it by now.”

“Don’t be so hasty, young Spider-Man,” Starlight said, “I may not know where Hondo has traveled to, but that doesn’t mean I am unable to help you.”

Peter’s eyes brightened a little at that answer. “What do you mean?” he asked, “You do know something after all?”

“I think I do,”  Starlight nodded, “Did you know that Hondo never traveled to the unknown regions before? He despised the unknown, and didn’t like risking himself and his crew like that. Instead all his activities were centered around the known regions of our galaxy.”

“I’ve heard of that,” Peter nodded, “His area of operations was well known and he was notorious for it.”

“So moving into the unknown regions was an odd move?” Luke concluded, “Unless he had a good reason to?”

“Exactly, Starlight agreed, “And if you know what that defining moment was, then that would bring you one step closer to the Star Piece.”

“And you know what happened before that?” Peter asked, “What was it that made him go there?”

Starlight was silent for a bit and for a moment she looked ten years older than she actually was. “I do know that,” she finally said softly, “It was the very reason why I left the Ohnaka Pirates all those years ago.”

“What happened?” Peter asked softly, realizing this was a sensitive topic to her.

“It was a few weeks before his final voyage,” Starlight said, “We were docked at The Wheel, a well known space station and trade hub which still exists today. During our stay there, we received a visitor  who wished to speak to Hondo. It was an old droid general named Grievous.”

“I remember that name,” Luke said, “He fought in the Trade Wars. His body was damaged, but scientists of the Techno Union saved him, even though it turned him into a cyborg in the process.” 

“I don’t think cyborg would be a fitting name,” Starlight said, “A cyborg is still human, or humanoid, with extra cybernetic implants. But Grievous… when he came to us, he was more metal than man.”

“Why was a droid general interested in Ohnaka?” Peter asked, “Had he become a bounty hunter?”

“General Grievous wanted to join the Ohnaka Pirates,” Starlight explained, “He said he had a critical clue to finding the Space Piece, but in return he wanted Hondo’s help in solving what he considered to be a personal problem.”

“Was it a personal problem?” Luke asked.

“It was to General Grievous,”  Starlight said with contempt in her voice, “There was a rival Jedi that thwarted Grievous many times during the Trade Wars. Grievous wanted to have this Jedi eliminated, but couldn’t do it alone.”

“That’s nonsense!” Luke protested, “The Trade Wars were already over long before that! What did he hope to gain by that? It wasn’t a tactical advantage, that’s for sure!”

“Of course not,” Starlight scoffed, “It was nothing more than simply, petty revenge. He wanted to get even with an opponent he could seldom best when it mattered.”

“That’s really petty,” Peter commented, “I assume Hondo outright refused?”

“Oh no,” Starlight shook her head, “He accepted all right.”

“He did?!”

“Well, not immediately, of course,” Starlight added, “Hondo was appalled by the idea, and didn’t want to risk his men for something so void of profit; but somehow Grievous managed to convince him. Quite suddenly Hondo changed his mind and decreed that we would sail out into the unknown regions.”

“I can hardly believe it,” Peter said, disappointment in his voice, “Given Hondo Ohnaka’s reputation, I didn’t think he would be bought so easily.”

“It is somewhat disappointing,” Luke agreed, “Even for a pirate.”

“Hey, don’t diss pirates like that,” Peter protested.

“I decided to leave the crew after that, two days later,” Starlight continued, “I told Hondo I didn’t want to join a mission that would lead to petty revenge; he understood and respected that. The next day his ship sailed for the unknown regions, only to return weeks later with knowledge of the Space Piece. Followed by his arrest.”

“So Grievous is the key,” Luke surmised.

“The general should still be alive somewhere,” Starlight nodded, “He never got his revenge though; the Stormtroopers saw to that by arresting Hondo.”

Peter paused for a while, then his gloomy face cracked into a wide smile again. “Not arrested, he turned himself in,” he said with a grin.

“Pardon me?” Starlight asked.

“Hondo turned himself in after he returned from the unknown regions,” Peter repeated, “And because of that the Ohnaka Pirates disbanded. And with their disbanding, any deals and agreements immediately became void, including the agreement with General Grievous.”

“He planned it,” Starlight realized as well, “He never intended to help Grievous in the first place.”

Peter nodded. “He did. He played Grievous for a fool.”

“But he could have told me,” Starlight said, “Why didn’t he? I would have gladly gone along with him if I had known that.”

“Maybe to spare you and your reputation,” Luke guessed, “Because you didn’t go along on that final journey, you were never arrested with Hondo; your reputation with The Seven remained intact.”

“I guess he did,” Starlight sighed, “Though I still would have liked the choice myself, I can accept that much.”

“Aye yi yi,” Alpha Five said, “Then our course is clear?”

“Yes,” Peter said triumphantly, “We have to find General Grievous and force him to tell us what he told Hondo. That will be our path to the Space Piece. And then I can finally become King of the Space Pirates!”

“Do you know where we can find Grievous?” Goku asked Starlight.

Starlight shook her head: “That I don’t know, so for that you’re on your own. The only thing I know is that he’s still alive. Scum like that doesn’t perish easily.”

“Then we will find him,” Luke said sternly, “Thank you so much for your help, Starlight.”

“There is another thing you must know,” she said, looking at Luke directly, “It’s about the Jedi that was General Grievous’ greatest adversary.”

“Surely it was Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Peter Parker guessed, “The Jedi who brought Ohnaka in?”

“No,” Starlight shook her head, “Kenobi did clash with Grievous a few times, but he wasn’t the one the droid general was after. There was another.”

“Who then?” Luke asked.

“His name was Skywalker,” Starlight replied, “Anakin Skywalker.”

“My father,” Luke realized. 

Starlight said nothing. All she did was nod.

This might fully well complicate things later on.

Chapter VI – Mandalore, or: The Terrible Deeds of Doctor Eggman and The Less Terrible Deeds of other doctors

Following a last tip given by Barman Strange, the Black Sun Pearl had set course for the desert world of Tatooine. It was only a short Hyperspace jump away, and they arrived less than an hour after their departure from the Babylon V space station.

“All right, we’ve arrived at Tatooine,” the navigator droid Alpha Five announced, “Where do you want us to land, captain?”

“Take us to the largest city,” Peter suggested, “I’m sure we can get some leads from there.”

“Taking us to Mos Eisley,” Alpha Five replied, and began interfacing with the command console to bring the ship down, “Arrival in fifteen minutes.”

“Where do you want to go from there?” Luke asked as the ship began its descent, “I’ve lived on Tatooine for a while when I was a child; there isn’t a lot out there. Mostly sand. And I dislike sand. It’s rough and coarse, and it gets everywhere.”

“Sure it does,” Goku said, grinning, “But it’s also great for cleaning your tools.”

“Right,” Luke said, giving a confused sideway glance at their latest crew member, “At any rate, we’d best leave the droid on the ship. Wouldn’t want sand to mess up Alpha Five’s inner workings.”

“That is appreciated,” Alpha Five commented.

“We’ll visit the local market,” Peter said, “Bound to be plenty of talk there; plenty of rumors. Maybe even some other pirates.”

“Given the amount of competitiveness amongst pirates, I do hope not,” Luke sighed.

Alpha Five landed their vessel without any difficulties and delays, and shortly after they found themselves wandering Mos Eisley and headed for the local market. Again it was notable that there was a fairly large Imperial presence, even though Tatooine really was an outpost, even in the border areas.
They quickly made it to the market area, only to walk in on some incident already going on. The middle of the market area had been cleared out and a massive individual was standing there, shouting all sorts of things at the crowd. However Peter, Luke and Goku were still too far away to hear it; but whatever it was the big guy was saying, he seemed quite annoyed by something.

“Any idea what’s going on?” Goku asked.

“Maybe that guy is just looking for a fight,” Luke guessed, “I think we’d better steer clear of this.”

“I’m going to have a closer look and listen to what he has to say,” Peter grinned and before Luke could intervene, Peter had already disappeared into the crowds, making his way forward towards the edge of the circle.

“I am looking for Jedi!” the bulk figure shouted to the crowd, and by the sound of it he was repeating himself, “I know there are Jedi on this mothball world! And I want them to face me!”

“You’re being awfully loud about it,” Peter groaned, “No one’s going to come forward with an attitude like that.”

“Who are you to speak to me like that?” the towering armored figure shouted, turning his attention towards Peter. Peter realized by then that this person was at least twice his size, and wondered what kind of alien was hiding underneath the armor, “Are you a Jedi, child?”

“Even better,” Peter grinned, “I’m a Space Pirate.”

“Space Pirates are insignificant, they hold no true power,” the towering figure proclaimed, “Begone from my sight, child. I will not tolerate your interruptions a second time.”

The square fell silent as the huge figure turned around and walked back to the middle of the clearing, ready to resume his demands. Everybody had expected the whole crowd to be humbled, that no one would dare speak again. But Peter spoke up again: “So you’re really nothing but a bully?”

Slowly, the huge, towering figure began to turn around again, gazing at Peter over his shoulder. And even though his face was obscured by a massive metal helmet, the people were sure he was casting an angry glare at this defiant young man. 

“You claim to be looking for Jedi, to challenge you,” Peter went on, “But all you’re really doing is bullying these people here, being rude to those with less power than you!”

“You dare speak again, child?” the figure asked. The sky crackled, and in his right hand appeared a massive metal bat out of nowhere, which the huge humanoid let rest on his shoulder, “Who are you?”

“I am Peter Parker, Captain of the Space Pirates,” Peter proclaimed, “And I am no child! I am going to be King of the Space Pirates!”

“King of the Space Pirates?” the figure repeated, “That is bad comedy. I am Sauron, Lord of the Everdark and the Crimson Nova. I roamed this galaxy before your ancestors could even walk upright. You are all but children to me.”

“So, an old bully,” Peter taunted.

“You have spoken your last quip, child,” Sauron threatened as he advanced towards Peter Parker, raising the metal bet above his head, “Insead, choose your last words well.”

“You don’t seem so tough to me,” Peter said, stepping out of the crowd and into the circle, to make sure no one from the audience was near him with the risk of getting hurt, “Why should I fear you, Sauron, just because you’re bigger? Do you know what compensating for something is?”

“Prepare to perish, Peter Parker of the Space Pirates,” Sauron spoke and brough the metal bat down on his victim. But Peter was much faster than that, using his newfound powers to easily dodge out of the way of the clumsy slow strike. Frustrated, Sauron attempted to strike him again, but missed once again, swinging wide.

“I wouldn’t want to be on your team in a baseball game,” Peter taunted, “Then again, I would finally experience what it would be like to be a loser!”

“This weapon has power unlike you’ve ever known, my power,” Sauron threatened, “One strike it all it takes, child.”

“Then we just have to take that weapon away from you,” Peter shouted back, leaping forward and jerking the bat from Sauron’s hand. The giant was too surprised to tighten his grip, having not expected such a bold move. Peter then raised the bat high, bringing it down on the ground with an incredible strength, and even though the ground wasn’t particularly hard, the enormous power behind the strike was enough to shatter the bat, sending a surge of energy in all directions, even knocking part of the audience over. “There,” Peter said, “Now you’re just a bully without a toy.”

“You are a fool,” Sauron replied, hardly phased, and creating another massive metal bat out of nothingness, “I can just as easily create another.”

“And I can just as easily smash another,” Peter grinned.

“Perhaps,” Sauron threatened, “But can you do so while also protecting these bystanders? They too shall feel my wrath now!”

“That’s a coward’s method!” Peter shouted.

“You can complain all you want when you are dead,” Sauron spoke, “And those who survive will remember the name Sauron.”

Peter rushed towards Sauron, striking the metal bat from his hand before he could raise it, but the towering giant simply summoned another bat out of thin air and began his swing, aiming to hit the closest group of spectators. “Block this attack, if you can, pirate,” Sauron threatened, “It’s the only way you can save these people!”

Just then someone jumped out of the crowd, a tall man in brown robes, his face obscured by a hood. He leapt up faster than Sauron could notice and from his hand erupted the familiar energetic glow of a Lightsaber. With a single swing he cut the bat clean in two, rendering it useless. “A Jedi!” Sauron proclaimed cheerfully. 

“Quickly, young one,” the Jedi shouted, “On his left hand! The ring! Remove it!”

“What?” Peter asked, confused, “Are you a jewel thief?”

“No time for questions, Parker! Do it!” the Jedi shouted.

Peter nodded and leapt forward. Sauron’s attention had become focused on the Jedi as soon as the warrior had appeared, and had neglected the pirate completely, still considering him beneath his notice. That arrogance was his downfall as it allowed Peter to get close to the hulking figure unhindered and without being noticed. With an agile leap, Peter clung himself to the massive arm, gripping the hand and forcing the fingers to stretch. After that it was an easy feat to remove the impressive looking golden ring from the tyrant’s finger. “NO!” Sauron shouted. And then he collapsed into pieces, bits of empty armor scattered everywhere, with its occupant nowhere to be found.

“What happened here?” Luke asked, now also pushing past the crowd and into the circle, “Did you kill that giant?”

Peter shrugged: “I don’t know. He just fell apart like that. A bit weak, if you ask me.”

“Sauron is actually incredibly strong, but all that power needs a conduit, which is his Ring of Power,” the Jedi replied, sheathing his weapon and walking up to the two pirates, “Remove the ring, and you break that balance and the demon is defeated.”

“That’s a major weakness,” Luke commented.

“Say, doesn’t your voice sound familiar,” Peter said, eyeing the Jedi suspiciously, “Are you Doctor Strange again?”

“I see you have met one or some of my Variants,” Jedi Strange replied as he removed his hood. This Variant looked much like the others, except instead of a criminal looking goatee he was sporting a well trimmed beard, “Thank you for your intervention here, pirates.”

“Our pleasure, it was a fun change of pace,” Peter grinned.

“Aw, I missed the fight, didn’t I?” Goku sighed, arriving now as well, “Too bad…”

“Perhaps there is something you can do after all,” Jedi Strange proposed, “Defeating Sauron was only part of the fight. Would you like to finish it?”

“You mean there’s more?” Goku grinned, “Sure!”

“What is left?” Peter asked, wondering what the Jedi meant.

“The ring,” Jedi Strange said, pointing to the trinket in Peter’s hand, “As long as the ring exists, Sauron’s power exists. It must be destroyed for Sauron to be defeated completely.”

“Very well then,” Luke said, “Let’s destroy it.”

Jedi Strange shook his head: “It’s not that simple. The ring is a potent object of mystical energies and directly connected to Sauron’s existence, who was in fact an ancient god. It is not so easily destroyed.”

“We can’t just melt it to scrap?” Goku asked.

“It was made in the Great Forge of Mandalore, and only in those fires can it be destroyed,” Jedi Strange said.

“Really?” Luke protested, “Because we can just fly out there and catapult it into a sun somewhere, easy as that.”

“It has to be the Forge of Mandalore,” Jedi Strange protested, “Only the Great Forge has the power and the potency to undo what has been made there.”

“I dunno,” Goku said, “I’m pretty sure a sun is a couple of thousand degrees hotter than some forge.”

“It’s about the magic involved and the ritual!” Jedi Strange snapped, “The only place to destroy the ring is at Mandalore!”

“All right, all right,” Luke said, “Could have just said so…”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Strange,” Peter grinned, “We’ll do it and finish what we started here. We’ll bring the ring to Mandalore.”

“I guess we found a lead to adventure here after all,” Luke smiled, folding his arms across his chest, “Very well. Let’s gather some supplies and get going then. Will you be joining us, Master Jedi?”

“I’m afraid I will not,” Jedi Strange said, “While I am familiar with Sauron and his evil, his presence here wasn’t the reason why I traveled to Tatooine. I still have business of my own to attend to. But I wish you good luck on your quest, Spider-Man Pirates. I will know when the ring has been destroyed.”

“Very well then. Good luck to you as well, Master Jedi,” Luke said.

They said their goodbyes to the Jedi and returned to the Black Sun Pearl after obtaining fresh supplies. Alpha Five was given their instructions and less than an hour later the vessel was back in Hyperspace, en route to the mysterious world of Mandalore. But before their arrival there would be another minor incident, born of misinterpretation. 

“Arriving at Mandalore in two hours,” Alpha Five announced, “We will drop out of Hyperspace a bit further away from the planet since the Mandaloreans tend to… keep to themselves; they don’t like outsiders very much.”

“A bunch of religious nutcases if you ask me,” Luke grumbled, “Rumor has it they never remove their helmets. Not even when they’re alone with no outsiders present.”

“Not even when they’re eating?” Peter gasped, “Or you know… when they make little Mandalorians?” 

“I honestly don’t care!” Luke growled, obviously annoyed by the mental image.

“I’m not sure about you guys, but I’m famished,” Goku said as he entered the leisure area, “What’s for dinner?”

“Isn’t that what we’re supposed to ask?” Luke replied, a bit confused, “You’re the cook, aren’t you?”

“I am the cook?” Goku repeated, “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“What do you mean not a good idea?” Luke shouted, growing agitated, “We specifically took you aboard to serve as our cook!”

“I don’t recall saying that,” Goku admitted, scratching the back of his head.

“You said you were sort of a specialist, that you’d help us with our problem,” Luke elaborated.

“Oh that,” Goku said, grinning, “I thought you meant you had a problem with eating food; I meant I am sort of a specialist in that. I like to eat! A lot!”

Peter at this point just started laughing.

“This isn’t funny, Peter!” Luke grumbled, “Now we have an extra person on board, as well as a lot of food, and no one to prepare it! What are we going to do?”

“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” Peter grinned, “Besides, Goku’s a fighter as well. With the adventures we’re having, we could use one more of those.”

“Then who’s going to cook for us?” Luke asked, still quite a bit annoyed.

“We all are,” Peter smiled, “We’ll just have to practice and get better at it. It’ll be fun!”

“Heh, we’ll see how you agree with that after you’ve tasted my first meal,” Luke grinned, “Very well. It’s not like we have many other options at the moment.”

“We’ll just look for another cook on Mandalore,” Peter suggested, “With a culture like that, I’m sure there are some great culinary specialists to be found!”

“Somehow, I sound that,” Luke smiled, “But who knows, maybe we’ll see some more of that Parker luck down there.”

“So who’s up for some pancakes?” Goku grinned.

A little over three hours later the Black Sun Pearl dropped out of Hyperspace some distance away from the planet Mandalore. “We’ve arrived at the star system of Mandalore,” Alpha Five announced, “We could have been here sooner, if I didn’t have to put out the first created by you three first, after your most interesting attempt at cooking.”

Mandalore

“At least it was edible,” Peter grinned.

“Yeah, to Goku at least,” Luke grinned, “That guy will eat anything.”

“Told you I’d help you guys out,” Goku smiled.

“Attention though,” Alpha Five interrupted, “Aye yi yi, Mandalorian fighter ships are headed this way on an intercept course!”

“Maybe they just want to talk,” Goku guessed.

“Aye yi yi, they’re arming weapons!” Alpha Five reported, shattering that hope instantly.

“I sense… some sensation of caution, but no anger,” Luke said, “I’m not sure why I do or how that works.”

“Interesting,” Peter said, “I got an odd feeling in the back of my head, alerting me, the last time we were in real danger. But it’s not ringing any alarm bells just yet.”

“They’re hailing us over the communication system,” Alpha Five reported, “Shall we reply?”

“Let’s hear what they have to say,” Peter replied.

Alpha Five nodded and pressed a button on the console, activating the communication system. “Attention unknown vessel, this is the Mandalorian defense force,” a female voice echoed over the comm system, “You have entered our system without announcing your flight path in advance; State your name and business or we shall consider you hostile to Mandalore and act accordingly.”

“I am Spider-Man, Captain of the Spider-Man Pirates,” Peter announced, “We’re here for business on Mandalore at the Great Forge.”

“Aye yi yi!” was all Alpha Five could comment after an opening statement like that.

“Can you repeat that?” the Mandalorian pilot asked, “Did you say you’re pirates?”

Luke gave a small sigh of relief. Although he could sense anxiety around them increasing perhaps tenfold, at least the space fighters hadn’t opened fire right away once they had learned they were pirates. Perhaps there was hope for them yet.

“Unknown spacecraft, can you repeat that?” the pilot asked again.

“I am Spider-Man, Captain of the Black Sun Pearl,” Peter repeated, but didn’t get to say more as the pilot interrupted him: “Did you say the Black Sun Pearl?! Barbossa’s ship?!”

Luke dove towards the control console at that point, knowing time was of the essence. “This is Luke Skywalker, First Mate of the Spider-Man Pirates,” he interrupted, “We are the new owners of this ship after Captain Barbossa has retired. We come here with no ill intent, our mission is to end the being known as Sauron!”

There was a brief moment of silence on the intercom. Then the voice spoke again and asked: “You have the ring..?”

“We do,” Luke replied, “It is currently all that is left of him.”

“Very well,” the pilot replied, “You may proceed to Mandalore. But be careful, there are other forces on the surface that seek this ring. Forces just as dangerous as Sauron was.”

“So not really that dangerous at all,” Peter grinned.

There was another pause on the comm system. Then the voice concluded: “Good luck, Spider-Man Pirates.” and the transmission ended.

“The Mandaloran fighters have deactivated their weapon systems and are moving away from us!” Alpha Five reported cheerfully, “We are cleared to proceed!”

“Then set a course for Mandalore,” Peter ordered, “We’re going to find our cook!”

“You mean destroy the Ring,” Luke corrected.

“Yeah, that too!”

Alpha Five sat down at the pilot seat again and piloted the freighter slash pirate vessel closer to Mandalore. No other interventions followed and they were able to descend to the planet surface without any incidents, landing at Sundari, the planet’s new capital. There was a brief delay after landing as the local customs officers wanted to check their ship manifest and make sure they weren’t carrying any illegal cargo (apparently someone had told them that this was a pirate ship…) but after that the group could disembark and were free to explore the city. This time, even Alpha Five was joining them.

“This place is impressive,” Goku said, “So many tall buildings and people in armor! They all look strong!”

“Just be careful with what you do or say,” Luke warned, “Mandalore is an independent system and not part of the Empire, so we might get treated differently around here. And the Mandeloreans are a proud people, they won’t like it if you insult them.”

“That’s good advice, Luke,” Alpha Five agreed, “And we should avoid getting in trouble.”

“A bit late for that, rust bucket,” a familiar voice spoke from behind them. They turned around, only to be eye to eye… or, actually, eye to eye socket with Skeletor, “You have something I want.”

“Skin?” Peter quipped.

“You know this guy… or well, skeleton, or… whatever?” Goku asked.

“We’ve met,” Peter said, “It did not go well, for him.”

“Don’t take credit for my defeat,” Skeletor replied, “If you had faced me instead of that bungling idiot Jafar, things would have gotten quite differently.”

“Somehow, I doubt that,” Luke smiled.

“Test me, child, and you will find out,” Skeletor replied, “Now, hand me the ring.”

“I have a different betrothed in mind,” Peter quipped, “Sorry to disappoint you, Skeletor.”

“Funny, little man,” Skeletor spat, “But I am not in the mood for comedy; hand me Sauron’s ring and I will yet let you live, despite earlier humiliations.”

“Sounds like you’re not that confident in victory then,” Luke said, “Retreat now, Skeletor. We have no fight with you.”

“Correct!” Skeletor cackled, “You have a fight with THEM!”

Several green skinned humanoids leapt from the buildings above, surrounding the Spider-Man pirates. They had human forms, though their skin seemed more plantlike, and odd little green antennae protruding from their bald foreheads. They did not attack yet, apparently waiting for a command from Skeletor.
“Namekians make such great mercenaries,” Skeletor grinned, “Even more so than Mandaloreans, as they aren’t hindered by the concept of honor. Truly they make up the better part of the legendary Frieza Force.”

“They’re thugs employed by gangsters,” Luke retorted, “Tools by those who can’t fight their own battles.”

“We all do what we must to win,” Skeletor smirked, “Last chance to surrender the ring now, before I’ll have them take it from you.”

“You’ve gotten your roles reversed,” Peter replied, “We’re the Spider-Man pirates; we do the taking, not you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Skeletor smirked, “Take them!”

The Namekians all attacked at once, leaping forward and hoping to overwhelm their victims. They were probably expecting simple travelers who wouldn’t put up much resistance. But this group was different. Luke used his connection to the Force to dodge any incoming blows, instead grabbing one of the Namekians’ bodies and using their momentum against them to fling them over his shoulder and against a wall. Peter used his spider reflexes and strength to take on two Namekians at once, dodging their attacks and punching them back with excessive strength. The mercenaries could take a punch, but even this proved too much for them. Goku had a chance to prove himself in battle for the first time and went all out, taking on the remaining Namekians and holding them at bay with no difficulty at all.
Needless to say, the entire fight lasted only a few minutes and left the mercenaries hopelessly defeated. “So much for hired help,” Luke commented.

“I don’t believe it,” Skeletor cackled, “How could three nobodies best seasoned Namekian mercenaries?!”

“That’s where you’re mistaken, Skeletor,” Peter answered, “You were thinking about three nobodies, not three members of the Spider-Man Pirates. You are truly a fool.”

“Bah, nonsense!” Skeletor retorted, “I simply didn’t get what I paid for! I am not beaten yet!”

“Sounds like someone is asking for that beating,” Goku grinned, stepping forward in front of the two other pirates, “Allow me to make up for not being able to cook.”

“Ha! I can take care of you single handedly!” Skeletor promised.

“And that’s why you will lose, Skeletor, show some restraint,” a new voice interrupted.

Another person approached the stand off and positioned himself next to Skeletor. This person looked human, apart from the obvious fangs, and it was a miracle that he was allowed to walk the streets, given he wore little more than a loin cloth and a cape, both matching the dark red of his skin color. His hair was rugged and wild, unkept yet controlled somehow. Yet no matter how you looked at it, he looked like trouble. “The brat warned you, Skeletor,” the newcomer said, “These aren’t normal Imperial citizens anymore. They have… grown.”

“Mephisto!” Skeletor replied, “There was no need for you to come here in person.”

“And yet it would seem there is,” Mephisto smirked, “Unless you’ve suddenly gotten three times the power you had without telling me, Skeletor.”

“You overestimate these children,” Skeletor replied.

“Perhaps we kick your asses first, and then you can decide whether or not you underestimated us,” Peter suggested.

“An interesting challenge,” Mephisto smirked, “But no, we’re not going to do that. Instead, we’re going to take you up on your offer and leave.”

“We are?” Skeletor asked, “You really do overestimate them, Mephisto!”

“No, Skeletor,” Mephisto corrected, gazing directly at his Triumvirate companion, “We can easily take them, especially together; but we will do so at a time and place of my choosing. I wish to savor this, and I wish to lay claim on their souls after our triumph.”

“So what you’re really saying is that you’re not sure if you come out on top,” Peter grinned.

“Try as you might, you won’t goad me into a fight, mortal,” Mephisto grinned, “Our little conflict will be decided and another place and time, both of my choosing.” 

“What makes you think we’ll let you go?” Luke asked, taking a menacing step forward.

“Because you will be too busy dealing with THEM!” Mephisto smirked, pointing at something behind the group of Spider-Man pirates. 

Peter Parker turned around to see what Mephisto was pointing at, and Luke Skywalker and Son Goku both did the same. Too late did Peter realize that his danger sense, or Spider Sense, as he preferred to call it, hadn’t been triggered at all. When he turned back again, both Skeletor and Mephisto were long gone. “Oldest trick in the book,”  Peter sighed.

“I don’t sense their presence anymore either,” Goku replied, “Never before have I seen an opponent retreat so effectively, and hastily.” 

“Why would the Triumvirate be interested in Sauron’s ring anyway?” Luke asked.

“They seem to crave power and instability,”  Peter replied, “I can imagine the ring or Sauron itself being very effective tools to either goal.” 

“Then let’s get rid of it as soon as possible,” Luke proposed, “The thing is giving me the creeps anyway, it’s sending off some seriously bad vibes.” 

“Agreed,” Peter said, “Let’s get to the Great Forge as soon as possible.”

Finding the Great Forge didn’t really prove to be a challenge, fortunately. It was, after all, one of the most famous and sacred buildings on all of Mandalore. Yet gaining access to it proved more difficult, for exactly those same reasons. The guards stationed at the entrance wouldn’t even let ordinary Mandalorian citizens in, and a group of suspicious looking foreigners of course didn’t stand a chance altogether. “Halt! You may go no further!” one of them said, “This area is off limits for unauthorized personnel.”

“What makes you think we’re not authorized?” Goku asked.

The two guards looked at each other, as if they could read each other’s expression despite wearing a helmet, and yet somehow they seem to be able to do just that. They then looked at the group again: “Are you kidding us? You’re not wearing the traditional helmet, heck, you’re not even wearing Mandalorean armor. Access to this place is very much prohibited, especially for offworlders.” 

“Maybe we just left our armor at home,” Peter tried, “You know how it is, Tuesday is armor cleaning day.” 

“To take off a helmet is to lose your honor,” the guard replied, “To insinuate as much is to insult the entirety of Mandalore.” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult the entirety of Mandalore,”  Peter apologized.

“Has anyone not from Mandalore ever been granted access to the Great Forge?” Luke asked.

“Only a few,” the other guard replied, “Diplomats and special guests, most of the time. The chancellor can grant special permission for that. For whatever business you outsiders might have at the Forge, this would be the way to go.”

“We have the ring of Sauron,” Luke replied, “We have to gain access to the Forge to destroy it!” 

“Then your cause is just,” the guard replied, “But you must still obtain permission; hurry then, outsiders, before the shadow of evil returns once more.” 

The Spider-Man Pirates rushed over to the senate building to request an audience with the chancellor of Mandalore. Of course they were once again refused, not only because they were suspicious looking outsiders, but also because Peter introduced them as the Spider-Man Pirates. Fearing an attempt at kidnapping, the guards barred the Pirates’ way and promised they would be arrested if they ever approached the senate building again.

And so they didn’t.

Instead they made their way to the main road that connected the government district with the residential district, hiding out of sight as they waited for the chancellor to return back home at the end of his work day. It was a boring wait that lasted several hours until dusk began to settle in. They had spent the past hours playing Yu-Gi-Oh, Where’s Waldo (tricky if there is no Waldo), Mario Party and singing Shrek’s Sake. But finally the wait was rewarded and the chancellor’s vehicle finally appeared on the horizon. There was an armed escort, but it was more like a formality and symbolic and not really a powerful force, as no one would ever dare to attack the chancellor of Mandalore in broad daylight, on his own home world. 

And then there were these guys.

Peter Parker in his Spider-Man outfit took care of the armed escort. Wearing a new mechanical device on his wrists allowed him to spray a sticky fluid that was created directly by willpower alone, turning his will into stickiness alone. It wasn’t entirely unlike an act of intimacy. Except Spider-Man’s webbing was sturdy enough to hold things much larger than Peter himself. And now he used the webbing to catch the armored vehicle, then utilizing his own enormous strength and the vehicle’s momentum to tear it off the elevated road, sending it swinging across an enormous distance, before its gravity devices kicked in, making sure the vehicle landed safely, its occupants unhurt, but far away from the chancellor they were supposed to protect.

Luke and Goku stepped in front of the chancellor’s vehicle, forcing the driver to hit the brakes and send the vehicle to a screeching halt. Well, metaphorically anyway, as hover vehicles simply don’t work that way. Fortunately for them the driver did just that, having been paid only to drive and not to act as a security officer to the chancellor.
Petter had worried that they would have to force the vehicle open after it had stopped to get the chancellor out, which might make things messier than they had intended to, but fortunately things turned out differently as the door opened and the chancellor exited the vehicle on his own accord. 

Peter Parker had studied the man before but this was the first time he actually saw the chancellor up close, wearing the traditional Mandalorean armor of course, a dark shade of emerald green and various ornaments, serving more as a decorative armor rather than a functional one. “What is the meaning of this?” the chancellor demanded, “How dare you attack me like that, me, the chancellor Mandalore?!”

“Please calm down, chancellor,” Luke replied, “We mean no harm.”

“No harm?” the chancellor spat, “You assaulted my escort vehicle and almost made me crash, How is that for no harm? You’re making me angry, kid. And you won’t like me when I’m angry!”

“Chancellor Banner, we only seek an audience with you,” Spider-Man replied, now joining his fellow comrades again.

“That sounds entirely credible, coming from a masked vigilante,” the chancellor retorted, still visibly and audibly angry, “Besides, there are the proper channels for that. Why should we make an exception for you?”

“We couldn’t wait for the proper channels,” Peter said, taking off his mask as a sign of good faith and approaching the chancellor slowly, “This is a matter of utmost urgency, and delaying would pose a risk to Mandalore as well.”

“And what reason do I have to believe you, you’re little more than a child,” the chancellor spat.

“Chancellor…” Peter tried again.

“No,” the chancellor interrupted, “This little interview is over. I will have you arrested for assaulting a government official and..!”

Just then a missile impacted on the chancellor’s car. The vehicle caught fire and the driver was barely able to safely escape before it exploded with an enormous explosion.

“How dare you?!” the chancellor shouted.

“It wasn’t us!” Luke cried back, “That missile came from somewhere else!”

“Then who was it?” the chancellor shouted, “Any more assassins out and about tonight?!”

“That would be me,” a man in some sort of hovering vehicle proclaimed. He was rather unnaturally oval shaped and sported an impressive thick busty red mustache, which only emphasized his dark round goggles, “A pleasure to meet you again, chancellor Doctor Bruce Banner.”

“Doctor Kintobor,” the chancellor greeted, giving a cold gaze upward to his assailant, “This is an interesting continuation of our debate in the senate this afternoon.”

“I go by the name Eggman these days,” the other doctor replied, “And with these days I mean starting today, tonight. I am not here to continue our debate, chancellor, but rather to end it.”

“Any debate that is settled with explosives is a lost one and a lost argument, Doctor Eggman,” Bruce Banner replied, “You may kill me today, but then surely you know what will happen to you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow I will reach out to Emperor Palpatine and tell him that a tragic fate befell the chancellor of Mandalore, and that we are in need of guidance. I will sign a treaty with the Emperor, so that Mandalore can at last take its rightful place within the First Galactic Empire.”

“With you at the helm, of course,” chancellor Banner surmised.

“Of course, the people need guidance,” Doctor Eggman replied with a smirk.

“You won’t get away with this, Eggman,” Doctor Banner promised, as two armored vehicles arrived on the scene, “My security forces have caught up with the situation. You are hopelessly outnumbered. You and these pirate allies of yours.”

“Oh, they’re not with me,” Eggman grinned, “But the distraction they created was most welcome, it saved me the trouble of stopping you myself. And as for being outnumbered…”

The sinister Doctor Eggman snapped his fingers and the road burst open, and several ninja shaped robots emerged from the ground below. At the same time several droids in the shape of black spheres swooped down from the skies, surrounding the chancellor and his security forces. “I do believe the proverbial tables have turned,” Doctor Eggman grinned, “I would ask your forces to surrender, but, alas… no witnesses.”

“You would doom Mandalore with your dishonorable acts,” Bruce Banner replied from underneath his helmet, “I would expect no less of one who does not follow The Way.”

“You and your pathetic Death Watch fanatics are a blight on Mandalore,” Doctor Eggman retorted, “I will turn this planet into a wonderful world of science and development! Away with the old traditions, the staleness of the past. Onward to the future!” 

“What’s Death Watch?” Goku whispered to Peter and Luke, who seemed more knowledgeable about certain things in the universe.

“Mandalorian society is clan based and Death Watch is the dominant one of those clans,” Peter explained, “So basically, they’re the ones that make up the government. They’re the main driving force for the belief that a Mandalorean should wear a helmet at all times, the other clans are more tempered in this.” 

“But they have other beliefs, such as the presence of ninjas?” Goku asked, eyeing the group of ninjas that had emerged nervously.

“Don’t ask me about the ninjas,” Luke replied, “I don’t understand those either.”

“You are in interesting company, Dr. Eggman,” Chancellor Banner spoke, “Ninja Soldiers from the Mandalorian Foot Clan, and Imperial Probe Droids; if one didn’t know better, you’d say that your plans have already been discussed quite a bit in advance.” 

“Does it matter if there will be no survivors?” Doctor Eggman smirked, “I’ve been planning this for years, Banner!” 

“You misjudged only one of these things,” Chancellor Banner replied, “One thing you forgot to account for.”

“And what is that?”  Doctor Eggman grinned.

“I may be a chancellor, but I am also still a Mandalorean!” Chancellor Banner replied, and aimed his wrist at one of the ninja soldiers. A tiny hatch opened and a rocket was launched from it, which hit the ninja and blew it up, revealing it to be a robot. He then raised his other arm as well, launching a flamethrower from it which incinerated a few of the Imperial floating droids as well as another two ninjas. “And I will not be bested so easily!” he added.

“And you really think I didn’t prepare for that?” Doctor Eggman grinned, “Foot Clan Soldiers! Bots! Destroy him! And the others as well!”

“I don’t like that guy,” Goku grumbled.

“Me either,” Peter replied, “We came here to talk to the chancellor, and those bots are attacking us. I think we know what to do, right?”

“Let’s take them down,” Goku grinned.

A fierce battle followed but Doctor Eggman’s forces proved no match for the combined force of the chancellor and his security team as well as the Spider-Man Pirates. Some of the Mandaloreans were hurt, but their reinforced armor protected them from any serious injuries. Doctor Eggman’s forces weren’t so lucky. The Foot Clan Ninja robots proved sluggish and not very alert, despite being branded ninja robots, and the Imperial Probe Droids were also easily dealt with. Finally only Doctor Eggman himself remained, piloting the mechanical transport pod which had no shortage of all kinds of weapons. Weapons that could never be used, as Goku quickly leapt up at the hovering device at incredible speed, becoming like a human bullet and bursting through the contraption, destroying it and sending the remains crashing down on the road below. Before the evil politician slash doctor could recover, Mandalore’s security forces had already apprehended him, ensnaring the doctor in electronic restraints.

“It’s over, Doctor Eggman,” Chancellor Banner said triumphantly, “You’ll be taken into custody and tried for your crimes with the swiftness and justness that Mandalore is known for. By the end of this week you will be convicted.”

“By the end of the week I’ll be free and off world,” Doctor Eggman threatened, “Beware, chancellor. I have friends in high places!”

“Oh, I’m sure you have,” Chancellor Banner replied, “But you’re on Mandalore now. The Empire won’t help you here.”

“Oh, who says I’m talking about the Empire?” Doctor Eggman threatened, “You’ll rue the day you crossed me.”

“I’ll rue the day I didn’t roll over and die?” Banner repeated as Doctor Eggman  was taken away, “I doubt that.”

After the corrupt assailant had been taken away, Chancellor Banner turned his attention back to the group of pirates who had started this incident in the first place. “So,” he said, “Back to you. You wanted to speak to me, you said? Speak, then. You’ve earned that much.”

“We came here to request a chance to visit The Great Forge,” Luke said, “We need the fires of that forge to ward off a great evil.”

“Say no more,” the chancellor interrupted, raising his hand, “Such a request can mean only one thing. Do you have it with you, the ring?”

“We have it with us,” Luke said, retrieving the trinket from his inner pocket, displaying it to the chancellor who backed away a bit almost by instinct, “The Ring of Sauron.”

“Impressive that you can keep it in your possession without being corrupted by its influence,” the chancellor replied, “There are not many that could.”

“I feel it stinging, poking me,” Luke replied, “But my father trained me in many forms of meditation. I can keep it under control, for now.”

“I will grant you access to the Great Forge right away,” the chancellor replied, “I will call for an escort. You will follow me, we can’t give the enemies of Mandalore a chance to obtain this ring. Or for Sauron to revive itself.”

“Why?” Goku asked, “He didn’t seem so tough when we fought him?”

“Only because he hadn’t fully revived yet,” the chancellor warned, “And because you found his weakness to the ring. It is something that won’t last if we give him a chance to recover.”

“Let’s keep the exciting stories for another time,” Peter Parker suggested, “We’d best not waste anymore time and destroy this ring first.”

“Agreed,” the chancellor said.

The transport vehicles didn’t arrive much later, bringing the entire group to the Great Forge of Mandalore. With Chancellor Banner leading the group, the guards at the entrance made no effort to stop them and allowed them to pass. The Chancellor knew the way and went ahead, bringing them directly to the heart of the Great Forge, which was of course the forge itself, including a massive pit of molten metal that would be used to create new items and weapons in the near future. 

“This is it”, the chancellor said, “The ring was forged here, it can be undone here. Toss it in, Young Skywalker.”

One might have expected some conflict here, or a hesitation of some sort as the Ring made a last valiant effort to corrupt or dissuade its holders from destroying it. But nothing was less true, and Luke casually pulled the ring from his pocket again and with a little curve lobbed the sinister ring into the molten metals below, where it began to melt and dissolved in the currents of metal, disappearing along with the threat of Sauron ever returning again. “Done,” he simply said. 

“Thank you, brave warriors,” Chancellor Banner replied, “The threat of Sauron’s Ring and his return have been a shadow over Mandalore for many generations, ever since the tyrant first landed here to forge his ring. But now at last we can leave all of that behind us. How can we ever repay you?”

“That depends,” Peter replied, “Have you ever heard anything about the Space Piece?”

Chancellor Bruce Banner was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought. Then at last he spoke again: “Perhaps I do. But the hour is late, we must not speak of these things now.”

“Then when?” Luke asked.

“Come to my office tomorrow,” the chancellor replied, “I will make sure that the guards will allow you entry. I will then tell you what I know about the Space Piece.”

“Very well then,” Peter agreed, “I think we can all use some rest. Until tomorrow then, chancellor. 

The chancellor arranged for sleeping accommodations for the Spider-Man Pirates and then the group bade their farewells. They would meet again tomorrow morning after an uneventful night, and that would be a day and meeting where a lot would change…

Chapter V – Babylon V : Our last, best hope for some unexpected plot twists

Barbossa offered that they stayed a bit longer for a few drinks, but since Peter and Luke were both minors and since the bar wasn’t serving any blue milk, they decided to leave instead, with no intent on wasting any more time.
A transport took them to the space ports where many vessels lay docked, mostly independent ones, as the Empire often employed larger vessels for their military and special operations, which lacked the capability to land on a planet. Barbossa took them to a smaller dock where no other vessels had landed. Perfect for pirating, Luke realized. 

“There she is,” Barbossa finally said as they approached the far side of the dock, “The Black Sun Pearl. Isn’t she a beauty?”

She was indeed a beauty, a Corellian YT-1300 Light Freighter. Top of her class and it looks like she had been customized with at least a few extras to give her an extra edge in either avoiding fights or winning them. It also looked like she had missed a maintenance check or two. “She might have a scar or two,” Barbossa said, “But every beauty has one or two imperfections. But when push comes to shove, I guarantee you, there is no better than the Black Sun Pearl, the best even among Corellian freighters.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Luke said, growing even less impressed by the second, “You’re terrorizing the space lanes… with a freighter?”

“Ah, you’d be surprised how many have made that mistake and underestimated her,” Barbossa grinned, “Trust me, and see for yourselves; she’ll yet surprise you.”

Meanwhile, Peter Parker had remained silent during the little exchange between the two, staring at the Corellian Freighter in utter silence. “Peter, are you ok..?” Luke asked carefully, worrying that his friend had become completely disillusioned with this disappointment, “If you want, we can force this washup to give us a refund and…”

“It’s perfect!” Peter said with sparkling eyes, “Look at her! Our ship!”

“Eh?” was all Luke could utter.

“It’s fast, I bet it’s the fastest in the whole quadrant!” Peter shouted cheerfully, “And not as bulky and massive as most spaceships are. Just look at her, she looks so cozy, I’m sure she’ll feel just like home!” 

“Aye, that’s the spirit, lad,” Barbossa agreed, “Glad you understand the value of a true classic.”

“She’s fast then?” Luke asked.

“Made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs,” Barbossa admitted.

“Who’s Kessel?” Peter asked.

“That doesn’t make sense, a parsec isn’t a measurement of speed but of distance,” Luke protested.

“I said what I said,” was all that Barbossa answered.

“You certainly did,” Luke sighed.

“So, I assume you are satisfied with our deal?” Barbossa urged, “Then, shall we be on our way?”

“Yes!” Peter smirked, leaping up to the Black Sun Pearl’s entry hatch, “Let’s get going!”

The three entered the Black Sun Pearl and Barbossa gave them a quick tour of the ship before taking them to the cockpit, which was cozier (read: smaller) than Luke had expected. “All right, first mate,” Peter decreed, “Set a course for outer space. Take us out.”

“You mean me?” Luke asked, “My dad let me fly a spaceship for a few minutes when I was a child, but I never had real training. I can’t fly this thing! I’m your first mate, not your pilot!”

“Not to worry, lads, this here vessel comes with a little bonus that I’m throwing in for free,” Barbossa interrupted, “Alpha Five, are you there?”

A hatch in one of the walls slid up, revealing a small cabinet with a robot inside. The droid was the size of a small humanoid yet with a gold saucer shaped body with a red visor instead of eyes. Its body was plated with a crimson alloy and a yellow lightning bolt logo on its chest, where its arms and legs were instead composed of some dark gray metallic alloy. “Aye yi yi!” it shrieked as it came to life upon activating by Barbossa’s vocal command, “Alpha Five, reporting for duty! I am fluid in over six million forms of piloting and…”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s enough,” Barbossa interrupted, “Just fly the damn vessel, won’t you?”

“Yes sir,” Alpha Five replied, and wiggled through the cockpit, sitting down in the pilot seat, “Hang on to your fleshbag shorts! We’re going to space!”

The cheerful yet angsty droid began pressing some buttons on the console panel while the rest of them strapped themselves into the available seats. Moments later the engines sprang to life and the vessel rose up from the dock, then quickly gained speed and sped upwards into the planet’s upper atmosphere and finally into the space beyond.

“We’ve escaped Corellia’s gravity well,” Alpha Five reported, “Where to now, sirs?”

“That’s your time to shine, lads,” Barbossa grinned, “This vessel is yours now, and so is its pilot; do give the droid its instructions.”

“Very well then,” Peter grinned, folding his arms across his chest as he stared out the view port, “Alpha Five, set a course for the space station Babylon V. Maximum warp!”

“Apologies, captain, but there is only one type of Lightspeed,” the droid replied, “What do you mean?”

“What do ya think this is, lad? Star Trek?!” Barbossa commented, “Just give us our heading and we’ll be on our way!”

“All right, all right,” Peter said, slightly disappointed, “Take us out, Alpha Five. To Babylon Five!”

“Aye, sir!” the pilot droid replied and pressed a few final buttons. Then the familiar view of the stars misforming into elongated stripes appeared and the vessel catapulted itself away into Hyperspace. 

The station was part of the galactic outer rim, the area of border worlds bordering the Empire where the Empire’s law was less strictly enforced, and where there was more opportunity for all sorts of… creative businesses. 

“So… that Lightsaber of yers,” Barbossa said after a few hours of travel and uneasy silence, “You any good with that?”

“I can defend myself,” Luke said, “But I’ve never used it in any real combat situation.”

“Not even against your old man?” Barbossa asked again, “You know.. for sparring?”

“I only practiced against droids, and training tools,” Luke admitted.

“Then how about we change that now?” Barbossa proposted, suggestively resting his hand on the hilt of his own Lightsaber, tapping it softly with his fingertips.

“Let’s not have a battle with laser swords aboard a vessel in the vacuum of space, shall we?” Peter proposed, “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities in your future where you can try out your new toy, Barbossa.”

“Doubtful,” Barbossa grinned,  “I am a man who has retired, after all.”

“Arriving at Babylon V in fifteen minutes,” Alpha Five announced.

“Good,” Barbossa grinned, “I look forward to tasting some of that fine Alpha Centaurian ale they serve over there.”

“Please do that after we leave,” Luke urged, “I’m sure you’ll cause a scene otherwise. A pub crawl or something like that.”

“Oh, I’ll surprise you lads yet,” Barbossa grinned.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Luke sighed.

Babylon V

As Alpha Five had announced, they arrived at Babylon Station fifteen minutes later. The droid handled the communication with the station as well as the docking process and shortly after they found themselves aboard the impressive looking space station and disembarking from the Black Sun Pearl. However their arrival did not go by quietly. A security detail came marching up on the Pearl, with a rugged looking individual leading them. “Now why am I not surprised?” Luke sighed.

“Captain Hector Barbossa!” the rugged alien greeted them. “We did not expect you to show your face here again so soon.”

“Actually, it’s just Barbossa now,” Barbossa grinned, “This lad here, you’re looking at the new captain of the Black Sun Pearl.”

“Watch it,” Luke whispered to Peter, “This is where he’s going to announce that any and all debts this ship has will pass on to its new captain, namely you.”

“Ah, I’ll have a reputation already,” Peter grinned from underneath his Spider-Man mask.

“In that case, welcome back, Commander Barbossa,” the alien corrected himself, “Babylon V wasn’t the same without you.”

“Good to see you again, Lieutenant Worf,” Barbossa said with a firm smirk.

“So much for no Star Trek,” Peter grinned.

“Wait.. what?” Luke gasped, “And Barbossa… Commander?”

“Retiring commander,” Barbossa grinned, glancing over his shoulder at the flabbergasted Luke Skywalker.

“Commander Barbossa has been in charge of Babylon V for over seven years, as the second captain since the founding of the space station. He retired from his position several years ago to pursue other goals, but stated that he would one day return.”

“But what about his… other activities?” Luke asked, unsure how much this crew knew about Barbossa’s career as a pirate. 

“We are aware of Commander Barbossa’s activities as leader of the Black Pearl Sun Pirates,” Worf replied, “His role was that of a pirate sanctioned by the government, also known as one of the Warlords of the Star Lanes.”

“Warlords of the Star Lanes…” Peter repeated, his eyes sparkling underneath his mask.

“Don’t get any ideas, kid,” Barbossa grinned, “That position is only reserved for the very best, but also the very nastiest. You’re not cut out for that kind of position.”

“But isn’t piracy bad for the empire?” Luke asked, “Why would they sanction something like that?”

“It’s part of their tactics to keep people in line and to maintain the peace,” Lieutenant Worf explained, “Rather than having a lot of pirates who run amok, it’s good to have one strong pirate crew that you can control, acting as a deterrent for other pirates that you can’t control. That being said, Commander Barbossa has proven quite troublesome over the years.”

“Have to earn my keep after all,” Barbossa grinned. 

“That would be one way to describe it,” Worf replied, “And in return, I have been needing plenty of funding in our security forces to clean up you… earning your keep.”

Barbossa laughed and walked past him, heading for the exit of the docking ring. “Ah, Worf!” he laughed aloud, “Those are times of the past. Now your Commander is back, and it’s time to celebrate. I trust there’s still Alpha Centaurian Ale?”

“Kept cool in your personal fridge, Commander,” Worf replied, and the annoyance in his voice was clearly audible.

There was another awkward silence, with Worf glaring at his Commander as he left and Peter and Luke eyeing Worf a bit nervously. “Ehr, Mr. Lieutenant, Sir,” Peter tried after a moment, “Do you still need us for something?”

“You are still here?” Worf replied without taking his eyes off Barbossa who just disappeared around the corner, “No, our welcoming reception was for the Commander. You two are just travelers, passing through. You may leave.”

“Thank you, sir,” Luke replied.

“However,” Worf glared sideways just as they wanted to leave, “Be advised that we have a strict anti-pirating policy around here. Think well about your choices in life, whether they concern lovers, dinner or job opportunities.”

“Yes, sir!” they said in unison, and left the docking ring as fast they could.

“So… what do we do next?” Luke asked, after they had been walking for a while, “Do you want to leave again, now that we’ve delivered Barbossa to his destination? There’s a whole galaxy out there to explore.”

“True,” Peter said, “But I want to stick around for a while longer. Space stations like these attract all kinds of people. We might just find a crew mate or two.”

“Doubtful,” Luke sighed.

“And perhaps Barbossa will return to us and take up my offer to be our navigator after all,” Peter grinned.

Luke sighed again: “Even more doubtful.”

After leaving the docking ring they made their way deeper into the massive space station, quickly coming across the commercial district and a plaza where various shops, restaurants and cafes were located. The promenade was bustling with activity and filled with all manner of creatures of various races and origins. Despite the galactic location of the space station, there was a notable Imperial presence in the form of an imperial navy base and regular patrols by imperial Stomtroopers.
They passed some interesting places during their tour through the promenade: Garek’s Tailor Shop, the Central Perk Coffee House, restaurant ‘Allo ‘Allo, an ACME Corp Outlet, a Cyberdyne communication device store, Big Belly Burger, Star Tours, and many others. But they both stopped when they spotted Quark’s Bar. “So much for a lack of Star Trek references,” Luke sighed.
However what really got their attention was another bar just next to it, branded The Strange Bar. “You don’t think..?” Peter began.

“Wouldn’t be surprised,”  Luke replied.

“Then let’s check it out.”

They entered the bar, which was half full with patrons of all shapes and sizes, even some droids. Behind the bar they spotted the familiar face of Doctor Strange, though instead of wearing his colorful attire, he was wearing a formal suit, just like an official barman would. He noticed the two as they entered, as any decent barman did, but paid them no special attention, until they approached the bar: “Can I help you? Would you like to order?” he asked.

“What’s the matter?” Luke asked, “Don’t you recognise us?” 

“I’m not sure,” Doctor Strange replied, “I usually don’t forget a face of any patrons, but if it’s been a while, then perhaps it has eluded my memory; then again, neither of you really look like you’re of the proper drinking age.” 

“Are you joking with us?” Luke asked again, “Don’t you remember how we traveled together? Aboard the Interstellar Express?” 

“Ah,” Doctor Strange replied, and he began to smile, “So that’s how it is; I understand, you must have met one of my Variants.”

“Your what nows?” Peter asked, “Like family?” 

“Do you two know anything about the practical consequences of time travel? And of the Multiverse physics?” 

“Words I literally heard for the first time in my life,” Peter replied, “Except for physics, my uncle won’t stop talking about that.”

“This world, this existence, is but one of many, of immeasurable realities that might be similar to our own, or radically different,” Barman Strange explained, “For example in this reality you two decided to enter this bar; in another I might have ignored you and ask an assistant to service you; and in yet another reality, you might have bypassed this bar altogether and have decided to visit Quark’s.”

“Unlikely,”  Luke interrupted.

“True,” Barman Strange agreed, “And time travel is a factor in that; if I go back in time to just before you decided to enter the bar and locked the door, that would mean I just created another reality altogether. And each of these existences might have another Steven Strange, much like me, or maybe radically different; maybe even a reality where I am a woman instead of a man.”

“I won’t judge,” Peter commented.

“We call those alternate versions Variants,” Barman Strange continued, “Although from a philosophical point of view you might of course wonder if there even is one who might call himself an original, and if we’re not all variants of ourselves in that way.” 

“That’s the first time I got a headache in a bar before drinking alcohol,” Peter commented.

“Anyway, so it sounds like you might have met another version of me,” Barman Strange elaborated, “I’ve been here running this bar for weeks now and I’ve never traveled by the Interstellar Express before. Sounds like something one of my Variants might do however.” 

“So you’re not Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme,” Luke summarized.

“Hardly,” Barman Strange replied, “I am Barman Strange, the Cocktail Shaker Supreme. A far greater talent, if you ask me, but I’m sure he would disagree on that.” 

“One more question,” Peter said, “You don’t happen to be interested in joining my crew as the ship’s navigator, would you?”

“Not a chance, alcohol is my life,” Barman Strange replied, “I mean, serving it, that is. But you might want to stay here for a drink if you want, even non alcoholic. This bar has a reputation, those who are lost, or who are searching for something, they always find what they’re looking for the most at this bar.” 

“That’s quite a cheap sales pitch,” Luke grinned.

“Maybe it is,” Barman Strange smiled, “Maybe not. So what will it be?”

They ordered something simple to drink at Barman Strange, then seated themselves at one of the empty tables near the exit. The promised answer never came, but at least they had some time to catch up on things, talking about the things that had transpired to them on their journey, but also about things that had happened in the past. 

“Do you think we should have brought Alpha Five along with us?” Peter asked when the conversation died down a bit, “He might be a bit lonely on that ship.” 

“He’ll be fine, he’s been locked in there for who knows how long by Barbossa,” Luke replied, “So he’s used to it.”

“But he was deactivated then,” Peter protested, a slight hint of worry in his voice.

“He’ll be fine,” Luke reassured again, “I mean, what he’s going to do, build weaponry and develop murderous tendencies?” 

“I guess not,” Peter agreed, “That leaves us with the problem at hand.”

“The crew?” Luke guessed.

“We need a cook most of all,” Peter nodded, “I don’t think I can survive on Space Rations for much longer. It’s not doing wonders for my body. Especially when there is no underwear in space.”

“What are you talking about?” Luke asked.

There was a brief awkward silence as the two stared at each other. Without saying a word, they both agreed simultaneously that they would never speak of this ever again.

“But good food is one of the most important things to have, and we need to find a solution for that,” Peter said, trying to steer the conversation back into a useful direction again.

They noticed someone who had just entered the bar was now staring at them with big wide open eyes, as if he either recognised them or as if he was very afraid of them. He was a small boy, perhaps half Luke’s height, and dressed in a simple Japanese looking outfit (if there was a Japan in space). His hair was spiked, with one standing out most of all. “Can we help you?” Luke finally tried.

“Maybe I can help you,” the boy replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation, but I couldn’t help it when you mentioned one of my favorite topics: food.”

“So we did,” Peter grinned, “So you heard about our problem?”

“I did,” the boy replied, “And I think I can help you with it, I’m sort of a specialist, I guess.”

“You are?” Luke asked, “At your age?”

“I’m older than I look and I started young,” the kid grinned, “Son Goku’s the name. I’m a traveling monk.”

“Now I’m really beginning to wonder about your age,” Luke replied, “How old are you, really?”

“I’m an adult, really,” Goku replied, “But a space wizard cast a spell on me and trapped me in a kid’s body.”

“A Jedi did that?!” Peter gasped, “I didn’t know they could do that!”

Luke glared at the boy. “They can’t,” he said.

“No, not a Jedi,” Goku corrected, “I mean an actual space wizard. We have those too, you know.”

Luke and Peter looked over their shoulders simultaneously at the barman. Barman Strange simply grinned back at them and gave a brief nod before he resumed cleaning the glasses.

“So what else do you bring to the table?” Luke asked, “You do know what kind of ship we’re running, right?”

“I don’t care,” Goku grinned, “And as I said, I’m a monk. I kick ass quite well.”

“I like this kid!” Peter laughed, “You’re going to be part of my crew!”

“Glad to be on board!” Goku smirked.

“All right, all right,” Luke sighed, “Maybe we should get going then. I think our little stay here has known enough unexpected plot twists for the time being.”

“Agreed,” Peter grinned, “After all, we have to set out and start our journey to find the Space Piece!”

“Then shall we get going?” Goku suggested, “I was getting bored of this place anyway.”

“Aye,” Peter grinned, “Onward!”

And so, with the latest addition to the Spider-Man Pirate crew, the group returned to the docks of Babylon V and set out into space; they did not meet Barbossa again before leaving, but that was no big issue; Peter had already forgotten about wanting to recruit him, his mind instead focused on the journey ahead.
And as the Black Sun Pearl left the docking ring and once again entered the promising wideness of space, they could only wonder what kind of adventures lay ahead of them…

Chapter IV – Onward to Corellia : I am going to be King of the Space Pirates!

Corellia

After the group’s return on board, train conductor Pom Pom was quick to make an announcement to the passengers that any technical difficulties they had, had been resolved and that they would soon be leaving Dathomir’s orbit without landing, promising that any passengers hindered by this would receive full compensation and an alternative means of transport after arriving at their next destination, the industrial world of Corellia. Of course the only person who had wanted to go to Dathomir had been Doctor Strange, and he no longer felt a need for it after their confrontation on the planet’s surface.

“So the source of the disturbance was magical after all,” Welt concluded, after listening to Doctor Strange’s extensive summary.

“Mystical, not magical,” Doctor Strange concluded, “There is a subtle difference, but the term magical would be selling this incident short.”

“And we wouldn’t want the evil space wizards to be hurt,” Tony Stark said, providing his charming subtle form of sarcasm.

“Just normal wizards, Tony,” Doctor Strange corrected again, “Space Wizards are Jedi, or a demeaning name for them anyway.”

“Right,” Tony said, “And we wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of the Jedi.”

“This Triumvirate concerns me,” Doctor Strange admitted to them, “Not the two wizards we defeated, but rather the third one hiding in the shadows. They were waiting for us, waiting for me. They knew I would be traveling on this train, and that means they might know why I’m here.”

“And why are you here, Doctor?” Welt asked.

Doctor Strange was silent for a moment, clearly pondering his next choice of words. “Let’s not dwell on that, it’s not important,” he finally said, which was a very meager lie, “Instead, let this train continue its journey. We can sort things out on Corellia.”

“Very well,” Welt said, glaring sideways at Doctor Strange as he slowly stepped back to the control panel, “But we’re going to have a conversation about this later, Doctor Strange. There are still some questions left unanswered.”

“A lot of them, actually,” Tony added.

“And I shall gladly answer them all,” Doctor Strange smiled, “But later. For now, I think we all could use some rest; most of all these two young heroes here.”

“Those two are part of the story,” Tony said, trying to keep the discussion going, “Just how did you know they would be able to help you? And how did they get those abilities?”

“Later, Tony,” Doctor Strange pressed, sounding both stern and annoyed, “Rest first. For all of us.”

“Fine, fine,” Tony said, smiling and waving his hands as if to defuse the situation he sparked himself, “I think we could all use some rest, I agree.”

Although they were somewhat reluctant themselves, Peter Parker and Luke Skywalker left the control room with Doctor Strange, returning back to the passenger carts, which were still restless and bustling with conversation after the unexpected hold up at Dathomir. “I have questions too, Doctor,” Luke asked, “What happened there… the way I was moving and anticipating all of Jafar’s movements… Was that..?”

“Yes,” Doctor Strange replied resolutely, “That was the same gift that has blessed your father. That was your connection to The Force.”

“The what now?” Peter asked. He had heard the term before but had always thought it was a metaphor or just a saying people had; apparently there more to it than that. 

“The Force is what connects all living things,” Doctor Strange explained, “It guides us and in turn we may connect to it, use its power to do great things, as well as to further better ourselves.”

“Sounds kind of like magic,” Peter concluded.

“I can see why it does,” Doctor Strange agreed, “And it’s difficult for me to explain, since I am not a Force user myself, but it’s more than that, it’s a deeper connection to the universe and everything. It’s not something I can easily put into words or convey.”

“I understand what you mean now,” Luke nodded, “That does kind of describe what I felt when we were in that fight… but only vaguely, like a whisper of a distant wind…”

“ Then what about me?” Peter asked, “I’m not sure what happened to me, but I’m pretty sure I’m not a Space Sorcerer Supreme.” 

Doctor Strange gave the kid a glare but did not take the bait. “Yours is a different case,” he said, “Something happened to you on Kashyyyk, didn’t it?” 

“I got bitten by a giant monster spider which the Wookies worship as a god,” Peter replied, “Not quite like getting in touch with the Force around us.”

“It looks like something happened to you at that moment,” Doctor Strange guessed, “If I had to guess, I would say the bite has given you the agility and proportionate strength of a spider.”

“Proportionate?” Peter repeated, “So spiders are really strong, does that mean that I am… extra really strong?”

“Basically,” Doctor Strange said, “A power you should use with care, and only for good.”

“Like a superhero,” Luke suggested.

“Nah,” Peter grinned, “I already decided I am going to be a Sky Pirate. I can make it part of my image though.”

“What do you have in mind?” Luke asked.

“An outfit, to disguise myself,” Peter grinned, “Don’t want my friends and family to get in trouble because of my pirating, after all.”

“You have friends?” Luke grinned, teasing.

“A few,” Peter grinned back, “Mostly animals; and made up ones.”

“Hang on then,” Doctor Strange said, raising his hands and making some waving gestures with them, whispering words of ancient power as he began weaving his spell. As he was casting, the clothes Peter wore began to change, being overlaid with a new outfit, some sort of enhanced red and blue cloth with some webbing patterns and a spider symbol on it. “How is that, young Parker?” he asked, when the spell was done.

“It’s an amazing outfit,” Peter said, “I really like it; but what about my face? It kind of misses the point if I can still be identified.”

“Look at your right hand, Peter,” Doctor Strange smiled.

Peter looked down, noticing a mask in his hand that matched the outfit, and would obscure the top half of his face; enough to make him unidentifiable. “I see,” he said, “Thanks, Doctor Strange.”

“You’re welcome,” the sorcerer replied, “Now get some rest, you two. It will be some time before we reach Corellia, and I think you both could use some of it.” 

They did as the sorcerer of the mystic arts suggested and returned to their own cart and seats. Luke remained restless by the events that had transpired and attempted to meditate as he was unable to sleep, and Peter took a nap in his chair, though it lasted less than an hour before he woke up again. 

The rest of the Interstellar Express’ journey was uneventful, and after a few hours the space traveling train exited Hyperspace and entered orbit over the industrial world of Corellia. The voice of the conductor Pom Pom announced their arrival, and moments later the train began its descent into the planet’s atmosphere and its final approach to the space port of Coronet City.
After its landing most of the passengers left the train and Luke Skywalker, Peter Parker and Doctor Strange were amongst those exiting the space train. “So what next?” Peter asked.

“I am going to look for another transport,” Luke said, “I need to go to Dagobah, where my father is currently at, but the Interstellar Express will proceed in another direction.”

“I have business here on Corellia,” Doctor Strange said, “But I am certain our paths will cross again in the foreseeable future.”

“Then this is it,” Luke said, “I guess we all part ways here?”

Peter Parker was quiet for a moment, pondering the events and the situation as it was for the moment. Then his face brightened up with a broad smile: “No.”

“No?” Luke repeated.

“You come with me to Kor Vella City,” Peter told Luke, “There we’ll get our pirate ship and make for the skies; you’ll be my first mate.”

“What, are you mad?” Luke blurted, “My father is an esteemed figure within the Empire! His son can’t be a pirate!”

“Says who?” Peter grinned.

“Well, he’s got you there,” Doctor Strange smiled.

“But… but I’m not a pirate!” Luke protested.

“Neither am I,” Peter grinned, “Means we’re going to do great, with our own style and our own rules.”

Luke Skywalker sighed. “You’re not going to let me back out of this, are you, Peter?”

“Not a chance,” Peter grinned.

Luke sighed again. “Very well then. Let’s go.”

“Good journey to you both,” Doctor Strange grinned. He had known in advance that this outcome would be inevitable. Now more than ever he was convinced that their paths would cross again, and they would cross again very soon.

Peter and Luke bade goodbye to Doctor Strange, who took an air taxi into the capitol city. The two youngsters asked around and found themselves a small transport that was headed for Kor Vella. There were still a few free spaces left and for a small fee they could join the transport as it made their way to the outer village.
After their arrival it was a short walk until they found themselves in the middle of the city’s bustling center. “And now what?” Luke asked, “Any leads?”

“A bar recommended to me by… an acquaintance,” Peter replied, “The Draknul Cafe.”

“What a coincidence,” Luke smiled, pointing across the street, “Look! That would be the Draknul Cafe just there!” 

A surprised smile appeared on Peter’s face. It was uncommon for him to be so lucky, so he wondered what the catch would be for that good fortune. Little did he know that catch would come not much later, not long after entering the Cafe. But unfortunately, amongst his various new talents, foresight was not one of them.

“So what next?” Luke asked, after they had entered the bar. The atmosphere was gloomy and a bit tense, with pockets of visitors gathered in various corners of the cafe.

“What else?” Peter replied, “When in new places, always ask the barkeep Just watch as the old Parker charisma does its work.”

They walked up to the barkeeper, a tough looking red skinned alien woman, and Peter did indeed do the talking: “Excuse me, I am looking for a ship or information on how to obtain a ship. My name is Peter Parker, and Sampo Koshi sent me.”

“Is that so, Peter Parker?” the woman replied with a nasty glare, “In that case, say your prayers, because you are already dead.”

She reached under the counter in the blink of an eye and drew a blaster gun from under the ridge, aiming it directly at Peter’s head: “Do you know what we do to friends of Sampo Koshi around here?!” 

The answer was clear, as the rest of the bar sprung to life as well at the sound of Sampo’s name, each patron drawing their weapon, ranging from small blasters to massive riffles to knives and even a Bowcaster or two. “I see the Parker Charisma hasn’t lost its touch,” Luke commented.

“I… I don’t understand,” Peter stuttered, “Surely there’s a misunderstanding? Aren’t you friends with Sampo?”

“I should blow your head off just for insinuating that,” the woman grumbled, bringing the pistol even closer to Peter’s head.

“Good acquaintances then?”

“Not really talking your way out of this, kid,” the woman growled.

“His father’s, brother’s, nephew’s, cousin’s former roommate?” Peter tried.

“Just how big is this death wish of yours, kid?” the woman glared.

“Then..?” Peter began but Luke interrupted it: “That’s enough of that. Can I have a word here?”

Luke began explaining everything that was going on and what had happened and told the bar patrons that it was basically all a big misunderstanding. Some of the things he said were true, such as their journey on the Interstellar Express, and some were a bit elaborate or stretching that same truth. But somehow he sounded very convincing and even Peter was believing almost every word he said. In the end, everybody was convinced that Peter had simply been tricked by Sampo, and that he was actually a victim of his scheming, just like the rest of them; in a sense, he was like a brother to them. “…and that is that,” Luke finished.

There was a moment of silence, and Peter half expected the guns to be raised again and for the whole thing to escalate in a massive brawl, but instead there was some laughter and people returned back to their conversations. “Looks like Sampo pulled a fast one on you, kid,” the barmaid said, “But don’t feel bad; it happens to the best of us. In fact, it did happen to the best of us.” 

“He really did not seem trustworthy,” Peter admitted, “Maybe I should have listened to my instincts.”

“We all came to that conclusion, kid,” the barmaid said, “Usually it costs us money or something else though; so consider yourself lucky.” 

“All it cost me was time,” Peter said, “And in return, I got to see the universe.”

“And you got mighty new abilities,” Luke added, “No one at school is going to mess with you now.”

“Maybe,” Peter sighed, “But we got all the way here, and I still don’t have a ship.”

“A ship?” someone in the bar asked, “You’re looking for a ship, lad?”

Peter turned around towards where the voice had come from. “I did,” he said, “I need one to follow my dream.”

“How interesting,” a man said, rising up from a table in one of the corners of the cafe and stepping out of the shadows. The man had a scarred face, one particularly notable under his right eye, with long and scraggly hair and a messy beard and mustache further framing it. He had a dark blue jacket and a dark round hat with space ostrich feathers (they’re like normal ostriches, except they lived a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. “I do believe we may be entering a scenario where the two of us will be doing business together, lad.”

“You’re a pirate,” Luke gasped.

“Guilty as charged,” the man said, making a mock bow, “Hector Barbossa, captain of the Black Sun Pearl Sky Pirates, at your service.”

“I’m not looking to join a group of pirates,” Peter said, “I want to have my own crew.”

“Well, as it happens to be, I’m looking to retire from the pirate business, “Barbossa replied with a grin, “I reckon we can probably strike a deal here, don’t you agree?”

“I do agree,” Peter replied, “But I don’t have much to bargain with, I’m afraid.”

“That’s all right lad,” the pirate captain replied, “I overheard you talking about how you were screwed over by Sampo, right? Well, that means if we get you a ship, we’ll be kind of ruining his scheme, meaning screwing over Sampo instead; and that’s good points in my book.”

“You mean you’re offering me your ship for free?” Peter asked, his eyes widening with anticipation.

There was an odd moment of silence as everybody had their gaze fixated on Captain Barbossa. Barbossa, at the same time was staring at Peter Parker for that same moment with an open mouth. “Ehr, no,” he finally said.

“But how about screwing over Sampo?” Peter tried again.

“Lad, do you have any idea what it cost me to obtain this ship, both in financial terms and in terms of hard labor through the illicit obtaining of goods in another person’s ownership?” Barbossa ranted, “I want to make you a good offer, but I can’t give you the Black Sun Pearl for free. That would be bordering insanity.”

“Then what do you propose?” Peter asked, “You said you wanted to make some kind of deal, right?”

“Nay, I said I reckon we can probably strike a deal here,” Barbossa corrected, “But given your background as an average school boy from Coruscant, I do begin to question the depths of your funds for more than a bit.”

“Do you prefer cash in your dealings, pirate captain Barbossa? Or would an item of value also suffice?” Luke asked.

“I’d prefer a monetary transaction, preferably the kind that can’t be traced,” Barbossa replied, “But I am willing to make an exception, if the trinket in question is rare or special enough, so that its true value can’t be questioned.”

Luke reached for a holster attached to a belt and opened it, reaching in it for its contents. He then threw an average sized metallic cylinder on the table, shaped like a hilt of some sort. “How about a real Jedi Lightsaber?” he offered.

There was a loud gasp in the room and even Captain Barbossa was taken aback. One or two of the patrons even reached for or drew their blasters, identifying the word Jedi with keepers of the peace, which was of course not a popular subject with the crowd of this bar. Finally, Barbossa spoke again, glancing down at the object: “Is it genuine? And functional?”

“Would you care for a demonstration?” Luke pressed.

“That won’t be necessary,” Barbossa replied, “Still, this is quite a find, young man. Care to tell me where you got it from, so that I can convince myself I won’t be apprehended by peacekeepers after leaving this bar, with the charge of possessing a stolen Jedi weapon?”

“My father is a Jedi Knight,” Luke explained, “But I am not; this weapon was gifted to me, my father it once belonged to a great Jedi Master, in the years before the founding of the Galactic Empire.”

“Interesting. So a Jedi weapon as well as something with historic value as well,” Barbossa seemed satisfied with that, “That does sound like an interesting alternative to money, young master.”

“Are you sure, Luke?” Peter asked, “It looks valuable, and rare as well; are you sure you want to just hand it to this pirate?”

“It’s all right, Peter,” Luke smiled, “This weapon holds no sentimental value to me; and besides, I have another.”

“You do?” Peter asked.

“You do?!” Barbossa blurted out.

Luke nodded, and opened another holster, pulling out another metallic cylindrical hilt. The shape was similar to the first one, but the design and shape were a bit different. “This one was my father’s,” he said, as he put it away again, “I use it for training purposes.”

“You mean you had that weapon with you on Dathomir?” Peter gasped, “And yet you didn’t use it against the wizard?”

“I didn’t think it necessary,” Luke shrugged.

“Sounds like you lads had quite the adventure,” Captain Barbossa interrupted, “Wizards and sorcery aren’t really my cup of tea. But that’s irrelevant; let’s conclude our business first, shall we?”

“Agreed,” Luke said, “So do we have a deal, captain?”

“Afraid not, lads,” Barbossa replied, “While this Lightsaber is valuable and gets you along quite a good part of the way, my beauty, the Black Sun Pearl, is way more precious than that. I’m afraid this Jedi trinket here doesn’t quite cover it yet.”

“He’s after your other Lightsaber,” Peter grumbled to Luke, and to Barbossa he said loudly: “You’re not getting the other Lightsaber, Barbossa!” 

“Oh, I understand, lad,” Barbossa replied, “The trinket has value, I wouldn’t dream of parting it with its owner, or even suggesting as much. As a sky pirate, I understand the true value of things.”

“Thank you,” Luke said, “But then that’s about all I can offer.”

“Same for me,” Peter added.

Captain Barbossa sat back down in his chair, rubbing his beard between his thumb and index fingers as he pondered the situation and was considering any other options. “I see…” he said, “Then we’re out of regular options, and we will have to consider some more exotic alternatives. Perhaps even consider payment-in-kind.”

“Woah, I may be a Spider-Man, but I don’t swing that way!” Peter replied quickly, making a fending-off gesture with both his hands.

“What?” Barbossa blinked, then understood the boy’s meaning, “No, that’s not what I meant! Who do you think I am? Captain Jack Sparrow?!”

“I don’t know,” Peter retorted, “Are you?”

“Careful with your insults, lad,” Barbossa replied, “But to get to the point: If you take me along on your maiden voyage, and deliver me to where I want to go, that would be sufficient for a payment; along with the Lightsaber, of course.”

“And where do you need to go?” Luke asked.

“The space station of Babylon V”, Captain Barbossa replied, “It’s neutral grounds; perfect for me to make good on some of my investments, as well as to make some decisions regarding my retirement options.” 

“So in other words, a place for you to disappear,” Luke guessed, crossing his arms and glaring at the pirate for even suggesting it.

“Aye, and is that such a bad thing, when Captain Barbossa disappears from the universal playing field?” Barbossa offered, “One less pirate crew in the world; and for you less competition to worry about.”

“Deal!” Peter suddenly blurted out, grinning, “We’ll take you to Babylon V, Barbossa. But only you.”

“Agreed then,” Barbossa grinned, “Glad we could strike a bargain, my young pirates. Let’s go have a look at your ship, shall we?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Peter?” Luke asked, “Can we even trust this guy?”

“Of course not,” Peter laughed, “He’s a pirate for crying out loud! But that doesn’t matter; we’re going to take him along, and I’m going to convince him to join our crew, to be our navigator, before we arrive at Babylon V!”

“Ah, you will, eh lad?” Barbossa grinned, “And who are you to convince Captain Barbossa of such an offer?”

“Me?” Peter laughed, “I am Peter Parker, captain of the Spider-Man pirates. I am the one who is going to be the King of the Sky Pirates!”

Chapter III – Dathomir the Magical Planet: Who exactly is this Strange guy?

The trip from Kashyyyk to Dathomir was much shorter than their initial journey from Coruscant and after less than two hours, the majestic Interstellar Express dropped out of hyperspace and entered orbit around the mysterious crimson planet. Yet oddly enough, the train remained in orbit and made no attempt to land just yet.

Dathomir

“That’s odd,” Luke said, “We should have landed already by now. Yet the Express remains in orbit.”

“Do you think something’s broken?” Peter asked.

“No, I don’t think so, that would have been reason to land, yet that’s not happening,” Luke said, “Rather, I think something’s going on at the planet itself.”

“That sucks,” Peter said, “I hope we don’t have to wait too long.”

A few minutes later, the familiar voice of the conductor sounded over the intercom again: “Travelers, our apologies for the delay. We’re experiencing some minor technical difficulties, so the landing on Dathomir has been postponed. We hope to resume the landing process soon and will keep you updated.”

“So technical difficulties after all,” Peter concluded.

“That’s odd,” Luke said, “I just told you, if there are technical problems, they usually land on the nearest planet to get those fixed. Staying in orbit would be a roundabout way of doing things.”

“Maybe the landing system is the thing that is broken?” Peter guessed.

“Possible, but unlikely,” Luke pondered, “The landing system is critical, there are multiple backups in place. It’s unlikely all of those systems have failed at once, unless… maybe someone sabotaged the systems?”

“Or something else is going on entirely,” a familiar voice spoke. Looking over his shoulder, Peter Parker recognised the familiar figure of Doctor Strange, the man he had met before their arrival on Kashyyyk, “Good to see you again, Mr. Parker.”

“It’s been only a few hours since we saw each other,” Peter reminded him, wondering why the Doctor had reacted in such a way, “Before our arrival on Kashyyyk.”

Doctor Strange fell silent for a moment, and to Peter it looked like his remark had surprised him somehow. “Ah yes, of course,” Doctor Strange finally replied, “I was a bit confused due to the strange situation with the Interstellar Express. You think something is up as well, do you?”

“We do,” Peter replied, “We just don’t know what is up yet; this is my travel companion, Luke Skywalker.”

“Ah, yes, Skywalker,” Doctor Strange repeated, “A famous name. Interesting to see you here, young Master.”

“I think you have me confused with my father,” Luke corrected, “He is the Master in our family.”

“Ah, yes, of course he is,” Doctor Strange smiled, “Master Anakin Skywalker. An interesting fellow, always brushing with destiny.”

“Are you drunk..?” Peter asked. Doctor Strange really wasn’t making any sense.

“No, you’re right, apologies, I was rambling,” Doctor Strange replied, “You were wondering about the problems with the Interstellar Express, right?”

“Yes, something is up,” Peter replied, “It looks like it’s more than a simple delay.”

“Then shall we go ask them?” the doctor proposed.

“What do you mean?” Luke asked, “We simply can go up to the control cart, just like that!”

“Sure we can,” Doctor Strange said, and started walking, “Follow me. We’ll see what is really going on.”

The boys were hesitant but followed the mysterious adult as he made his way through the various train carts to the front of the Interstellar Express. Oddly enough, there was no active security and no one attempted to stop them. Even as they reached the front carts, there was no one halting them.
They reached a cart where a group of people had gathered in a small circle. They seemed to be discussing something. What stood out most about the group was a tiny alien that Peter spotted right away, a rabbit-like creature with short white and dark gray fur and ears that seemed disportionately long compared to its body. Apart from its small body, it also stood out because it was the most animate and intense of the group of people in its method of discussion.
The group didn’t notice them until they approached and until Doctor Strange greeted them: “Greetings, members of the Interstellar Express.”

“Ah, Pom Pom told you the doors should be locked. But no one ever listens to Pom Pom!” the small creature complained.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Doctor Strange,” another member of the Interstellar Express team replied, “But you really shouldn’t be walking in here unannounced; and bringing children with you, nevertheless!” 

“I vouch for them,” the Doctor replied, “And I was just wondering if I could help. Dathomir is a planet of mystical energies, after all.”

“Then why don’t you introduce your companions to us, doctor,” the man proposed.

“But of course,” Doctor Strange replied, “These are Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, and Peter Parker, a traveler from Coruscant with ambitions.”

“That’s one way to describe it, I guess,” Peter sighed.

“These are some of the crew of the Interstellar Express,” Doctor Strange went on, introducing the others, “Welt Yang, a veteran member of the Interstellar Express, Tony Stark, engineer specialist of the Empire, Ben Solo, pilot of the Express, and Pom Pom, the conductor.”

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Welt commented.

“Likewise,” Luke replied.

“So pleasantries aside, what is really going on here?” Doctor Strange asked, “There is nothing wrong with the Express, is there?”

“Sharp as ever, Stephen,” Tony Stark replied, “You’re right. The Interstellar Express is fine. “It’s the planet.”

“Figured as much,” Doctor Strange replied.

Welt Yang walked over to a console and pressed a few buttons on a keyboard. A display of Dathomir came up, showing a pictogram of the Interstellar Express in orbit around it. Surrounding the planet and the Express was a strange hue. “A strange energy surrounds Dathomir,” Welt explained, “It got us as well as soon as we entered orbit and is preventing us from leaving the planet’s gravity well. At the same time, we do not want to risk a landing until we know what is compromising our systems, because we might not be able to launch again for all we know.”

“Do you know what is causing it?” Luke asked.

“Unknown,” Tony replied, “But presumably magical in origin.”

“I can guarantee you it’s magical in origin,” Doctor Strange said, “I’ve been sensing it since before we entered the planet’s orbit.”

“A heads up would have been nice,” Tony complained.

“I’m sorry, I was napping,” Doctor Strange apologized, “I noticed something was amiss when I woke up, but I knew I wouldn’t make it to the control area on time.”

“So what do we do now?” Ben Solo asked, “If the cause of the problem is on the planet, does that mean we need to land after all?”

“No,” Welt corrected, “We can’t risk the safety of the passengers.”

“Then what do we do?” Ben asked, “We can’t contact the Empire either, communications have been cut off.”

“We go down to the planet,” Doctor Strange proposed.

“But the passengers…” Welt began.

“Don’t patronize me, Welt,” Doctor Strange spoke sternly, “I know you have a teleportation device on board. It will serve nicely to get me and these two youngsters to the planet surface.”

“You want to go down there? And bring kids along?” Tony asked with an accusing tone.

“Don’t underestimate them, Tony,” Doctor Strange said, “And yes, we need to get to the bottom of this disturbance. Can you get us down there?”

“No sweat,” Tony replied.

“Good luck then, travelers,” Pom Pom encouraged.

Welt pressed a few buttons at the console again, activating the Express’ teleportation device. A glow surrounded Doctor Strange, Luke Skywalker and Peter Parker, and then suddenly they were no longer on the Interstellar Express but on the planet’s surface. The planet Dathomir was a barren planet, with little vegetation to be found, and its blood red skies gave it somewhat of an ominous appearance and feeling. “Do people actually live on this world?” Luke asked.

“They do,” Doctor Strange replied, “Don’t let appearances fool you. This world is actually home to a lot of creatures and even people live here. They just had to adapt a little.”

“You called this a magical world?” Peter remembered, “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it implies,” Doctor Strange replied, “Magic is strong here. It’s one of the few things that drew people here, why this isn’t a desolate world.”

“You’re not just a Doctor or a businessman, are you?” Luke asked.

Doctor Strange smiled and raised his hands. “I guess there is no need to keep this disguise on any longer,” he said and spoke a few mystic words. The business suit shimmered and faded, revealing a colorful outfit of blue and red, with an impressive large red cape hanging from the back. “Allow me to reintroduce myself,” he said, “My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme.”

“That’s quite a title,” Luke said.

“And quite an outfit,” Peter added, “No wonder you kept it hidden. Was that a hologram just now?”

“Magic, Peter, magic,” Doctor Strange corrected.

“Really?” Peter asked.

“Yes. In fact, we’re surrounded by it.”

“Oh, we’re surrounded all right,” Luke said, “Look!”

Indeed they suddenly found themselves surrounded by strange small creatures, about three apples high. They were blue skinned and dressed in simple white clothes. Except for one, who was dressed in red, presumably their leader. “You are not welcome here,” he said sternly.

“Are these natives to Dathomir?” Peter asked.

“Yes… and no…” Doctor Strange replied, “Smurfs.”

“I’ve never heard of a race called Smurfs before,” Luke commented.

“I said: You are not welcome here,” the Boss Smurf repeated.

“I did not know Smurfs had made Dathomir their home, Papa Smurf,” Doctor Strange greeted the small spokesperson, “Not many mushrooms around, are there?”

“We do what we must,” the Smurf replied, “Do I know you, wizard?”

“Not in this lifetime and age,” Doctor Strange replied, “Why do you want us gone so badly?”

“We don’t trust wizards,” Papa Smurf replied, “And you reek of it, old man.”

“That was uncalled for,” Doctor Strange said, “I am in the peak of my youth.”

“Are you the ones holding our transport hostage?” Luke asked.

“What do you mean, transport?” Papa Smurf asked, “You arrived here on foot, did you not? Or do you have a carriage parked somewhere? Horses perhaps?”

“What is he talking about?” Luke whispered, “Don’t they know we’re from space?”

“They’re medieval creatures,” Doctor Strange whispered back, “Which put them even more out of place here. No, I don’t think they’re our culprits.”

“You must leave now,” Papa Smurf warned again, “Time is running out.”

“Stop threatening us,” Peter said, “We mean no harm!”

“I don’t think they want to harm us,” Doctor Strange said, “Rather, I think they’re trying to keep us away from it; from something…”

“From what then?” Luke asked.

“That would be us,” a voice spoke up.

The trio glanced to the right where the voice had come from. There, on an elevated plateau, a man in arabian clothes stood, dressed in red and black. “You have become the target of the Triumvirate,” he announced, “I am Jafar.”

“Oh no, they found us!” one of the Smurfs exclaimed.

“Your vessel is ours, and so are you,” a second person spoke. This one was dressed in blue armor and his face obscured by a purple hood. Yet beneath it, glowing red eyes were clearly visible in hollow sockets. “I am Skeletor.”

“A trap,” Luke realized.

Peter meanwhile was at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his head had been going insane ever since before these two mysterious figures appeared. His head was pounding and he was sweating, as if his body was warning him of something, perhaps of these two; and if that was true, then his body was telling him now that the worst was yet to come.

“What do you want?” Doctor Strange demanded.

“Why you, dear Strange,” Jafar grinned, stroking his goatee, “We were waiting here for you.”

“Fine, you have me,” Doctor Strange said, “Then let the Interstellar Express go. And these boys as well.”

“No can do, Doctor,” Skeletor smirked, “These are an interesting bonus. Especially the Skywalker kid will prove useful to us, once we’ve turned him.”

“I can’t allow that,” Doctor Strange said, taking an offensive stance, “And you know it.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t do that,” one of the Smurfs peeped, “The Triumvirate is powerful, you really shouldn’t be going against them.”

“You really shouldn’t,” another Smurf agreed.

“A Triumvirate is a council of three wise men,” Luke said, “But I see no wisdom here, only bullies, picking on those weaker and smaller than them.”

“Besides, I see only two of you,” Peter added, “Where is the third? Hiding?”

“Careful now…” Doctor Strange said softly, so only the two boys could hear; things were already dire as they were without provoking their assailants; didn’t the boys realize the trouble they were in?

“You speak with much disrespect, child,” Skeletor spat, “It will cost you.”

“The third member of our Triumvirate is not here at the moment,” Jafar said, “But his presence is not needed; the two of us are more than enough to dispatch a retired wizard and two lame pups.”

“On the other hand, they are severely underestimating us,” Doctor Strange whispered, “We might actually stand a chance here.”

“We do?” Luke whispered, “He’s right, you know; Peter and I are just little more than children, and you… are you really a wizard?”

“I am, but not a space wizard,” Doctor Strange replied, “Unlike the Jedi, I draw my power from mystic sources. As do these two, I suspect.”

“That’s even worse,” Peter whispered, “How can we defeat not just one wizard, but two?”

“I need you two to distract only one of them,” Doctor Strange replied, “If you can do that, then I can easily take care of the other one.”

“Distract him?” Peter protested, “They’re wizards. What are we going to do? Catch their spells with our bodies?”

“You’re stronger than you think,” Doctor Strange said, trying to motivate them, “Luke, your father is a Jedi Knight, right?”

“He is,” Luke said, “But I am not him. I wasn’t trained…” 

“But then you likely have the gift,” Doctor Strange replied, “Even untrained, you’ll be able to avoid anything Jafar throws at you. Provided he doesn’t use spells that affect an area, but those take time to prepare. So he won’t.”

“Those are some pretty big risks,” Luke sighed.

“And you, Peter,” Doctor Strange continued, “You have a power within you that is greater than that of ordinary people. You just don’t need to be afraid to show it.”

“I do?” Peter asked.

“You do, Peter,” Doctor Strange confirmed, “The power you discovered on Kashyyyk, it’s a part of you; it should be easy for you to beat this wizard.”

“You knew about that?” Peter asked.

“That’s enough chit chat,” Jafar warned, “Surrender now, Strange, or the children will die.”

“Calling them children only shows how much you underestimate your opponents, Jafar. That means you’re not worthy of my time,” Doctor Strange said, and he moved away from the boys, turning to face Skeletor: “Instead I will occupy myself with you, Skeletor.”

“Fool!” What hope do you think you have against me?” Skeletor taunted.

Luke and Peter turned themselves towards Jafar, moving hesitantly and unsure if they could make a difference, while the wizard was gloating: “You turn your back on me, Strange? I understand, you don’t want to see these children perish.”

“Imagine how humiliating it will be if two children kick your ass,” Peter taunted.

“What a disgrace!” Luke added.

“Wouldn’t be able to show your face in the Triumvirate Book Club for a month!” Peter went on.

The bit of taunting was enough to set Jafar off. He raised his golden serpent shaped staff, and bolts of energy flung from it, aimed at the two young heroes. Yet they evaded the deadly assault with ease. Luke moved as if he sensed the bolt’s trajectory in advance, easily avoiding any lethal blast, and Peter leapt and dashed out of harm’s way with incredible agility, much to Jafar’s increasing frustration.
The wizard changed his tactics, materializing daggers out of thin air which he hurled at the duo, but the two heroes dodged the speedy assault with the same ease as they had avoided the energy blasts. True, his magic was potent, but it mattered little if you can’t hit your opponent.

“Miscreants!” Jafar shouted, “Stand still!”

“Only a third rate wizard would need non-moving targets in order to score something!” Peter taunted, “I guess the rest of the Triumvirate is compensating for you?”

Jafar changed his tactic and gripped his staff firmly as he began chanting. Whatever it was, it left him wide open. But whatever it was, it was probably something big. “Careful,” Doctor Strange shouted over his shoulder while fending off Skeletor’s attacks, “He’s going to cast an area effect spell. You won’t be able to dodge that so easily.”

“Big spells take preparation time,” Peter Parker remembered, and leapt forward towards the wizard. Jafar noticed the boy and tried to raise his staff to defend, to strike the boy down, but Peter dodged with incredible ease, punching the wizard.
A normal punch should have been enough to knock a grown man over, but somehow Peter Parker’s punch was much more impactful (pun intended, of course) than it should have been, and the hit sent the wizard flying across the planescape, hurling Jafar for many feet until he impacted hard on the cold dirt floor, his staff landing several feet a way with a loud clunking sound. The wizard did not get up again, having been knocked unconscious. 

“Damn, dude,” Luke gasped, looking at the dust cloud that was settling around the fallen wizard.

“I didn’t mean to hit him that hard,” Peter said, “I didn’t even know I could hit him that hard.”

A little further away, Skeletor was just knocked to the floor by Doctor Strange, the evil wizard entangled by golden bands of magical force, restraining his movement completely. “Release me, cretin!” he demanded, wiggling and struggling against his powerful bonds.

“How about I’m not going to do that,” Doctor Strange replied, “And instead you’re going to lift your hold on the Interstellar Express and will let us leave in peace. Deal?”

“Unhand me,” Skeletor demanded again.

“Do we have a deal?” Doctor Strange repeated, tightening the magical bands’ grip a little.

“Fine, fine, we have a deal,” Skeletor grumbled, “The veil that holds your vessel is maintained by the three of us, but if only one of us ends the spell, the veil is lifted. There. It is done.”

“It was already done when the boy knocked out Jafar,” Doctor Strange corrected, “But it’s even more lifted than before now; thank you for your cooperation.”

“What do we now, professor?” Luke asked.

“Doctor,” Doctor Strange corrected, “And nothing. We’ll leave these two here and will send a warning to the Empire after returning to the Interstellar Express. I’m sure imperial forces will be able to deal with this threat accordingly and make sure the Smurfs will be properly taken care of.” 

“Thank you very much, Mr. Strange,” Papa Smurf said, “My apologies for trying to chase you away.”

“No apologies needed, little friend,” Doctor Strange replied, “Just make sure you and your people stay safe from these thugs; it might be a while before the Empire arrives to clean up the planet.”

“What do we do now?” Peter asked, “Wait for the Interstellar Express to land?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Doctor Strange replied, “Only one passenger was scheduled to land on this planet, and he was me.” 

“Then we’re finished here?” Luke asked.

“Very much so,” the master of the mystic arts replied, “Did you hear that, Welt? I take it you’ve been listening in. Bring us back aboard, please.”

There was no reply from the Express, but moments later they were engulfed in light, which was proof enough that the crew had heard them. Then, with a flash, they all disappeared, leaving the mysterious world of Dathomir behind and returning back to the Interstellar Express, and to the next part of their journey…